Cover/Story/Recap

what I have been reading
"The Wee Free Men", by Terry Pratchett

The first three Discworld novels that centred on the character Tiffany Aching each received the Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book (in 2004, 2005 and 2007.) The first of these, "The Wee Free Men", I have just completed, and next I will read the second, "A Hat Full of Sky". I read the third, "Wintersmith", some time ago. What I love about "The Wee Free Men", besides the obvious writing skills and imagination of the author, is how down-to earth it is, and its panning of fairy-tale romance. Perfect for young adults! I will give it 8 out of 10, and "Wintersmith" 10 out of 10.

Official track program for tomorrow
5:45pm 1500m /3000m Walk hand timed only
3000m Run hand timed only
6:00pm Sprint Hurdles (110/100/90/80m)
6:20pm 1500 metres
7:00pm 100m- handicap
7:30pm Relay 4 x 100m and 2 x 200m
7:45pm 400 metres
8:10pm 4 Lap Spiral
8:35pm 1500m/2km/3km Low Steeplechase
2k/3k Steeplechase High Steeplechase
Order of events announced 60 minutes before

Management Charts
I have found a few basic management charts for your next presentation. Feel free to borrow them, they are designed to impress any Canberra Management team. Have I opened a Pandora's box of worms?

Head versus Heart

The first Monday training of 2009 saw Bronwyn, Caroline, Cathy, Ewen, Geoff B, me, Kelley, Ken, Mick C, Mick H & Yili run 12x200 with 100 jog in the shade on offer on the west side of Parliament House. Thank goodness there was some breeze. Shorter training with short recoveries, or longer recoveries when it is "too hot", will continue on Mondays for a few more weeks.

Song of the week - "Crooked Teeth", by Death Cab for Cutie, from "Plans".


Featuring the "Head versus Heart" theme. Just one of several videos around for "Crooked Teeth", this one is from the "Directions" DVD. "Directions" is a brilliant collection of videos of all the songs from "Plans".

This Thursday night sees the first races of the year, in a low key event at the AIS, a combined meet with Athletics ACT. There's a 3000m at 5:45pm in the heat, combined with a 1500m/3000m walk, and hand timed. More attractive is the 1500m scheduled for 6:20pm. After that a 400m is planned for 7:45pm, a spiral 4 lapper at 8:10pm, then some steeplechase races at 8:25pm as the temperature starts to fall.

Anti-jokes
Q: What do you get when you cross a goose and a pig? A: A media circus that focuses on the morals and ethics of genetic engineering!!!

I think this will be my one and only anti-joke this year. Other anti-jokes are on my facebook page. But as far as mixed metaphors, are concerned, I plan using plenty more of them. So far we have been just scratching the tip of the iceberg. And in case you miss one, or think it's an ordinary metaphor, mixed metaphors appear in red.

There for the taking

This is where my mother went on holidays this week.

.

My plan for week 2 of 2009:
Monday 5th: An hour's stretching in the morning. Parliament House in the heat of the afternoon, a run at 4:30pm measuring out the intervals we will be training on, then speedygeese training at 5:30pm.
Tuesday 6th: Stromlo at 6:00pm for a 5k tempo run. Plan for 22 minutes despite the heat.
Wednesday 7th: A recovery run around Belconnen.
Thursday 8th: A race at Masters Track. Planning to do the 1500m, not too hard.
Friday 9th: A recovery run around Belconnen
Saturday 10th: Stromlo intervals 9:00am, 3x1km.
Sunday 11th: Stromlo long run 8:00am to complete 90k. As mentioned, this week promises to be hot so the challenge will be completing the distance targets.

Transformation key 3: Stay dissatisfied, even frustrated, with where you are now. Stay passionate about wanting to change. Knowing that what could be is so much better than what is, never quit, never be satisfied, never be content with mediocrity, never think of yourself as average. Don't mark time, don't get complacent, keep running!

Liana: Now I am Six

When I was one I'd just begun,
When I was two I was nearly new,
When I was three I was hardly me,
When I was four I was not much more,
When I was five I was barely alive,
But now I am six! As clever as clever!
And I think I'll stay six now for ever and ever!
- a.a.milne

But knowing Liana, I think she will be wanting to be seven, then eight, as soon as she can be! Happy Birthday, Liana, six years old today!

Canberra 50 year old runs 2:30 for the marathon.

Form guide part two: these are some of the speedygeese we haven't seen of late!
Adam Robinson: Trained regularly then got married. Probably in great form, but none of us will ever know!
Amalendu Edelsten: Proof that a former life as a gymnast can make you a remarkably fast and strong runner. Probably has several former lives.
Annette Sugden: once trained with us regularly (i.e. once a month) but left these shores last year for greener pastures.
Barbara Tucker: another export, to a very foreign country endeed (New Zilland)
Carol Baird: runs all day up hill, down dale, and through creeks - the last of which was her downfall.
Carol Ey: a goose before there was any thought of geese, ran the London marathon once, under 2:50, and is still running.
Carolyne Kramer: still a baby goose (sleeps like a baby) and will learn to fly before she learns to run, I imagine.
Charmaine Knobel: ran with us each week before becoming our first mole in the runners shop. ("mole": underground goose.)
Christine O’Keeffe: a.k.a. "the other Christine", should rejoin us, as she would become "the real Christine".
David Webster: thank God he doesn't train, or he'd be thrashing us all.
Jacqui Rosier: light of foot, inhabits Dickson in winter, hibernates in summer. I didn't know geese hibernated!
Jeni Greenland: has copyrighted "speedygosling" in case you didn't know. Is that fair?
Jenny Langton: Escaped to Brisvegas and sends the occasional "joke" via email to prove that, if not alive and well, at least is still breathing.
Jill Pearson: her 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 new year resolutions were to start training again. Never mind Jill: you brought Joel and Yelena to us, your job is done.
John Alcock: when did he stop training with us? I missed that. Perhaps he still tags along.
Kathy Southgate: claims to be a goose but is too good to be seen with us. Hey, does anyone think our training group could appoint a Patron?
Kevin Chamberlain: trains by correspondence, as he lives interstate. (i.e. Queanbeyan)
Lisa Wilson: part time goose who is due for a come-back. Again.
Matthew Hardy: who? Also, Sue Bourke, Michael Rutter, Kevin Matthews, and more. The only thing I remember about them is they all run very fast.
Maureen Rossiter: naturally talented runner who races occasionally and trains less often than that.
Peter Hogan: has been observed to enter races more often than social events. But only recently.
Peter McDonald: has been observed at social events.
Roger Pilkington: has been seen only at races recently. Planning to run thirty marathons this year Roger?
Trevor Cobbold: flies in for a rare speed session, flies out again sore.
Zel Bodulovic: sometimes seen fleetingly and ghost-like in the distance when we are training. Very solid for a ghost.

This from 1988: 21 years ago. Click to expand.

Falls Creek, Victoria: where all the top athletes have been running (i.e. at altitude): album at http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=71896&id=594511989

rock the boat

"Blog" stands for Back_LOG
You say Weblog but I say Backlog. I have pages of stuff I haven’t digested for blog posts, let alone all the unwritten thoughts in mind and that keep coming to mind!

what I am reading
"Neverwhere", by Neil Gaiman. Wonderfully constructed story, a fast paced imaginative fantasy which is compulsive reading. I don't think I have felt more delighted discovering a new book and a new author since I encountered the "Narnia" stories 50 years ago. This fantasy is for adults however, and is wonderfully realised by an author who has a unique clarity and immediacy of expression. A joy to read. I will move on to his other writings, in due course, as a treat.

what I am watching
Currently I am watching the DVD "Prince Caspian", the second movie in the Narnia series; the first was "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". Conclusion: Watch the movie if you will, but read the book first. Read the books first. All seven. The books are better than the movies and they are quite short. Read all seven several times. Prince Caspian is the least exciting of the seven books, but I can see why they filmed "Prince Caspian" second of the seven. It leads into the next book/movie, "Voyage of the Dawn Treader", which promises to be a "little ripper".

Simon’s cat is now a dog?? Doesn't work for me! Dog fanciers might like it.



Thought for the day: if we rock the boat by marching to a different drummer, will it upset the applecart?

The Fatalism Delusion

Today's Run

I just wanted to point out the serious gain in elevation at the 14k mark ...

Fatalism: Why do some people conclude that the future is predetermined? It goes against all instinct, and experience too. Certainly, fate has a role. But so does free will, so do choices and decisions, so do directed thoughts and plans. Determinism and fatalism are delusionary!

There should be less belief in fatalism in this post-modern era than there was in the scientific era. The rationale for a belief in determinism from those holding to a scientific world-view was the idea that cause and effect prevailed. Everything could be explained in terms of cause and effect. Every effect had a cause. The logical deduction then was to say that thoughts, ideas, will, emotion etc were phenomena which themselves have solely physical causes. We realise now of course that these arguments were circular; what was being proved was contained within the assumptions of the proof. To put it another way, science proved that everything was subject to science, but only defined everything as those things science could study; the tangible, the measurable.

As an analogy, it would be like saying the only force in the universe was gravity, because gravity is universal and everything was subject to it. And then, what an embarrassment it would be to discover magnetism!

Perhaps it is because the past is immutable, that some philosophers have been fooled into concluding the future is as well. Don't fall for that trap!

Nor does life depend on the spin of the dice. It's not pure chance. Chance does have a role; so does fate, so does cause and effect. But more importantly, your thoughts, decisions, and actions, can set in motion a train of events which will change everything. (a) from what the future might otherwise have been, (b) from what has usually been the case in the past! Your intervention can cause significant changes, to you personally, to your spheres of influence, to society itself.

Transformation is a genuine possibility.

But we are easily fooled. Stare closely and intently at the + in the centre. What do you see? What do you see next?



Keys to transformation - work in progress -
Key 1. Full of hope, anticipation and awe, ..knowing the future is malleable and that we can intervene to achieve worthwhile goals, …
Key 2. …we employ directed self-talk to get ourselves onto the desired track and to keep us there.
Key 3. tba!

Fresh Start

In 2006 I ran 3,803 kilometres (note spelling), having started the year weighing 67kg and ended it weighing 64kg. After that I have more or less "marked time" according to the same indicators, ending 2007 with 3,905 kilometres and 66kg, and ending 2008 with 4,059 km and 65kg. So I am succeeding in keeping the distance up and the weight under control. As I had peaked at 76kg just over ten years ago, late in 1998, my recent progress is more than acceptable! It takes a lot of work to just "mark time".

"My Training Diary" linked above is now the 2009 version, all ready for a fresh start. Let the fun and games begin! Let's take the bull by the horns and run with it! The sky is our oyster!

Transformation

2008: Last Year of "The Vets"

We are moving with the times! On that note, happy birthday Jodie 42 last Thursday, happy birthday Mick C 57 next Saturday!

Yes, ACT Veterans Athletics is finally moving with the times! The dogs may be barking but the caravan’s moved on! We will be "The Masters" in 2009 from May, I am sure! I am certainly looking forward to when all the woo-hoo-har is over, when the dust has cleared and the smoke has settled, and when the "debate" will have just been water over the bridge!

Minime



Bye bye 2008! Everything will be bigger and better and brighter in 2009,  I am certain! More jokes! More fun! More mixed metaphors! More exclamation marks! More kilometres run!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY! 

Making it close

song of the week: 42, by Coldplay, from Viva La Vida.

Those who are dead are not dead
They’re just living in my head
And since I fell for that spell
I am living there as well

Time is so short and I’m sure
There must be something more

Those who are dead are not dead
They’re just living in my head
And since I fell for that spell
I am living there as well

You thought you might be a ghost ...
You didn’t get to heaven but you made it close ...

Those who are dead are not dead
They’re just living in my head
 
42 was especially chosen to draw this year to a close, and to anticipate what more there may be next year.

At training last night we had the smallest turn-out since rain struck on 13 October and we were confined to the car-park. However conditions were perfect and we did a session we haven't done for a few of years: 6 x 600 on 5 minutes on the east side, the 600m being two loops starting up a steep climb, plus a third climb up the hill to finish each interval. Present were Bronwyn, Cathy, Christopher, Ewen, Geoff B, me, Miranda & Ruth. Ewen, Miranda and Ruth also joined me for an 8k jog before the session.

Resolution
I have finished going through all my roles, tasks and activities, reprioritising and pruning for the new year. speedygeese: One thing I neglected to do in 2008 was to arrange for speedygeese singlets. I will get onto it in 2009, with assistance and feedback from others of course. IT: I was "invited" to have a role in evaluating IT for our club in 2008. I really didn't get into it. In 2009 I simply won't have time, it is not going to happen. newsletter: I have a new role as newsletter editor for a non-running organisation. This might be fun, but a lot of extra work. I approach it with trepidation, as I have no experience editing newsletters. Running: After national events in Geelong and Adelaide I will evaluate whether it is worth persisting competing at the national level. I have already foreshadowed that I may toss it in and take up long distance trail running... We'll see. Another option is to focus more on middle distances, 800m & 1500m running, in local competition. The two ideas are not all that compatible! Other: Otherwise, things probably won't be all that different next year.

Awe

2009 the year of transformation
To position oneself for personal transformation, the first key is to have a healthy, balanced, sober appreciation of one’s place in the universe, and to develop a true and appropriate sense of awe. The second key is to take charge of one’s mind, one’s attention, will, and thoughts.

Cricket matches can be so different from one day to the next!
As an example, taking the second key first, cricket players, when they line up to face each ball, are constantly reminding themselves to keep their eye on the ball, to remain fully focused, to shut out all distractions. They do this every time a new ball is to be dealt with. Is all this self talk really necessary? Yes, because there are many potential distractions, and the job is done only by paying no attention to distractions, and giving all attention to the task at hand.

As for the first key, the context within which every action occurs, every step is taken, for cricketers is to do with the game, the series, the career, the overall importance and significance of what is happening. This wider context provides the motivation, the raison d’être. The wider context is the "universe" within which we operate. As we enter a new year in 2009, my challenge for us is to adopt a positive and constructive world-view within which to operate, a world-view which allows for hope, challenge, inspiration, even awe; and is far beyond a desire for instant gratification and chasing after only short term goals.

Summary: Keys to transformation
Key 1. Full of anticipation and awe, knowing we can achieve worthwhile goals in the longer term, …
Key 2. …we employ directed self-talk to keep ourselves on track.

Seven day plan
Here's my plan for "week 1" of 2009; the overlapping week. Another 90k like last week:
Monday: Parliament House, a run at 4:30pm, speedygeese training at 5:30pm.
Tuesday: Stromlo at 6:00pm for a 5k tempo run. Plan to try for 22 minutes.
Wednesday: An easy run around Belconnen
Thursday: A longer run. Track is still one week away.
Friday: Another easy run around Belconnen
Saturday: Stromlo intervals 9:00am
Sunday: Stromlo long run 8:00am to complete 90k

Look at the big picture!
Last week I suffered a bit from a very sore throat, missed a day when partying, and finished the week with a sore hip and back, but still managed 90k. This week I shouldn't try to exceed 90k even if I am feeling good because I might pay for it the following week if I do! Better to run 90k  this week and the same the next, than 110k this week and 40k the next.

Andrea's cat

What a great photo, Andrea! Stolen from your blog, I know, but I couldn't resist. Cats seem able to keep things in their proper perspective!

speedygeese form guide

Alan Duus: regular runner at Parliament House, who doubles as the handicapper for the ACTMA monthly handicap races. Try not to upset this man!
Alistair Green: when not travelling to compete in strange multi-event races, runs with us at a good solid pace. Ran a very very fast 5k race recently, but is yet to provide proof via GPS that it wasn't short.
Amanda Walker: wins training run intervals, and races frequently on the track. One who is rapidly finding form.
Bronwyn Calver: doesn't know the meaning of a rest hour, let alone a rest day. Plays every sport invented and some not yet invented. Was my pencilled-in favourite for the Wild Goose Chase but didn't win. This is because she didn't cheat. (And you can't get good help these days, see "Jodie")
Caroline Campbell: wins every triathlon in her age group. I must watch how she achieves this; I suspect she uses a rope to get a tow in the swim leg.
Cathy Montalto: happiest runner in the training group. Can run all day, although known to have stopped for lunch occasionally.
Charlie McCormack. One of our four world record holders. Doesn't get into Canberra to run with us as often as she would like. Could excel at marathons and the like next year.
Christine Gates: no one remembers who this is. Ditto for Jill Head, Jodie Sims, Kirsten Livermore, and Yili Zhu. and many others who joined us only briefly this year.
Christopher Lang: I am not sure if he is a 100m runner or a marathon runner, runs faster in training than in races.
Colin Farlow: having a training break, will come back happier, healthier, and fitter in a season or two when he decides to. A great talent.
David Baussmann: known to prefer squash to running. Someone, please tell him running is easier.
Ewen Thompson: his many fans believe his goals are serious. He will be telling them he is trying for the six foot track record/800m ACT record on the same weekend next year. They will believe him.
Gary Bowen: Coming into form, and only needs to discover the meaning of “an easy day” to be flogging the rest of us, now that he is wearing spikes and learning to run on his toes.
Geoff Barker: very good mountain runner who comes down to earth to train with us occasionally
Helen Larmour: coming right back to form, excels over long distances. One of our four world record holders.
Jodie Davis: "not competitive" "not a long distance runner" and not a slacker, seeing that she finishes every training session, and finishes strongly.
Joel Pearson: young, fit and happy (see "Yelena").
Kathy Sims: brilliant runner and brilliant under pressure. Holds ACT records and knows how to peak for the big occasion. Trains smartly, not flat out every time. Will improve again in the new year.
Katie Forestier: looking in top form and improving, will be “nipping at my Achilles heel*” before long in middle distance races. One of our four world record holders.
Kelley Flood: exceptional talent, could take any race by storm (get it? Flood-Storm?) but who we haven't seen at training for a while (see "Mick Horan"). I would love to see her run track. One of our four world record holders.
Ken White: training well and looks like he is coming back "on the boil" any day now.
Margaret McSpadden: consistent runner who gives Ruth a run for her money (see below)
Maria O’Reilly: seriously talented runner who has been seriously injured. Still running, and managing to inspire and motivate the rest of us, something she does so very well.
Mick Charlton: another consistent and regular runner who wouldn't surprise me if he won a handicap race in the new year.
Mick Horan: Potentially the fastest member of the training group who recently looks a bit tired for some reason (see "Kelley"). Will do well nationally next year after getting back into consistent racing.
Miranda Rawlinson: Biggest improver in the group this year, and self-confessed "sneaky" Wild Goose Chaser. Will keep improving with speed training.
Neil Boden: Consistent trainer. One day a week. Could improve a lot if he retired from work and took up running!
Rachelle Ellis-Brownlee: will learn to race hard one day, and knock 30 seconds off her 800m time and 60 seconds off her 1500m time. I predict she will be the biggest improver in 2009.
Rod Lynch: can run hard only about once a week but has enormous natural talent. We are all jealous. He hasn't hit top form for a while, but if he does, will be among the relay record breakers on the track.
Ruth Baussmann: consistent runner who gives Margaret a run for her money (see above)
Sonia Veldhoven: too fast for us, ran away to Melbourne before debuting on the track. We have missed a treat.
Thea Zimpel: still learning how to train, but by the time she qualifies to join the ACT Masters, will have done enough consistent training to excel in the W30s.
Tim Calver: known for his coffee and for running out of sight in training. Will do well on the road next year.
Tony Booth: excels on the track and set ACT records this year. Looking stronger and could do really well in 2009.
Yelena Pearson: one of the year's very big improvers in training and on the track, is young, fit and happy (see "Joel").

*this should fill the bill as yet another mixed metaphor.

Kayleigh

Granddaughter Kayleigh on the monkey bars at Florey last week, showing how it is done.

HAPPY RUNNING IN 2009!

Blacking Out The Friction

I have nothing but good memories of 2008, perhaps it was the year of living positively. Some of the highlights include the new Free 7.0s which I bought in January and have worn in every important race since; and the new desktop PC which is so much better than the five year old one, except for the stupid American Word 2007 spell checking. Then in races I ran a 19:25 5000m in Blacktown which could have been much faster if not for a very sore hamstring following the 10k race 2 days earlier, and the next day in Parramatta won an M55 silver medal in the AMA nationals for the Cross Country. Next: gold!? In May I celebrated turning 60, and then proceeded to break 5:20 for the 1500m, following that up with a good run for a silver medal in the ACT M60 8k cross country championships. Competition in the ACT is of a higher standard than the competition is nationally! And when track season started, I joined three others to break the national M60 4x800m record by 19 seconds. On those laurels I can rest, for now.

It's only a matter of time
The year's end sees me liking and playing ten songs in particular; nine of these were new this year.
1 Playing Along - Keane - Perfect Symmetry
2 I Am Free - Michael Gungor - Battle Cry
3 Crack The Shutters - Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns
4 How Sweet The Name - Delirious - Kingdom Of Comfort
5 The Planets Bend Between Us - Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns
6 Grapevine Fires - Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
7 42 - Coldplay - Viva La Vida
8 Lifeboats - Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns
9 Perfect Symmetry - Keane - Perfect Symmetry
10 Your Heart Is An Empty Room - Death Cab for Cutie - Plans

I have resumed running reasonably fast; three km intervals averaging 3:44 is starting to look promising again. I would be very happy to average between 3:40 and 3:45 for my km sessions through summer. And it was good to see Gary, Katie, Amanda and Rachelle running fast 200s today at the same venue.

In 2008 we had our fill of motivational posters

Woo Who?

Sonia. That's who. Sonia’s (interstate) number-plate is WOO-something, I am not revealing the rest. Consistent with that, Sonia signed off her last email with “Woo Hoo”, being excited about seeing her Canberra friends again! Sonia arrived on Monday then enjoyed an evening's Wild Goose Chase before settling into Christmas partying with her family and friends. We may see her, some of the family, and some of the friends, tomorrow morning at Stromlo for our 9am interval training. I don't expect anyone, least of all Sonia, will excel running the intervals, unless of course they forget to stuff themselves yesterday. I will be running my 1ks; others can choose what they do.

I am not sure if Sonia has a past but she certainly has a present:


On the run this morning, I met up with Ian McLeod. He's the son of John who used to run with us years ago. And brother of Fiona who was a very good runner. Ian is visiting from overseas... for Christmas of course, and runs every day "just to keep fit".

Yes I am trying to run most days too, even through the "silly season".

"If I miss one day of practice, I notice it. If I miss two days, the critics notice it. If I miss three days, the audience notices it."

Happy holidays!

Christmas Letter

2008 was the year of change. Everybody had anniversaries of one kind or another. Jenny and I turned 60 this year and celebrated for nearly two months. Loani and Wes had their 15th wedding anniversary, Nathan and Lisa their 13th, and Mon and Scotty their 9th. Kayleigh turned 9, Josiah and Jarod both turned 8, Liana, Jackson and Alex all turned 5, Olivia, Amelie and Tyler all turned 3, and Charlie 1. If you think there may have been some note-comparing a few years ago about whether or not to get pregnant, you may be right. This Christmas letter may be recycled in twelve months time, with the same words but with every number incremented.

On Your Marks! (What on earth are they doing?!)

Get Set!

Go!

My best photos of the year! 

Words on play

This blog has seen quite a bit of wordplay: anagrams, palindromes, Beatles titles, mixed and un-mixed metaphor, plays on words. It has been a good year: I at least have enjoyed the journey of writing this stuff, even if a bare handful of readers are equally amused. Funnily the blog itself is all words on play: primarily focused on the way we use recreation to re-create ourselves from week to week and from day to day. And who amongst the speedygeese is playing along this week.

With today being one day short of Christmas, possible post titles wash through my mind, relevant to mangers and mistletoe, family and fun, shopping and toys, trees and stars. I have toyed with the idea of writing a satirical Christmas letter; perhaps I should first write a real one, we have been talking about writing such a letter for several Christmases but time gets away from us.

As well as running-recreation-play I do like to mention the music I play. In that vein, here is today's ...

Song of the week - "Playing Along”, by Keane, from their “Perfect Symmetry” album. This is currently my favourite song. Yes, “Grapevine Fires” has finally been replaced as my favourite.

Not the album version at all, but a very different live un-plugged version of “Playing Along” is on youtube:



Playing along

At the start of the news day, the fires begin
In words and in pictures, but I'm not listening
I'm not taking it in
I'm going to go to the country, where nothing goes on
Going to bury my head, where I can't hear the sound of bombs
Playing along

Me, I'm just playing along
You and I, so many good people all Just playing along

I'm going to go to a bar, where is the jukebox is on
Going to shut out the noise, with a rock'n'roll song
Playing along

I'm going to turn up the volume
I'm going to turn up the volume
I'm going to turn up the volume
Till I can't even think

Tell us a tale of the proud and the free
Sing us a swingtime american melody
From 'follow the fleet'

Me, I'm just playing along
You and I, a billion people all
Just playing along

I'm going to turn up the volume
I'm going to turn up the volume
I'm going to turn up the volume
Till I can't even think
I'm going to turn up the volume
I'm going to turn up the volume
I'm going to turn up the volume
Till I can't even think

I'm going to turn up the volume
Till I can't even think....

No more writing today, I will go back to playing with the grandchildren.

Wild Goose Chase

Monday night training saw Amanda, Bronwyn, Gary, Geoff B, me, Jodie, Katie, Ken, Maria. Mick C, Miranda, Rachelle, Ruth & Sonia enjoy a wild goose chase of my devising, a kind of scavenger hunt without the scavenging, around Parliament House. The wildest goose was Miranda, whose powers of observation under pressure turned out to be the best of a good bunch. Miranda won a caramel koala for her efforts; as did Sonia who arrived from Melbourne that afternoon, but in her case the prize was more out of sympathy than any merit or accuracy, although she did finish 5 minutes before everyone else, and the effort in question was her dragging Amanda by the arm all the way.

Tour de Mountain Mawson, Sunday 21 December
25k men
29 Mick Horan 2.20.13
41 Adam Robinson 3.35.35.
41 finishers + another 18 women finishers

17k men
15 Roger Pilkington 1.32.55
23 Geoff Barker 1.46.51
24 Peter Hogan 1.48.28
31 finishers

17k women
6 Charlie McCormack 1.42.33
7 Bronwyn Calver 1.44.44
15 Caroline Campbell 1.56.00
17 finishers

9k women
2 Jodie Davis 1.06.32
3 finishers + another 4 men finishers Not many were too keen to run just Mt Taylor. Well done Jodie!

Mountain running in 2009
I have been noting mountain runs I might run next year. This is not one of them. The mountain runs I *might* attempt next year, if I am around at the time, include Brindabella/Bulls Head (if it’s on in 2009); Deep Space marathon events; Bush Capital marathon events; the Black Mountain challenge. The Fitzroy Falls marathon and the Nowra-King of the Mountain run look interesting too. But I will never run on any course which has rough or steep downhills. Including steps!

Twenty questions
The Wild Goose Chase involved answering these twenty questions. Forty minutes was allowed for the runners to find the answers. There were no perfect scores but only one of Miranda's answers varied from mine.

For the record, the questions were:
North of Parliament House
Q1. Bus shelters: Explorer Bus status? three words (5 pts)
Q2. Built by “Barry Webb Associates 1988” they line Federation Mall. Count them all! (20 pts)

East of Parliament House
Q3. Who donated the two stone lions? (5 pts)
Q4. Near the lions, who unveiled the Bali memorial on 16 October 2003? (5 pts)
Q5. What are the loading dock opening hours? (5 pts)
Q6. The fountain on the NE corner – what is it in honour of? (5 pts)

South of Parliament House
Q7. Opposite the start of Melbourne Avenue, how far is it to the “public entrance”? (5 pts)
Q8. How far do you think it really is? (5 pts)

West of Parliament House
Q9. What is at station 6 on the fitness circuit? (5 pts)
Q10. Do one. Did you do one? Hint – the correct answer is yes. (5 pts)
Q11. Down the sealed path to the North-West, past our “favourite” hill and under the road, you come to a park. What is its name? (10 pts)
Q12. What can’t you do right now on our “favourite” hill? (5 points)
Q13. “Sports Field Closed”. What for? (5 pts)
Q14. What sort of “course” is the fitness circuit? three letters. (5 pts)
Q15. The sundial at the NW corner. What kind of sphere? (one word spelt correctly for 10 pts)

Old Parliament House
Q16. To the east of old Parliament House is the House of Representatives Rose Gardens. Just inside the near gate: in what year did women vote for the first time in a Federal election? (Careful!) (5 pts)
Q17. To the west of Old Parliament House, just inside the Senate Gardens, what is the surname of the “celebrated architect” whose sketch inspired the design of the shelters? (5 pts)
Q18. At the same spot, what does RSTA stand for? (5 pts)

General
Q19. There are some tennis courts around Parliament House. If there were doubles matches going on at every court, how many people would be playing? (10 pts)
Q20. How long are we permitted to park where most of us park? (5 pts)

You are welcome to do the 40 minute test yourself on foot, don't ask others the answers, especially don't harass the guards, and you can submit your answers to me for evaluation!

Two answers in one

Click to enlarge. I lurked near here to make sure question ten was answered correctly!

Plan Planning

The Last Week...of 2008 is coming up. There's nothing normal happening any more, not that there ever was. But we step out of our routine: there is no gym, no track, no racing. Warmer weather and grandchildren arrive at about the same time. The weather still cool enough to run long. The grandchildren all in holiday mode: a little less tired and a little more excited even than normal.

We start planning for the new year. Do you have a plan for making a plan?

Miranda sent me this. I wonder why?

To prevent the geese from getting fat, we still want a plan for week 52 of 2008.

Here's my plan for this week - another 90k like last week:
Monday: Parliament House, a run at 4:30pm, speedygeese training (The Wild Goose Chase!) at 5:30pm.
Tuesday: Stromlo at 6:00pm for a tempo run.
Wednesday: An easy run around Belconnen
Thursday: A longer run on Christmas morning
Friday: Another easy run around Belconnen
Saturday: Stromlo intervals 9:00am
Sunday: Stromlo long run 8:00am

Next year, routine will resume all too quickly. With skill, the routine can be improved on. I wish we could just play it by ear more, I wish we didn't need to do such planning, but without it my lack of discipline would show.

The change of years however is the opportunity to modify the routine. To improve it, to make new and better choices, to set new goals.

An elephant madness has covered the sun

Back in 1968, The Incredible String Band was my favourite group, actually a duo.



While my choice of the best new albums of 2008 are

1. Narrow Stairs – Death Cab for Cutie

2. Viva La Vida – Coldplay

3. Perfect Symmetry – Keane

4. A Hundred Million Suns – Snow Patrol

5. Kingdom of Comfort – Delirious

Saturday track results.
1k “Turkey” guess-your-time
1. M45 Rod Lynch 3: 05.48 80.8%
M50 Gary Bowen 3:12.09 79.4
M50 Roger Pilkington 3:26.47 73.3
M55 Ken White 3: 08.48 83.8
M55 Christopher Lang 4:20.56 61.6
M60 Geoff Barker 4:48.47 58.9
M70 Tony Booth 4: 06.63 72.8
3. W40 Katie Forestier 3:35.67 72.4
W40 Amanda Walker 3:38.04 70.3
2. W55 Ruth Baussmann 4:48.63 64.5

2K “Twosome”
1. M55 Ken White/M50 Gary Bowen by 0.74 seconds from
2. M55 John Lamb /W40 Katie Forestier, then
3. M50 Roger Pilkington /M50 John Morton
4. W40 Amanda Walker /M60 Geoff Moore
5. M70 Tony Booth /W35 Nadine Thomlinson
8. W50 Jill Pearson /M45 Rod Lynch
9. M55 Jim White /W55 Ruth Baussmann
10. M55 Christopher Lang / M45 Peter Cullen
12. M35 John Donovan /M60 Geoff Barker

Seizing the moment.

This holiday season I am delighting and/or annoying friends as I seize the moment and take as many photos as I can at our various celebrations. Well, if only one in a hundred photos I take comes out OK, I have to keep snapping (or whatever the digital equivalent of "snapping" is) to have a chance of getting a good one, worth publishing here. The following are as good as it gets.

Speedygeese dinner


Margaret and Ruth


Ken, Helen, Maria, Cathy and others in the background

Roger turns 50.


Roger making sure he blows all the candles out. Eventually.

The world record holders


Charlie, Helen, me, Katie, Kelley at Roger's birthday party. It is a privilege to train with these very talented runners.

DVDs I am watching: Jenny and I watch an episode of the great British comedy series set in France during German occupation, 'Allo 'Allo, most evenings. We are up to series seven. I have all the DVDs except series nine, which hasn't come out yet. Listen very carefully, I will say this only once. Every nationality gets satirised, so funny.

Smile and the world smiles with you

What am I reading? The theme is "Social Networks and Happiness" and the article is found in "Edge: The Third Culture".  By a couple of scientists who did a study which was published in the British Medical Journal. Here is the introduction:
"We found that social networks have clusters of happy and unhappy people within them that reach out to three degrees of separation. A person's happiness is related to the happiness of their friends, their friends' friends, and their friends' friends' friends—that is, to people well beyond their social horizon. We found that happy people tend to be located in the center of their social networks and to be located in large clusters of other happy people. And we found that each additional happy friend increases a person's probability of being happy by about 9%."

Last night.
A cluster of happy chappies ran around the track last night enjoying the novelty events, the ten minute deluge, the prizes, the fun. We will rename the Turkey 1k race the "Goosey" after the first six places (at least!) were taken by speedygeese - a turkey event is where one has to guess one's time before racing. And the closest six were from our training group. Birthday girl Katie is not talking to Ken (or at least I her heard her telling him that) after Ken put in a devastating finish to cross the line with Gary and just pip Katie and John L by the narrowest of margins in the "Twosome 2k". Amanda ran a 20 second pb in the 1k and a 20 second pb in the 2k. We didn't see Santa this year; he must have got bogged when the storm hit.

Distance Run 
"If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run..."
Yesterday I passed last year's total distance run. Good! That makes me happy. Happier, even.

43

"Happiness" is hanging out with happy people.