lightning

Song of the week: "Crying Lightning", by Arctic Monkeys
from http://youtu.be/fLsBJPlGIDU

see where we went while on holidays... part 3

The morning of the 26th May.
The ship travelled overnight from the Isles of Scilly and arrived early morning at the picturesque fishing village of Dunmore East in County Waterford on Ireland’s southeastern coast.

From there, we travelled to Mount Congreve Gardens, a vast and visually inspiring woodland garden set on the banks of the River Suir.




The black triangle on green was our destination...


Driving to Mount Congreve Gardens


I used the Garmin to map where I went in the gardens. That's the river at the top (and a county boundary)










The river Suir in the background


We headed off again and went elsewhere for lunch ... but that's another story.

cupcakes

Hints about running marathons will be posted next week.

Highlights of the latest YCRC Newsletter

1. Winter Series 2014
Big thank you to our officials and runners in the Pennington and Longstaff trophy runs held last Saturday. They were our best attended events since the Summer Series. I cannot over emphasis the need to do some regular racing if you want to increase your speed over the ground.

Winter Series - Saturday 28th June – Ginninderra Creek 2/5/10k. The first run starts at 1245pm at Diddams Close, Lake Ginninderra off Ginninderra Drive. Runs start from the picnic area at the Western end of Diddams Close.

Winter Series - Saturday 5th July – Black Mountain Trail Runs 5/15k – Events start at 8am. Firth Road, off Barry Drive and behind the CSIRO. The start/finish of the trail run will be just inside the fence where the cars are parked. Great run on the trails in the Black Mountain Nature Reserve.

Sunday 6th July – Jogalong 1.6km Mini Jog, 3km run and 6km handicap. Events start at 9am. In Weston Park, Yarralumla at the junction of Weston Park Road and Prescott Lane. The Jogalong is a handicap event for women and girls only. Handicap, meaning that walkers and slower runners start early so that in theory everyone finishes at the same time. The 3km is non handicap and all runners start with Jogalong group one. The Mini Jog is an event for young children. Free child care available.

Winter Series - Saturday 12th July Hackett 2/3/6k – Events start at 1245pm. Antill Street, Hackett after the last houses with the runs taking place in the Majura Nature Park. About 1.5km past the Antill Street/Phillip Avenue big roundabout and on the right hand side.

Saturday 19th July – ACT Cross Country Championships – Stromlo Forest Park – No YCRC Winter Series events. These championships will be conducted jointly by ACT Athletics and ACT Veterans Athletics. YCRC club members are encouraged to participate in these events, and our club is always actively involved with this fixture. No entries allowed on the day.

Athletics ACT link: http://www.athleticsact.org.au/upcoming-meets-and-programs 

ACT Veterans Athletic link: https://www.registernow.com.au/secure/Register.aspx?E=12038

2. YCRC 10km Training Group – A training group to prepare runners for the Canberra Times Fun Run that will be held on Sunday 7th September will commence on Sunday 20th July. Registrations for the group can be made at https://www.registernow.com.au/secure/Register.aspx?E=13162
The group will meet on all three days at the entrance to Weston Park near the dog exercise area. Times will be 6.30am on Tuesday and Thursday and 7.30am on Sundays.

The best promotion for this group comes from club members to their family friends so please pass this information on.

3. Program Change
The Canberra Times Fun Run is being held on Sunday 7 September, the YCRC has moved both events it had scheduled for that weekend to the following weekend. Therefore the North Lyneham event will now be on Saturday 13September and the September Jogalong will now be on the 14th

pawtrait

Simon’s cat's latest, from http://youtu.be/k1i9YmUgY0Q

singing in the rain

Training in the rain
Sunday 22 June Warrick & I ran at Stromlo.
Monday 23 June @ Parliament House Jen, Ruth & Vanessa (on her birthday) fronted in the cold and wet. They ran interval 200m intervals (Jen some 400ms)

Racing last week
Friday 20 June Customs Joggers 5k
Geoff Moore 24:21
Bronwyn Calver 25:10
Bron Sparkes 25:30
Caroline Campbell 30:45

Saturday 21 June Ginninderra Parkrun #113
84 Ruth Baussmann 29:15 W60
116 Dom Sparkes 35:09 JM10 First Timer!
118 Bron Sparkes 35:12 W35
139 finishers

Saturday 21 June Tuggeranong Parkrun #70
42 Isaac Muscat 24:26 JM10 New PB!
43 Jen Bright 24:26 W35
65 David Clarke 26:22 M55
169 finishers

Saturday 21 June Gungahlin Parkrun #36
Gungahlin parkrun # 36 - 21/06/2014
39 Janene Kingston 23:46 W50
74 Margaret McSpadden 28:28 W65
116 finishers

Saturday 21 June YCRC Longstaff 8k Stromlo Forest Park
8. Kym Chisholm W30 33:16
17. Rohan Pitchford M50 38:26
18. Maria O'Reilly W55 38:37
19. Kathy Sims W60 39:35
21. Gabrielle Brown W50 40:52
22. Elizabeth Mountbattan W55 41:55
27. Caroline Campbell W70 48:09
34 finishers

Saturday 21 June YCRC Pennington 16k Stromlo Forest Park
21. Ewen Thompson M55 1:30:58
23. Roger Pilkington M55 1:31:22
28 finishers

not spring no burpees

demolition

Song of the week, in memory of Rik Mayall (7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014)
Living Doll, by Cliff Richard and The Young Ones.
from http://youtu.be/gGOU0o9K89g

funny

I thought these were pretty funny:

“But still, my scheme for creating and saving user config files and data locally to preserve them across reinstalls might be useful for--wait, that's cookies.” 

And some jokes.

Descartes walks into a bar. The bartender asks if he wants a drink. “I think not,” Descartes says. And then he disappears.

A Photon checks into a hotel and is asked if he has any luggage. The Photon replies “No I’m traveling light”

Two chemists walk into a bar. The first says, “Can I have a glass of H2O.”
The second chemist says “Can I have a glass of water too.”
The first chemist broke down in tears – his assassination attempt had failed.

There’s a band called 1023MB. They haven’t had any gigs yet.

Did you hear about the pirated DVD? It was rated 3.14159 stars out of five.

A guy walks into a sandwich shop and sees a sign that reads, "Home of the Meanest Grilled Cheese in Town." So he orders the grilled cheese. When his bill arrives the waitress asks him how he liked the sandwich. "Eh, it was about average."

To get to the other side.
Why did the tachyon cross the road?

Scientists want to cool my body down to -273.15 degrees Celsius. My wife thinks it'll kill me, but I think I'll be 0k.

It’s hard to explain puns to kleptomaniacs because they always take things literally.

see where we went while on holidays... part 2

On 25 May after sailing into the Scilly islands we disembarked for the Tresco Abbey Gardens. I set my Garmin to record the route. But no running involved was, only a good walk.

Why we run

Hurrah I ran today (after being sick for 3 days). Only 24:21 for 5k but at least I was out there in the Canberra sun!

results results results

YCRC Mt Taylor 7k Saturday 10 May
13. Ewen Thompson M55 42:17
14 finishers

Friday 16 May Customs 5k
Bron Sparkes 26:07
Caroline Campbell 31:16

Saturday 17 May Ginninderra Parkrun #108
53 Bron Sparkes 26:21 W35 First Timer!
143 finishers

Saturday 17 May Tuggeranong Parkrun #65
8 David Clarke 20:21 M55
189 finishers

Saturday 17 May Gungahlin Parkrun #31
85 Margaret McSpadden 32:51 W65
109 finishers

YCRC Half Marathon Eve 5k Saturday, 17 May
18. Ewen Thompson M55 23:09
51 finishers

YCRC Canberra Half Marathon Sunday 18 May
35. Jen Bright W35 1:29.37
36. Kym Chisholm W30 1:29:42
40. David Clarke M55 1:30:59
88. Maria O'Reilly W55 1:40:36
119. Roger Pilkington M55 1:47:05
127. Gabrielle Brown W50 1:48:30
179. Rae Palmer W65 1:56.03
226. Katherine Sheppard W40 2:00.49
241. Caroline Campbell W70 2:03.51
295. Margaret McSpadden W65 2:16.39
331 finishers

Friday 23 May Customs 5k
Leonie Doyle 25.25
Bron Sparkes 25:47
Caroline Campbell 29:30

Saturday 24 May Ginninderra Parkrun #109
77 Bron Sparkes 25:37 W35 New PB!
129 Margaret McSpadden 29:27 W65
130 Ruth Baussmann 29:29 W60
181 finishers

Saturday 24 May Tuggeranong Parkrun #66
11 David Clarke 19:22 M55
42 Ewen Thompson 22:52 M55 New PB!
62 Catherine Montalto 24:46 60 New PB!
71 Isaac Muscat 25:10 M10 New PB!
72 Jen Bright 25:11 W35
204 finishers

Saturday 24 May Gungahlin Parkrun #32
35 Janene Kingston 24:54 W45
106 finishers

YCRC Stromlo Forest Park 5k 24 May
11. David Clarke M55 21:41
13. Andrew Matthews M55 22:49
15. Rohan Pitchford M50 23:19
21 finishers

Customs Joggers 5k Friday 30 May
Bron Sparkes 24:45

Saturday 31 May Ginninderra Parkrun #110
72 Bron Sparkes 25:07 W35 New PB!
110 Ruth Baussmann 29:42 W60
153 finishers

Saturday 31 May Tuggeranong Parkrun #67
24 Andrew Matthews 22:08 M55 First Timer!
42 Ewen Thompson 23:55 M55
49 Emma Padovan 24:18 W30 First Timer!
182 finishers

Saturday 31 May Gungahlin Parkrun #33
40 Nadine Morrison 23:40 W40-44
43 Janene Kingston 24:11 W45-49
140 finishers

YCRC Symonston 4.5k Saturday 31 May
11. Ewen Thompson M55 25:30
13 finishers

YCRC Symonston 9k 31 May
13 finishers

YCRC Women’s Jogalong Sunday 1 June
31. Cathy Montalto W60 31:31
39. Kathy Sims W60 29:00
44. Caroline Campbell W70 35:02
54 Finishers

Customs Joggers 5k Friday 6 June
Bron Sparkes 24:42

Saturday 7 June Ginninderra Parkrun #111
113 Margaret McSpadden 30:17 W65
128 Bron Sparkes 33:45 W35
157 finishers

Saturday 7 June Tuggeranong Parkrun #68
23 Andrew Matthews 22:24 M55
34 Ewen Thompson 23:18 M55
49 Isaac Muscat 24:41 M10 New PB!
50 Jen Bright 24:42 W35
169 finishers

Saturday 7 June Gungahlin Parkrun #34
128 finishers

Gibside parkrun #15 Saturday 7 June
15. Geoff Moore 24:46

YCRC 7/8 June no event held

Sri Chinmoy Half Marathon Monday 9 June
Male 50-59: 2. Colin Farlow 1:25.02

Sri Chinmoy 5 mile Monday 9 June
Male 50-59: 6. Ewen Thompson 44:10

Customs Joggers 5k Friday 13 June
Rohan Pitchford 24:02
Bron Sparkes 25:12
Carolyn Campbell 28:35

Saturday 14 June Ginninderra Parkrun #112
76 finishers

Saturday 14 June Tuggeranong Parkrun #69
31 Ewen Thompson 24:26 M55
35 David Clarke 25:12 M55
98 finishers

Saturday 14 June Gungahlin Parkrun #35
61 finishers

YCRC Goorooyaroo 4k Saturday 14 June
9. Ewen Thompson M55 20:43
14 finishers

YCRC Goorooyaroo 8K Saturday 14 June
17 finishers

Glow Worm Trail Half Marathon Sunday 15 June
4. Kym Chisholm

That took me a while to catch up. Any corrections or omissions, throw me a comment.

How barefoot running became popular

Keith Urban – "Where The Blacktop Ends"
Gonna kick off my shoes
And run in bare feet
Where the grass and the dirt and the gravel all meet
Goin' back to the well gonna visit old friends
And feed my soul where the blacktop ends

I'm lookin' down the barrel of Friday night
Ridin' on a river of freeway lights
Goodbye city I'm country bound
'Til Monday rolls around

Gonna kick off my shoes
And run in bare feet
Where the grass and the dirt and the gravel all meet
Goin' back to the well gonna visit old friends
And feed my soul where the blacktop ends

Workin' in the grind is an uphill road
Punchin' that clock and carryin' that load
I bust it all week and then I'm free
The weekend belongs to me

Gonna kick off my shoes
And run in bare feet
Where the grass and the dirt and the gravel all meet
Goin' back to the well gonna visit old friends
And feed my soul where the blacktop ends

Give me some fresh air give me that farm
Give me some time with you in my arms
Far away from the hustle and the pressure and the noise

Gonna kick off my shoes
And run in bare feet
Where the grass and the dirt and the gravel all meet
Goin' back to the well gonna visit old friends
And feed my soul, you betcha

Gonna kick off my shoes
And run in bare feet
Where the grass and the dirt and the gravel all meet
Goin' back to the well gonna visit old friends
And feed my soul where the blacktop ends

Where the blacktop ends
Where the blacktop ends
Where the blacktop ends

"New bikepath bollards allow for wide runners"

At training last night, Ewen (his photos and captions, HAHA), Jen & I (pictured) ran 8k early, then we ran 20 x 100m hill sprints on 90 seconds. It is 12 months exactly since we farewelled Sarah-Jayne by running the same session, her favourite. Participating in the hill sprints yesterday were Andy, Christopher, Colin, me, Marilyn, Mick, Ruth & Vanessa.


New bikepath bollards allow for wide runners.


Tail wind.

Having come back from holidays I discover I am tied up on Thursday nights. However Dickson training can continue on Thursdays without me. And when I get time I will catch up on the last few weeks' race results. Not yet.


A red squirrel from Falkirk, Scotland. They are speedy little fellows. Short legs can run very fast.

"This works for me"

You must remember this...
Song of the week: "Ca Plane Pour Moi", by Plastic Bertrand.
from http://youtu.be/bVDfmn_TMkI
Just a bit of fun.

Happy Birthday Kayleigh

#1 granddaughter - 15 years old today!

What Is Health?

[Article for the July Vetrunner]
It seems a bit lame to define “health” as “not sick”. A bit like defining a dog as “not a cat”. Here’s a rough attempt at defining health at the personal level.

Our self- development goals ought not stop at just the physical. For a start, we are comprised of mind as well as body. And just as we exercise our bodies in athletics, we should also find suitable exercises to challenge and improve our minds, shouldn’t we? Everyone knows that a retired person needs to keep exercising the mind in order to stay alert and cognitively fit. Health doesn’t stop at just physical and mental, either. Other areas of health include emotional, spiritual, and relational.

The word "health" comes from the Old English word hale, meaning "wholeness, being whole, sound or well." An older meaning of “hale” was "whole, uninjured, of good omen". Medilexicon's Medical Dictionary has three definitions for health, the first being "The state of the organism when it functions optimally without evidence of disease or abnormality". The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" and "a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasising social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities."

Physical health means healthy because of regular physical activity, good nutrition, and adequate rest. The fitness industry emphasises physical health, and there is so much information available about physical health and wellbeing that one could focus one’s whole life on physical fitness to the exclusion of the other, equally important, aspects of health.

Just as physical health is about the body functioning well, mental health is about our mind functioning well. Mental health is more than “lack of mental illness”. A WHO definition of mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community". Mental health means healthy because we can enjoy life, overcome adversity, are flexible and adaptable. We are healthy because we keep the mind active and because we embrace truth and integrity.

Emotional health is all about having a happy, positive outlook and being content, with what we have and what we can achieve. More than that, there is a joy to life, a waking in the morning expectant about what the day will bring. Emotional health means healthy because we can manage our anger for example, deal with our emotions by giving them prompt and appropriate expression, and live in a way which minimises guilt and self-doubt.

Spiritual health means healthy because we have an appreciation of the bigger picture, knowing that we are part of a plan and a purpose greater than is obvious to us most of the time. Spiritual health involves having faith that what we are doing today will have consequences tomorrow of which we are scarcely aware. We are functioning well spiritually when our hope for what might be is stronger than our fear of what might be.

Relational health is about how we interact with others. We have relational health when we are part of a social scene where we experience acceptance and belonging.

Any one of these areas – and there are more but these are the most important – can be neglected at our peril. Health is a combination of all areas of our personal life, functioning optimally. Each area can be worked on; trained; if we take the trouble to make plans and carry them through.

"A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools." - Spanish Proverb

"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver." - Mahatma Gandhi.

See where I run - 12k at Cardiff

A pleasant 12k training run around Atlantic Wharf, down to Mermaid Quay on Cardiff Bay, and across the barrage separating Cardiff Bay from the Bristol Channel. Run completed 21 May 2014. Cardiff, the capital of Wales, is an excellent place to run.

Lake District

Very pretty. I will have to go back some time.



But for now I am back home. See you Saturday 9:00am or later.

30 Things to Stop Doing #30

#30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

by Marc and Angel.



The 30 day plank challenge concludes. Day #30 – as long as possible!

30 Things to Stop Doing #29

#29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen. Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story. If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.

by Marc and Angel.



The 30 day plank challenge continues. Day #29 – 280 seconds.

30 Things to Stop Doing #28

#28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy. One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time? Three years? Five years?” If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.

by Marc and Angel.



The 30 day plank challenge continues. Day #28 – 240 seconds

30 Things to Stop Doing #27

#27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out. But making one person smile CAN change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world. So narrow your focus.

by Marc and Angel.



The 30 day plank challenge continues. Day #27 – 240 seconds. Go for it!
Speedygeese training is still on despite my absence!!!

30 Things to Stop Doing #26

#26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.

by Marc and Angel.



The 30 day plank challenge continues. Day #26 – this is a rest day!

30 Things to Stop Doing #25

#25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while. You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well. You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears. The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.

by Marc and Angel.



The 30 day plank challenge continues. Day #25 – 210 seconds. Cry if you need to.

30 Things to Stop Doing #24

#24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile. Don’t take the easy way out. Do something extraordinary.

by Marc and Angel.



The 30 day plank challenge continues. Day #24 – 210 seconds!

30 Things to Stop Doing #23

#23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.

by Marc and Angel.



The 30 day plank challenge continues. Day #23 – 180 seconds!
Speedygeese training is still on despite my absence!

30 Things to Stop Doing #22

#22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things. The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.

by Marc and Angel.



The 30 day plank challenge continues. Day #22 – 180 seconds!

30 Things to Stop Doing #21

#21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.

by Marc and Angel.



The 30 day plank challenge continues. Day #21 – 150 seconds!

30 Things to Stop Doing #20

#20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway. Just do what you know in your heart is right.

by Marc and Angel.



The 30 day plank challenge continues. Day #20 – 150 seconds!

Speedygeese training is still on despite my absence!!!

30 Things to Stop Doing #19

#19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
.
by Marc and Angel.



The 30 day plank challenge continues. Day #19 is a rest day!