Last Thursday 24th I went out to a cold Parliament House and we ran Rose Garden 200s on 2:30. I recall - and my memory is suspect this long afterwards - that running on 2:30 were Giles, Isaac, Jen and Warrick.
Sunday 27th I was joined at Stromlo Forest Park by Warrick and Thomas, and we ran 10k together.
Also on Sunday 27th Giles reports: "In David Clarke's absence - I have taken on the role of writing the speedygeese long run report today.
True to form, numerous Canberra-based geese headed off this morning, including celebrity guests Shane Wright, his dog Scully, Jane Gordon and Belinda Seaman. Other attendees were Peter Brown, Pieta Smith, Lisa Charles, Adrian Cengia, Susan Sturgeon, Jen Bright and Thach Huynh.
This group, which included 4 people who work at Finance, successfully made it to Mt Majura summit with minimal directional issues but from there it got problematic.
"Anyway, half of us got ahead and then got behind - I can only presume that a wormhole in space-time opened up somewhere near the top of the mineshaft below Mt Majura at around 9am this morning. Numerous phone calls between Thach Huynh and Jen Bright failed to reunite the group, but somehow some of us made it back to coffee afterwards.
"Thach got 30k, the furthest of the lot of us; most of the rest of us got into the 20s.
"A good day - what was most encouraging is that even without Dave, we were most capable of getting lost."
Then on Monday 28th in excellent conditions at Parliament House despite freezing our socks off when it had dropped to 2 degrees with snow Sunday afternoon, we ventured down to the ramp at Reconciliation Place and ran 15 x ~160m on 2 minutes. Participating were Jen, Isaac, Bronwyn, Vamessa, Sarah, Paul, Warrick, Pieta, Christopher and me.
Another picture from Sunday. They are having too much fun.
Wednesday, 30 August 2017
Tuesday, 29 August 2017
All the recent speedygeese race results
Lake Tuggeranong Stakes 6k 22 August
8. Sandeep Chandra 30:07
9. Peter Thomson 28:50
12. Ewen Thompson 40:11
13 finishers
Customs 5k 25 August
4 Ewen Thompson 24:33
6 Peter Thomson 22:05
9 Giles Lamb 20:18
12 Craig Wurtz 21:45
18 Jacob Grooby 18:55
22 Caroline Campbell 32:17
23 Peter Brown 22:06
25 finishers
Burley Griffin 5k parkrun #64 26 August
24 Craig Wurtz 21:59 M50
30 Kelley Horan 23:03 W55 **New PB**
87 Caroline Campbell 28:21 W75
150 finishers
Ginninderra 5k parkrun #277 26 August
27 Geoff Moore 23:13 M65
40 Kevin Miller 25:40 M35
47 Celina Miller 26:14 W35
135 Brendan Belcher 47:03 M35
155 finishers
Tuggeranong 5k parkrun #236 26 August
8 Nigel England 20:49 M50
23 Shane Wright 22:39 M45
30 David Clarke 23:16 M55
40 Thach Huynh 23:51 M40
41 Bronwyn Calver 23:53 W45
76 Kerron Clare 26:35 W50
241 finishers
Gungahlin 5k parkrun #202 26 August
14 Giles Lamb 20:11 M40
169 Margaret McSpadden 55:51 W70
173 finishers
Queanbeyan 5k parkrun #18 26 August
44 finishers
Batemans Bay 5k parkrun #69 26 August
33 finishers
Nose Hill (Canada) 5k parkrun #51 26 August
51 Ruth Baussmann 32:28 W65
72 finishers
And I missed Ginninderra 5k parkrun #274 5 August
17 Paul Foley 21:41 M30 **New PB**
YCRC Hackett 6k 26 August
5. Jennifer Bright W40 29:03
6. Isaac Muscat U14 29:03
7. Ewen Thompson M60 31:19
12 finishers
Speedygeese hanging around on Sunday
8. Sandeep Chandra 30:07
9. Peter Thomson 28:50
12. Ewen Thompson 40:11
13 finishers
Customs 5k 25 August
4 Ewen Thompson 24:33
6 Peter Thomson 22:05
9 Giles Lamb 20:18
12 Craig Wurtz 21:45
18 Jacob Grooby 18:55
22 Caroline Campbell 32:17
23 Peter Brown 22:06
25 finishers
Burley Griffin 5k parkrun #64 26 August
24 Craig Wurtz 21:59 M50
30 Kelley Horan 23:03 W55 **New PB**
87 Caroline Campbell 28:21 W75
150 finishers
Ginninderra 5k parkrun #277 26 August
27 Geoff Moore 23:13 M65
40 Kevin Miller 25:40 M35
47 Celina Miller 26:14 W35
135 Brendan Belcher 47:03 M35
155 finishers
Tuggeranong 5k parkrun #236 26 August
8 Nigel England 20:49 M50
23 Shane Wright 22:39 M45
30 David Clarke 23:16 M55
40 Thach Huynh 23:51 M40
41 Bronwyn Calver 23:53 W45
76 Kerron Clare 26:35 W50
241 finishers
Gungahlin 5k parkrun #202 26 August
14 Giles Lamb 20:11 M40
169 Margaret McSpadden 55:51 W70
173 finishers
Queanbeyan 5k parkrun #18 26 August
44 finishers
Batemans Bay 5k parkrun #69 26 August
33 finishers
Nose Hill (Canada) 5k parkrun #51 26 August
51 Ruth Baussmann 32:28 W65
72 finishers
And I missed Ginninderra 5k parkrun #274 5 August
17 Paul Foley 21:41 M30 **New PB**
YCRC Hackett 6k 26 August
5. Jennifer Bright W40 29:03
6. Isaac Muscat U14 29:03
7. Ewen Thompson M60 31:19
12 finishers
Speedygeese hanging around on Sunday
Monday, 28 August 2017
“Nobody said it would be easy.“
Song of the week: "The Scientist", by Coldplay.
At https://youtu.be/RB-RcX5DS5A
“Going back to the start". A ripper of a video clip. Singing backwards is a neat trick! And nobody said it would be easy.
At https://youtu.be/RB-RcX5DS5A
“Going back to the start". A ripper of a video clip. Singing backwards is a neat trick! And nobody said it would be easy.
Sunday, 27 August 2017
Running in the snow
Well this morning early Warrick, Thomas and I trained at Stromlo Forest Park and it was cool, still, and sunny. I am sure the runners at Goorooyarro and on the trails this morning experienced similar conditions. However by 1:30pm or so the temperature at my home in Holt dropped to 2 degrees, light hail started to fall, and then snow was blowing around although melting on the ground.
Leonie Doyle though was training at Mt Rob Roy in the early afternoon and this is what she described as blizzard conditions.
Leonie Doyle though was training at Mt Rob Roy in the early afternoon and this is what she described as blizzard conditions.
Saturday, 26 August 2017
Back under 24 minutes.
Thursday, 24 August 2017
Wednesday, 23 August 2017
Speedygeese training summary
A small group met at Parliament House on Thursday to run some longer intervals... 4 x 600 (300) + 2 x 200 (200)... and on Sunday I ran at Stromlo Forest Park... I am not sure why numbers are down this year? Back at Parliament House, Monday’s training saw Bronwyn, Pieta, Kym and Isaac run some killer hills …. We may move away from the hills next week as there is more daylight now and we will be able to use some of the trails away from the road.
Sunday’s report from the long trail run group follows! Written by Jen.
I'm writing up a rather brief speedygeese long run report for Sundays run. David Clarke appears to be worn out from writing the last one that involved three individual reports to cover the run.
Plus watching his family doing most of the packing for his recent move was most exhausting for him!!!
Last Sundays speedy geese long run involved practicing leg 1 of the sri chinmoy 104 relay. (Minus the first boring flat part).
After a few logistic hiccups around car transport (created by Dave's last minute decision to meet at the end of the run rather the beginning which destroyed Mhairi's hours and hours of planning as we then didn't account for enough car space for all our bottoms) ...we sorted everything out again and all was going smoothly until - Dave arrived late!!... this however is a regular occurrence...
Mhairi ("Vari" for those struggling with this Scottish name) had accounted for this high probability occurrence and so we still got to Red Hill on time 😊 (and Isaac got a free hot chocolate for Dave's penance)
The run itself went amazingly smoothly. Not one single wrong turn!
Adrian reminded up to stop and enjoy the views (I don't need to be asked twice to stop and rest 😂)
Lots of lovely views too - top of Red Hill, Isaacs ridge and finally Mount Taylor.
Most of us ran around 19k (Kerron, Adrian, Sandeep, Mhairi) ... Narelle rounded up to 20k (potentially Adrian did the same) and Thach ran a huge 36k after running to the start from home and then ran back to home from mount taylor.
Isaac ran approximately 12k - one will never know exactly how far he runs - he rarely uploads to Strava. Apparently put off by some Strava nutters he knows (not sure who this could be - perhaps some school friends ???)
Finally Dave ran 10k - mainly by himself. Supposedly due to sore legs (personally I think he is petrified by the tunnel we had to crawl through to get to Isaacs from Red hill)
Well my run report wasn't so brief after all.
##Special thanks to Dave for his 5 star uber collection of Isaac (Dave maybe a good opportunity to provide your mobile now to potential clients while you have this 5 ⭐️ rating -just in case it doesn't last... when a few disgruntled clients get a lovely tour of Canberra rather than the 10 minute trip they envisioned due to a small amount of "exploring" from you)
And for Tim Craig who provided us with a lovely big smile at the end of the run and gave anyone who needed a lift back to Red hill and super big thank you!!
Tuesday, 22 August 2017
All the recent speedygeese race results
AMRA Black Mountain Run-up 2.6k 15 August
9 finishers
Lake Tuggeranong Stakes 6k 15 August
5. Warrick Howieson 33:33
6. Sandeep Chandra 30:11
7. Peter Thomson 29:11
8. Roger Pilkington 33:33
10. Ewen Thompson 38:16
11 finishers
Customs 5k 18 August
1 Ewen Thompson 26:59
10 Peter Thomson 24:03
14 Craig Wurtz 24:49
17 Caroline Campbell 46:10
17 finishers
Burley Griffin 5k parkrun #63 19 August
26 Amanda Cook 21:21 W35 **New PB**
34 Craig Wurtz 21:51 M50
99 Elizabeth Bennett 28:34 W50
149 Caroline Campbell 36:40 W75
169 finishers
Ginninderra 5k parkrun #276 19 August
31 Geoff Moore 24:03 M65
43 Jill Pearson 25:31 W55
126 Bron Sparkes 38:56 W40
158 finishers
Tuggeranong 5k parkrun #235 19 August
27 David Clarke 22:35 M55
34 Bronwyn Calver 23:26 W45
69 Kerron Clare 27:07 W50
122 Terrie Paul 33:21 W45
123 Andrew Smith 33:22 M45
193 Peter Thomson 58:56 M55
194 finishers
Gungahlin 5k parkrun #201 19 August
8 Giles Lamb 19:51 M40
63 Brendan Belcher 25:45 M35
183 finishers
Queanbeyan 5k parkrun #17 19 August
3 Jacob Miller 22:01 M11
7 Kevin Miller 24:33 M35
11 Chloe Miller 25:04 W10
16 Celina Miller 26:07 W35
50 finishers
Batemans Bay 5k parkrun #68 19 August
31 finishers
9 finishers
Lake Tuggeranong Stakes 6k 15 August
5. Warrick Howieson 33:33
6. Sandeep Chandra 30:11
7. Peter Thomson 29:11
8. Roger Pilkington 33:33
10. Ewen Thompson 38:16
11 finishers
Customs 5k 18 August
1 Ewen Thompson 26:59
10 Peter Thomson 24:03
14 Craig Wurtz 24:49
17 Caroline Campbell 46:10
17 finishers
Burley Griffin 5k parkrun #63 19 August
26 Amanda Cook 21:21 W35 **New PB**
34 Craig Wurtz 21:51 M50
99 Elizabeth Bennett 28:34 W50
149 Caroline Campbell 36:40 W75
169 finishers
Ginninderra 5k parkrun #276 19 August
31 Geoff Moore 24:03 M65
43 Jill Pearson 25:31 W55
126 Bron Sparkes 38:56 W40
158 finishers
Tuggeranong 5k parkrun #235 19 August
27 David Clarke 22:35 M55
34 Bronwyn Calver 23:26 W45
69 Kerron Clare 27:07 W50
122 Terrie Paul 33:21 W45
123 Andrew Smith 33:22 M45
193 Peter Thomson 58:56 M55
194 finishers
Gungahlin 5k parkrun #201 19 August
8 Giles Lamb 19:51 M40
63 Brendan Belcher 25:45 M35
183 finishers
Queanbeyan 5k parkrun #17 19 August
3 Jacob Miller 22:01 M11
7 Kevin Miller 24:33 M35
11 Chloe Miller 25:04 W10
16 Celina Miller 26:07 W35
50 finishers
Batemans Bay 5k parkrun #68 19 August
31 finishers
Monday, 21 August 2017
Same Overall Theme
Song of the Week: "Same Overall Theme", by Hungry. At https://youtu.be/STfaP6DBzWw
My daughter Mon is on keys and backing vocals.
Both can be heard clearly on this track from "White Water Emotions".
My daughter Mon is on keys and backing vocals.
Both can be heard clearly on this track from "White Water Emotions".
Sunday, 20 August 2017
Saturday, 19 August 2017
Friday, 18 August 2017
Wednesday, 16 August 2017
Speedygeese training summary
Thursday 10 August: At Parliament House, present were Isaac, Jen, Jennie, Giles, Brownie, Susan, Brendan and I. We ran a 1200m fast, followed by 15 minutes or so of intervals on the grass oval (200m fast/slow)
On Sunday 13 August I managed to run 8k unaccompanied at Stromlo Forest Park.
Also on Sunday 13 August the distance group reported: [Bron] At 8:03 Mhairi spun her wheels into the CISAC carpark. At 8:04 14 of us headed out. The beginning of the run took us up a walking path, with a round about which confused poor Giles, having him think he had taken a wrong turn 300m in to our run. We all reconnected and trudged up to the top of Gossan Hill to the pyramid of rocks.
After that we took an unofficial shortcut along Radford Trails to Heydon Drive. A quick game of frogger across the VERY busy Canberra road took us to the Calvary walking track and beyond.
Running past the AIS track (cause this was a long slow run, not track work) we headed to the perimeter of Bruce ridge and made it to O'Conner Ridge. A long loop on a mix of fire trails and single track, with some hills, took us back to Bruce Ridge. Susan took her leave at this point and made her way back to CISAC, likely to have finished up with 12-13km.
The remaining 13 headed around Bruce Ridge, past the caravan park and onto Belconnen Way for some more Frogger fun.
A couple of loops, hills and cross country bush bashing around Little Black Mountain and we were all on the home stretch.
Aranda, with its hills and power lines made sure those who can run downhill quickly caught up to our speedier geese! 😂
A run over the footbridge over Belconnen Way put us on a path back to CISAC and gave us all 22-23km all up. 500m vert.
Finally on Monday 14 August at Parliament House, Bronwyn and I ran an early 10k, then I supervised a session of 2 x 400m along the western grass followed by about 10 x 200m intervals on the small oval. Participating were Paul, Kym, Pieta, Sandeep and Rae.
Bronwyn and I running early at Monday's speedygeese.
https://video.relive.cc/5556572311_strava_1502701332716.mp4?x-ref=og
Mhairi on the run
On Sunday 13 August I managed to run 8k unaccompanied at Stromlo Forest Park.
Also on Sunday 13 August the distance group reported: [Bron] At 8:03 Mhairi spun her wheels into the CISAC carpark. At 8:04 14 of us headed out. The beginning of the run took us up a walking path, with a round about which confused poor Giles, having him think he had taken a wrong turn 300m in to our run. We all reconnected and trudged up to the top of Gossan Hill to the pyramid of rocks.
After that we took an unofficial shortcut along Radford Trails to Heydon Drive. A quick game of frogger across the VERY busy Canberra road took us to the Calvary walking track and beyond.
Running past the AIS track (cause this was a long slow run, not track work) we headed to the perimeter of Bruce ridge and made it to O'Conner Ridge. A long loop on a mix of fire trails and single track, with some hills, took us back to Bruce Ridge. Susan took her leave at this point and made her way back to CISAC, likely to have finished up with 12-13km.
The remaining 13 headed around Bruce Ridge, past the caravan park and onto Belconnen Way for some more Frogger fun.
A couple of loops, hills and cross country bush bashing around Little Black Mountain and we were all on the home stretch.
Aranda, with its hills and power lines made sure those who can run downhill quickly caught up to our speedier geese! 😂
A run over the footbridge over Belconnen Way put us on a path back to CISAC and gave us all 22-23km all up. 500m vert.
Finally on Monday 14 August at Parliament House, Bronwyn and I ran an early 10k, then I supervised a session of 2 x 400m along the western grass followed by about 10 x 200m intervals on the small oval. Participating were Paul, Kym, Pieta, Sandeep and Rae.
Bronwyn and I running early at Monday's speedygeese.
https://video.relive.cc/5556572311_strava_1502701332716.mp4?x-ref=og
Mhairi on the run
Tuesday, 15 August 2017
Recent speedygeese race results
BBQ Stakes 6k 02 August
15. Jodie Davis 45:20
19. Peter Thomson 27:44
32. Caroline Campbell 39:11
33. Andrew Simpson 28:13
34. Ewen Thompson 41:15
36. Bronwyn Calver 30:26
41. Craig Wurtz 29:12
43. Roger Pilkington 32:21
63 finishers
YCRC Dunrossil Drive 4.2k 05 August
14. Rohan Pitchford M50 17:50
19. Craig Wurtz M50 19:04
25. Ewen Thompson M60 23:27
26. Caroline Campbell W75 25:35
27 finishers
Lake Tuggeranong Stakes 6k 08 August
2. Warrick Howieson 31:32
11. Peter Thomson 29:07
13. Ewen Thompson 40:38
13 finishers
BBQ Stakes 6k 09 August
12. Ewen Thompson 46:08
13. Peter Thomson 27:47
14. Craig Wurtz 28:05
20. Jodie Davis 45:53
26. Bronwyn Calver 29:53
54 finishers
Customs 5k 11 August
6 Peter Thomson 23:04
11 Ewen Thompson 31:21
13 finishers
Burley Griffin 5k parkrun #62 12 August
17 Craig Wurtz 21:43 M50
44 Kelley Horan 24:16 W55
136 finishers
Ginninderra 5k parkrun #275 12 August
35 Bron Sparkes 24:58 W40
44 Roger Pilkington 25:48 M55
75 Brendan Belcher 29:30 M35
79 Ruth Baussmann 30:14 W65
110 Helen Way 37:47 W50
149 finishers
Tuggeranong 5k parkrun #234 12 August
20 Thach Huynh 21:48 M40 **New PB**
33 Shane Wright 23:13 M45
45 Peter Thomson 24:36 M55
62 David Clarke 26:08 M55
195 finishers
Gungahlin 5k parkrun #200 12 August
24 Nadine Morrison 23:15 W45
86 Margaret McSpadden 31:00 W70
158 finishers
Queanbeyan 5k parkrun #16 12 August
3 Giles Lamb 22:37 M40
16 Vanessa Palmer 29:52 W45
18 Rae Palmer 31:04 W70
25 William Arthur 33:33 M65
52 finishers
Batemans Bay 5k parkrun #67 12 August
32 finishers
YCRC Black Mountain Peninsula 8k 12 August
12 finishers
YCRC Black Mountain Peninsula 4k 12 August
3. Rohan Pitchford M50 17:18
13 finishers
Familiar faces at the Queanbeyan parkrun
15. Jodie Davis 45:20
19. Peter Thomson 27:44
32. Caroline Campbell 39:11
33. Andrew Simpson 28:13
34. Ewen Thompson 41:15
36. Bronwyn Calver 30:26
41. Craig Wurtz 29:12
43. Roger Pilkington 32:21
63 finishers
YCRC Dunrossil Drive 4.2k 05 August
14. Rohan Pitchford M50 17:50
19. Craig Wurtz M50 19:04
25. Ewen Thompson M60 23:27
26. Caroline Campbell W75 25:35
27 finishers
Lake Tuggeranong Stakes 6k 08 August
2. Warrick Howieson 31:32
11. Peter Thomson 29:07
13. Ewen Thompson 40:38
13 finishers
BBQ Stakes 6k 09 August
12. Ewen Thompson 46:08
13. Peter Thomson 27:47
14. Craig Wurtz 28:05
20. Jodie Davis 45:53
26. Bronwyn Calver 29:53
54 finishers
Customs 5k 11 August
6 Peter Thomson 23:04
11 Ewen Thompson 31:21
13 finishers
Burley Griffin 5k parkrun #62 12 August
17 Craig Wurtz 21:43 M50
44 Kelley Horan 24:16 W55
136 finishers
Ginninderra 5k parkrun #275 12 August
35 Bron Sparkes 24:58 W40
44 Roger Pilkington 25:48 M55
75 Brendan Belcher 29:30 M35
79 Ruth Baussmann 30:14 W65
110 Helen Way 37:47 W50
149 finishers
Tuggeranong 5k parkrun #234 12 August
20 Thach Huynh 21:48 M40 **New PB**
33 Shane Wright 23:13 M45
45 Peter Thomson 24:36 M55
62 David Clarke 26:08 M55
195 finishers
Gungahlin 5k parkrun #200 12 August
24 Nadine Morrison 23:15 W45
86 Margaret McSpadden 31:00 W70
158 finishers
Queanbeyan 5k parkrun #16 12 August
3 Giles Lamb 22:37 M40
16 Vanessa Palmer 29:52 W45
18 Rae Palmer 31:04 W70
25 William Arthur 33:33 M65
52 finishers
Batemans Bay 5k parkrun #67 12 August
32 finishers
YCRC Black Mountain Peninsula 8k 12 August
12 finishers
YCRC Black Mountain Peninsula 4k 12 August
3. Rohan Pitchford M50 17:18
13 finishers
Familiar faces at the Queanbeyan parkrun
Monday, 14 August 2017
talk, please
Song of the week: "Talk", by Coldplay. At https://youtu.be/EH9meoWmAOM
Sensational lyrics, more relevant today than when it was written.
Oh brother I can't, I can't get through
I’ve been trying hard to reach you cause I don’t know what to do
Oh brother I can't believe it's true
I’m so scared about the future and I wanna talk to you
Oh I wanna talk to you
You can take a picture of something you see
In the future where will I be?
You can climb a ladder up to the sun
Or a write a song nobody has sung
Or do something that's never been done
Are you lost or incomplete?
Do you feel like a puzzle, you can't find your missing piece?
Tell me how do you feel
Well I feel like they're talking in a language I don't speak
And they're talking it to me
You can take a picture of something you see
In the future where will I be?
You can climb a ladder up to the sun
Or a write a song nobody has sung
Or do something that's never been done
So you don't know where you're going and you wanna talk
And you feel like you're going where you've been before
You tell anyone who'll listen but you feel ignored
Nothing's really making any sense at all, let's talk
Let's talk, let's talk, let's talk
Sensational lyrics, more relevant today than when it was written.
Oh brother I can't, I can't get through
I’ve been trying hard to reach you cause I don’t know what to do
Oh brother I can't believe it's true
I’m so scared about the future and I wanna talk to you
Oh I wanna talk to you
You can take a picture of something you see
In the future where will I be?
You can climb a ladder up to the sun
Or a write a song nobody has sung
Or do something that's never been done
Are you lost or incomplete?
Do you feel like a puzzle, you can't find your missing piece?
Tell me how do you feel
Well I feel like they're talking in a language I don't speak
And they're talking it to me
You can take a picture of something you see
In the future where will I be?
You can climb a ladder up to the sun
Or a write a song nobody has sung
Or do something that's never been done
So you don't know where you're going and you wanna talk
And you feel like you're going where you've been before
You tell anyone who'll listen but you feel ignored
Nothing's really making any sense at all, let's talk
Let's talk, let's talk, let's talk
Sunday, 13 August 2017
Sunny Sunday
Saturday, 12 August 2017
Friday, 11 August 2017
Thursday, 10 August 2017
Two stars of South Australian Distance Running
Wednesday, 9 August 2017
Speedygeese training summary
Thursday 3 August: At Parliament House, it was a wash-out after a cold windy rain-swept day. Just Dave and Jen turned up after I bailed; they day lap after lap after lap in the sheltered underground car-park. Footnote: Isaac and Giles were there too!
On Sunday 6 August I ran with John Kennedy at Stromlo Forest Park.
The distance group reports: [Dave]: With an icy breeze eating its way across the open rolling hills of the arboretum, the morning sun climbed slowly over Lake Burley Griffin and poked its face between the grey and orange hues of aimlessly drifting cumulo nimbus, offering a false hope of a pleasant speedygeese long run. Shiree, Jen, Sarah and I clambered into Shiree’s car, with the heater at gale force, and headed to the run start rendezvous at Mount Arawang.
16 of us headed off straight up Mount Arawang, following the last 26k of the second leg of the Sri Chinmoy ultra relay (700+ metres of elevation), then along Cooleman Ridge to Narrabundah Hill, up to the top of Mount Stromlo, down to Molonglo River then over to the arboretum.
Giles topped the Sunday morning leaderboard with 32k, Ross did 30k, and Shiree 29, while Jeff, Mhairi, Pieta, Sarah, Elle and I finished with about 28, and Jen and Bron knocked over 27k. Warrick, Thach, Lisa and Bronwyn did an out and back from the start with 13k for Bronwyn, 16 for Warrick and Lisa, and about 20 for Thach. Ewen did an out and back from the other end, meeting us at Stromlo and ending up with 18k. Isaac was picked up along the way after completing 9k.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the run, despite the icy wind, although I struggled this morning – felt like an old man for some reason 🤣. Notable incidents included not getting lost (admittedly a few detours, but not technically lost), no injuries for Giles, and no coffee for Jen for at least 20 minutes after the run (and I believe she threw out the first one even though she was desperate – glad I’m not a barista in Jen’s presence 😂 ).
A small group headed down to Tuggeranong Hyperdome for coffee afterwards. Thanks for the run everyone and thanks to Ewen, Jen and Mhairi for the extra pics. Good luck to all those doing the City to Surf next week. 😀
Finally on Monday 7 August at Parliament House, a cold and wet day deterred many, but conditions were good at 5:30pm for our 20 hill sprints over 100m, 12 of them on 90 seconds then straight into the final 8 on 80 seconds. I supervised and jogged around, while Paul, Warrick, Bronwyn, Rae and Ruth did the training.
The distance group
On Sunday 6 August I ran with John Kennedy at Stromlo Forest Park.
The distance group reports: [Dave]: With an icy breeze eating its way across the open rolling hills of the arboretum, the morning sun climbed slowly over Lake Burley Griffin and poked its face between the grey and orange hues of aimlessly drifting cumulo nimbus, offering a false hope of a pleasant speedygeese long run. Shiree, Jen, Sarah and I clambered into Shiree’s car, with the heater at gale force, and headed to the run start rendezvous at Mount Arawang.
16 of us headed off straight up Mount Arawang, following the last 26k of the second leg of the Sri Chinmoy ultra relay (700+ metres of elevation), then along Cooleman Ridge to Narrabundah Hill, up to the top of Mount Stromlo, down to Molonglo River then over to the arboretum.
Giles topped the Sunday morning leaderboard with 32k, Ross did 30k, and Shiree 29, while Jeff, Mhairi, Pieta, Sarah, Elle and I finished with about 28, and Jen and Bron knocked over 27k. Warrick, Thach, Lisa and Bronwyn did an out and back from the start with 13k for Bronwyn, 16 for Warrick and Lisa, and about 20 for Thach. Ewen did an out and back from the other end, meeting us at Stromlo and ending up with 18k. Isaac was picked up along the way after completing 9k.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the run, despite the icy wind, although I struggled this morning – felt like an old man for some reason 🤣. Notable incidents included not getting lost (admittedly a few detours, but not technically lost), no injuries for Giles, and no coffee for Jen for at least 20 minutes after the run (and I believe she threw out the first one even though she was desperate – glad I’m not a barista in Jen’s presence 😂 ).
A small group headed down to Tuggeranong Hyperdome for coffee afterwards. Thanks for the run everyone and thanks to Ewen, Jen and Mhairi for the extra pics. Good luck to all those doing the City to Surf next week. 😀
Finally on Monday 7 August at Parliament House, a cold and wet day deterred many, but conditions were good at 5:30pm for our 20 hill sprints over 100m, 12 of them on 90 seconds then straight into the final 8 on 80 seconds. I supervised and jogged around, while Paul, Warrick, Bronwyn, Rae and Ruth did the training.
The distance group
Tuesday, 8 August 2017
Recent speedygeese race results
BBQ Stakes 6k 12 July
11. Ewen Thompson 34:12
24. Bronwyn Calver 29:51
25. Roger Pilkington 33:55
30. Jodie Davis 46:05
31. Peter Thomson 28:41
32. Caroline Campbell 39:13
42. Craig Wurtz 29:14
49 finishers
BBQ Stakes 6k 19 July
15. Ewen Thompson 34:49
18. Andrew Simpson 28:04
19. Peter Thomson 28:34
31. Craig Wurtz 28:55
32. Bronwyn Calver 31:01
50. Roger Pilkington 35:07
52. Jodie Davis 56:09
52 finishers
BBQ Stakes 6k 26 July
14. Jodie Davis 46:18
16. Peter Thomson 28:39
24. Craig Wurtz 28:45
29. Roger Pilkington 32:23
33. Caroline Campbell 40:19
35. Bronwyn Calver 31:30
45. Ewen Thompson 40:29
46 finishers
Lake Tuggeranong Stakes 6k 01 August
3. Warrick Howieson 32:09
5. Roger Pilkington 31:19
8. Peter Thomson 27:29
13. Ewen Thompson 40:46
AMRA Mt Ainslie Run-Up 2.3k 01 August
9 Peter Burke 17.09
11 Kelly Horan 18.21
15 Caroline Campbell 23.25
17 finishers
Customs 5k 04 August
5 Yili Zhu 23:26
8 Ewen Thompson 24:39
10 Caroline Campbell 30:45
12 Peter Thomson 23:15
13 finishers
Burley Griffin 5k parkrun #61 05 August
57 Jennie Blake W60 no times available
112 finishers
Ginninderra 5k parkrun #274 05 August
58 Jill Pearson 26:33 W55
77 Bron Sparkes 28:15 W40
165 finishers
Tuggeranong 5k parkrun #233 05 August
6 David Clarke 19:37 M55
10 Jen Bright 20:39 W40
17 Nigel England 21:16 M50
18 Peter Thomson 21:17 M55
29 Shane Wright 22:40 M45
47 Bronwyn Calver 23:53 W45
85 Andrew Smith 27:21 M45
141 Ewen Thompson 34:32 M60
188 finishers
Gungahlin 5k parkrun #199 05 August
17 Giles Lamb 20:53 M40
93 Ruth Baussmann 30:18 W65
99 Margaret McSpadden 30:57 W70
148 finishers
Queanbeyan 5k parkrun #15 05 August
7 Amanda Cook 23:21 W35
10 Kevin Miller 24:45 M35
14 Celina Miller 27:55 W35
40 finishers
Batemans Bay 5k parkrun #66 05 August
17 Victoria Hennig 26:55 W55
33 finishers
YCRC Women’s 6k Jogalong 06 August
25. Kathy Sims W65 29:33
53 finishers
Betty Cuthbert with Percy Cerutty
11. Ewen Thompson 34:12
24. Bronwyn Calver 29:51
25. Roger Pilkington 33:55
30. Jodie Davis 46:05
31. Peter Thomson 28:41
32. Caroline Campbell 39:13
42. Craig Wurtz 29:14
49 finishers
BBQ Stakes 6k 19 July
15. Ewen Thompson 34:49
18. Andrew Simpson 28:04
19. Peter Thomson 28:34
31. Craig Wurtz 28:55
32. Bronwyn Calver 31:01
50. Roger Pilkington 35:07
52. Jodie Davis 56:09
52 finishers
BBQ Stakes 6k 26 July
14. Jodie Davis 46:18
16. Peter Thomson 28:39
24. Craig Wurtz 28:45
29. Roger Pilkington 32:23
33. Caroline Campbell 40:19
35. Bronwyn Calver 31:30
45. Ewen Thompson 40:29
46 finishers
Lake Tuggeranong Stakes 6k 01 August
3. Warrick Howieson 32:09
5. Roger Pilkington 31:19
8. Peter Thomson 27:29
13. Ewen Thompson 40:46
AMRA Mt Ainslie Run-Up 2.3k 01 August
9 Peter Burke 17.09
11 Kelly Horan 18.21
15 Caroline Campbell 23.25
17 finishers
Customs 5k 04 August
5 Yili Zhu 23:26
8 Ewen Thompson 24:39
10 Caroline Campbell 30:45
12 Peter Thomson 23:15
13 finishers
Burley Griffin 5k parkrun #61 05 August
57 Jennie Blake W60 no times available
112 finishers
Ginninderra 5k parkrun #274 05 August
58 Jill Pearson 26:33 W55
77 Bron Sparkes 28:15 W40
165 finishers
Tuggeranong 5k parkrun #233 05 August
6 David Clarke 19:37 M55
10 Jen Bright 20:39 W40
17 Nigel England 21:16 M50
18 Peter Thomson 21:17 M55
29 Shane Wright 22:40 M45
47 Bronwyn Calver 23:53 W45
85 Andrew Smith 27:21 M45
141 Ewen Thompson 34:32 M60
188 finishers
Gungahlin 5k parkrun #199 05 August
17 Giles Lamb 20:53 M40
93 Ruth Baussmann 30:18 W65
99 Margaret McSpadden 30:57 W70
148 finishers
Queanbeyan 5k parkrun #15 05 August
7 Amanda Cook 23:21 W35
10 Kevin Miller 24:45 M35
14 Celina Miller 27:55 W35
40 finishers
Batemans Bay 5k parkrun #66 05 August
17 Victoria Hennig 26:55 W55
33 finishers
YCRC Women’s 6k Jogalong 06 August
25. Kathy Sims W65 29:33
53 finishers
Betty Cuthbert with Percy Cerutty
Monday, 7 August 2017
Rule
Song of the Week: "Rule", by Hillsong United. Live version at https://youtu.be/Bq7SfIIi3ts
“We found some ruins by the old dead sea factory by the dead sea. we set up in what looked to be a former restaurant probably from WW2 time - and after the sunset we recorded Rule. There were coyotes in the background and the eeriness and history of the place seemed fitting to record a song about Hope!”
“We found some ruins by the old dead sea factory by the dead sea. we set up in what looked to be a former restaurant probably from WW2 time - and after the sunset we recorded Rule. There were coyotes in the background and the eeriness and history of the place seemed fitting to record a song about Hope!”
Sunday, 6 August 2017
Saturday, 5 August 2017
Friday, 4 August 2017
Thursday, 3 August 2017
Wednesday, 2 August 2017
Speedygeese training summary
Thursday 27 July: At Parliament House, we ran 5 x 600m with a 300m jog, then finished off with a fast 300m Participating were Brendan, Isaac, Jen, Jennie, Brownie and me, with Dave running around the House as well.
Sunday 30 July, the distance group. Dave’s report
The Speedygeese were at it again today, albeit somewhat disjointed. Sandeep was doing a recovery jog after getting in early with a practice run on the Bush Capital half marathon course yesterday, so was conspicuously absent today. Bron was also absent without a note, doing the Vets (now “Masters”) athletics monthly handicap.
This morning in the “official” long run in Gungahlin, Bronwyn and Angus did a flatish 15k, and Giles and Thach knocked over 17k at 5:15 pace, while Peter pulled out injured after 10k. See Bronwyn’s detailed run report on the Speedygeese facebook page. [below]
Meanwhile Mhairi and Jen did a leisurely “happy run”, completing 21k from Mawson shops to Mt Taylor, Farrer Ridge, Mt Waniassa, Isaac’s Ridge and back to Mawson (600m elevation). Jeff Grey joined them for his first Speedygeese long run.
A third group did a run from the arboretum to Molonglo river and back, with Graeme doing 14k, Sammy 18k and Narelle 20k.
The rest of us were killing ourselves at the Sri Chinmoy “Gungahlin Gallop”. Conditions were perfect for the 32k out and back course (750 metres vert, give or take), with a sub-tropical 14 degrees at the start, overcast and still, although the wind picked up later. Apart from a few falls by unknown runners and one of the front runners failing to turn when the marshall went to help someone who hit their head (I think his name was forest 🤣), the event ran smoothly.
Knowing that last year was a debacle, as everyone had to line up for 5 to 10 minutes to cross the stile 500m from the start, Ewen and I devised a strategy that couldn’t fail. We found a perfect spot to jump the fence (ie cheat) with no barbed wire, hidden behind a tree. Closer to the stile, Ewen used a stick to hold up the barbed wire precariously, as a decoy so others wouldn’t notice our secret spot. Just to make sure, I sprinted the first 500 metres to get ahead of the queue, just in case some official was watching. Predictably, I was devastated to find that they had changed the course so we didn’t have to cross the stile at all. 😂 😂 🤣
There were plenty of gongs again this week, with Ewen getting third 60-69 male in the 10k (1:01:37) and Andrew finishing in 55:41. In the 32k, Shiree (3:16:09) took a Sri Chinmoy gold cup for 7th female overall, Jennie (4:25:05) placed second 60-69 female, and Kerron (4:02:02) just missed a gold cup with 4th female 50-59, having chosen a very challenging course for her longest ever run.
I finished 2nd male 50-59 in 2:52:04 (beaten by an old bloke from Wagga again), which was 10 seconds per km faster than last year. Luckily for both of us, the fastest 50-59yo changed his shirt at the last minute but forgot to change his bib, so didn't get a place. 😯 With a much drier course than last year, I figured that there was no harm in testing the new shoes I bought yesterday on the 32k course – probably not smart. That could have been one reason my legs were wrecked at the end. 😫
Shiree took one for the team by going the wrong way at the end to ensure our reputation for getting lost remained intact, although I suspect she wasn’t the only one.
Thanks everyone for the run and thanks to Bronwyn and Australian Mountain Running for the photos. Looking forward to a non-race day next weekend. 😁
Bronwyn’s report
Today's speedygeese long run was held in Mulligans Flat...in what I think is a first for the speedygeese we actually started on time (if not a fraction early!)...our small group was made up of Giles, Thach, Angus and Browny (aka Peter)...conditions were quite pleasant as we made our way around the boundary, sometimes inside the fence, sometimes out...as predicted I was the sweeper as well as the navigator (yelling out turns to Angus who passed them on to the front)...we stopped for the obligatory group shot (once I caught up)...unfortunately Browny did a fetlock and had to cut his run short (ending up with 10k) while the rest of us continued back to the start as planned...Angus and I did 15.1k while Thach (17.1k) and Giles (16.9k) did a bit extra running back to me a few times.
Monday 31 July at Parliament House: I ran early; then I was joined by Bronwyn, Isaac, Jen, Warrick and Pieta for 16 sprints down and up out favourite 100m hill. It was damp and cool!
The House With Annabel Crabb - a must watch. We may see people we know!
Series 1 | Episode 1
Join host Annabel Crabb on an all-access visit to Australia's Parliament House. As the 45th Parliament opens with a cast of apprehensive new MPs & an unpredictable Senate, Annabel takes us on a tour of the engine room.
Episode 1: Tuesday 8 Aug 2017, 8:01pm ABC1
Repeated: Wednesday 9 Aug 2017, 1:29pm ABC1
Repeated: Sunday 13 Aug 2017, 7:30pm ABCnews24
Sunday 30 July, the distance group. Dave’s report
The Speedygeese were at it again today, albeit somewhat disjointed. Sandeep was doing a recovery jog after getting in early with a practice run on the Bush Capital half marathon course yesterday, so was conspicuously absent today. Bron was also absent without a note, doing the Vets (now “Masters”) athletics monthly handicap.
This morning in the “official” long run in Gungahlin, Bronwyn and Angus did a flatish 15k, and Giles and Thach knocked over 17k at 5:15 pace, while Peter pulled out injured after 10k. See Bronwyn’s detailed run report on the Speedygeese facebook page. [below]
Meanwhile Mhairi and Jen did a leisurely “happy run”, completing 21k from Mawson shops to Mt Taylor, Farrer Ridge, Mt Waniassa, Isaac’s Ridge and back to Mawson (600m elevation). Jeff Grey joined them for his first Speedygeese long run.
A third group did a run from the arboretum to Molonglo river and back, with Graeme doing 14k, Sammy 18k and Narelle 20k.
The rest of us were killing ourselves at the Sri Chinmoy “Gungahlin Gallop”. Conditions were perfect for the 32k out and back course (750 metres vert, give or take), with a sub-tropical 14 degrees at the start, overcast and still, although the wind picked up later. Apart from a few falls by unknown runners and one of the front runners failing to turn when the marshall went to help someone who hit their head (I think his name was forest 🤣), the event ran smoothly.
Knowing that last year was a debacle, as everyone had to line up for 5 to 10 minutes to cross the stile 500m from the start, Ewen and I devised a strategy that couldn’t fail. We found a perfect spot to jump the fence (ie cheat) with no barbed wire, hidden behind a tree. Closer to the stile, Ewen used a stick to hold up the barbed wire precariously, as a decoy so others wouldn’t notice our secret spot. Just to make sure, I sprinted the first 500 metres to get ahead of the queue, just in case some official was watching. Predictably, I was devastated to find that they had changed the course so we didn’t have to cross the stile at all. 😂 😂 🤣
There were plenty of gongs again this week, with Ewen getting third 60-69 male in the 10k (1:01:37) and Andrew finishing in 55:41. In the 32k, Shiree (3:16:09) took a Sri Chinmoy gold cup for 7th female overall, Jennie (4:25:05) placed second 60-69 female, and Kerron (4:02:02) just missed a gold cup with 4th female 50-59, having chosen a very challenging course for her longest ever run.
I finished 2nd male 50-59 in 2:52:04 (beaten by an old bloke from Wagga again), which was 10 seconds per km faster than last year. Luckily for both of us, the fastest 50-59yo changed his shirt at the last minute but forgot to change his bib, so didn't get a place. 😯 With a much drier course than last year, I figured that there was no harm in testing the new shoes I bought yesterday on the 32k course – probably not smart. That could have been one reason my legs were wrecked at the end. 😫
Shiree took one for the team by going the wrong way at the end to ensure our reputation for getting lost remained intact, although I suspect she wasn’t the only one.
Thanks everyone for the run and thanks to Bronwyn and Australian Mountain Running for the photos. Looking forward to a non-race day next weekend. 😁
Bronwyn’s report
Today's speedygeese long run was held in Mulligans Flat...in what I think is a first for the speedygeese we actually started on time (if not a fraction early!)...our small group was made up of Giles, Thach, Angus and Browny (aka Peter)...conditions were quite pleasant as we made our way around the boundary, sometimes inside the fence, sometimes out...as predicted I was the sweeper as well as the navigator (yelling out turns to Angus who passed them on to the front)...we stopped for the obligatory group shot (once I caught up)...unfortunately Browny did a fetlock and had to cut his run short (ending up with 10k) while the rest of us continued back to the start as planned...Angus and I did 15.1k while Thach (17.1k) and Giles (16.9k) did a bit extra running back to me a few times.
Monday 31 July at Parliament House: I ran early; then I was joined by Bronwyn, Isaac, Jen, Warrick and Pieta for 16 sprints down and up out favourite 100m hill. It was damp and cool!
The House With Annabel Crabb - a must watch. We may see people we know!
Series 1 | Episode 1
Join host Annabel Crabb on an all-access visit to Australia's Parliament House. As the 45th Parliament opens with a cast of apprehensive new MPs & an unpredictable Senate, Annabel takes us on a tour of the engine room.
Episode 1: Tuesday 8 Aug 2017, 8:01pm ABC1
Repeated: Wednesday 9 Aug 2017, 1:29pm ABC1
Repeated: Sunday 13 Aug 2017, 7:30pm ABCnews24
Tuesday, 1 August 2017
All the recent speedygeese race results
Ginninderra 7k Handicap 25 July
9 finishers
Lake Tuggeranong Stakes 6k 25 July
2. Warrick Howieson 31:52
9. Roger Pilkington 31:39
12. Peter Thomson 29:17
15. Ewen Thompson 33:29
16 finishers
Customs 5k 28 July
4 Ewen Thompson 24:33
6 Craig Wurtz 22:45
9 Giles Lamb 21:19
11 Jacob Grooby 19:37
15 Caroline Campbell 30:36
19 Peter Thomson 23:19
22 finishers
Burley Griffin 5k parkrun #60 29 July
24 Craig Wurtz 21:36 M50
70 Stephanie Sabadas 27:17 W25
162 finishers
Ginninderra 5k parkrun #273 29 July
27 Geoff Moore 24:26 M65
50 Celina Miller 27:22 W35
127 finishers
Tuggeranong 5k parkrun #232 29 July
32 Thach Huynh 22:40 M40 **New PB**
64 David Clarke 25:00 M55
199 finishers
Gungahlin 5k parkrun #198 29 July
9 Giles Lamb 20:31 M40
80 Margaret McSpadden 29:51 W70
136 finishers
Queanbeyan 5k parkrun #14 29 July
56 finishers
Batemans Bay 5k parkrun #65 29 July
31 finishers
Gungahlin Gallop 30k 30 July
21. David Clarke 2:52:04
51. Shiree Yap 3:16:09
84. Shane Wright 3:56:00
87. Kerron Clare 4:02:02
88. Katherine Sheppard 4:04:32
95. Jennie Blake 4:25:05
108 finishers
Dave Clarke 30k
Gungahlin Gallop 10k 30 July
26. Andrew Simpson 55:41
45. Ewen Thompson 1:01:37
102. Helen Way 1:12:16
160 finishers
ACTMA Handicap Little Black Mountain 9.0k 30 July
2 Nadine Morrison W45 61:39
4 Rod Lynch M55 71:33
15 Caroline Campbell W70 61:08
19 Roger Pilkington M55 50:49
20 Bron Sparkes W40 49:23
25 Craig Wurtz M50 49:39
26 Mick Charlton M65 57:08
41 Margaret McSpadden W70 69:35
ACTMA Handicap Little Black Mountain 4.5k 30 July
9 Jill Pearson W55 25:10
26 finishers
So now we are "Masters", we have http://www.actmastersathletics.org.au/ , ACTMA, instead of ACTVAC. Except the website itself has not been updated yet - I will take a full backup soon and then we will begin the transformation. And http://actvac.com.au/ will still work.
For example this logo is being updated.... sometime soon.
9 finishers
Lake Tuggeranong Stakes 6k 25 July
2. Warrick Howieson 31:52
9. Roger Pilkington 31:39
12. Peter Thomson 29:17
15. Ewen Thompson 33:29
16 finishers
Customs 5k 28 July
4 Ewen Thompson 24:33
6 Craig Wurtz 22:45
9 Giles Lamb 21:19
11 Jacob Grooby 19:37
15 Caroline Campbell 30:36
19 Peter Thomson 23:19
22 finishers
Burley Griffin 5k parkrun #60 29 July
24 Craig Wurtz 21:36 M50
70 Stephanie Sabadas 27:17 W25
162 finishers
Ginninderra 5k parkrun #273 29 July
27 Geoff Moore 24:26 M65
50 Celina Miller 27:22 W35
127 finishers
Tuggeranong 5k parkrun #232 29 July
32 Thach Huynh 22:40 M40 **New PB**
64 David Clarke 25:00 M55
199 finishers
Gungahlin 5k parkrun #198 29 July
9 Giles Lamb 20:31 M40
80 Margaret McSpadden 29:51 W70
136 finishers
Queanbeyan 5k parkrun #14 29 July
56 finishers
Batemans Bay 5k parkrun #65 29 July
31 finishers
Gungahlin Gallop 30k 30 July
21. David Clarke 2:52:04
51. Shiree Yap 3:16:09
84. Shane Wright 3:56:00
87. Kerron Clare 4:02:02
88. Katherine Sheppard 4:04:32
95. Jennie Blake 4:25:05
108 finishers
Dave Clarke 30k
Gungahlin Gallop 10k 30 July
26. Andrew Simpson 55:41
45. Ewen Thompson 1:01:37
102. Helen Way 1:12:16
160 finishers
ACTMA Handicap Little Black Mountain 9.0k 30 July
2 Nadine Morrison W45 61:39
4 Rod Lynch M55 71:33
15 Caroline Campbell W70 61:08
19 Roger Pilkington M55 50:49
20 Bron Sparkes W40 49:23
25 Craig Wurtz M50 49:39
26 Mick Charlton M65 57:08
41 Margaret McSpadden W70 69:35
ACTMA Handicap Little Black Mountain 4.5k 30 July
9 Jill Pearson W55 25:10
26 finishers
So now we are "Masters", we have http://www.actmastersathletics.org.au/ , ACTMA, instead of ACTVAC. Except the website itself has not been updated yet - I will take a full backup soon and then we will begin the transformation. And http://actvac.com.au/ will still work.
For example this logo is being updated.... sometime soon.