Zel's Gold Coast Marathon

Zel won't mind me publishing this here. He is most grateful to all the people who helped get him to the marathon, including a few of those who will read this. It was a pleasure to be one of many contributing to Zel's progress.

Hello all,

Just to let you know, I managed to finish the Gold Coast Marathon in 3:40:11 but failed to qualify for the mother of all marathons - Boston 2007. I will try to do 3:30 in Sydney or Melbourne later this year.

It was, really, fantastic event with 20K+ participants. The temperature, for us Canberrans, was less impressive - in the last two hours of the race it reached 20+C°.

Overall, it was easier then I suspected. It is funny how occasionally fear of the unknown can be more horrifying then the unknown. From the beginning of the race I waited for something to happen to me after the 36th kilometer, but instead of a big bad wolf, I was humiliated by number leggy blondes who breezed by.

The pacers in my running group were horrible. We have been constantly running at different pace ranging from 4 .25 min/km to 4.50 min/km. After 15 km we were 4.5 min ahead of our targeted time...Until I dropped out, after 33 km, we haven’t run even two minutes at 4:58, which was my and their target.

I wish to sincerely thank you all for all your support in helping me get from 0 km/Hr to almost 12 km/Hr over 42 km in 14 months.

See you all in a month’s time.

Best regards,

Zel

Crazy Griffin and Gourmet Green Shoes

Philosopher Humour.

What? No comments on my philosopher post of a few days ago? Obviously one can only make some of the people laugh some of the time. I suppose I could admit that my university degree was in Maths and Philosophy. Let's try just one more time, aimed at the audience ....

Question: How do you get a philosopher off your porch?
Answer: Pay for the pizza.

Well, assuming that missed the spot too, here's something I found funny at Monday training a couple of weeks ago.

Griffin
Griffin comes up to me and says, "wasn't it great that everyone got their photo on the front cover of the half marathon results booklet".

It took me a few moments before I realised why he was saying that. When I explained, Griffin would not believe, and probably disbelieves me still, that he had scored his photo on every copy!

Green shoes
I just love this cake.

What are you running in?

Bush Marathon
Early (cheaper) entries for the Bush Marathon and associated events close today.

July Jogalong
69. Sarah Pau W30 30:32
84. Helen Larmour W45 27:32
100. Charmaine Knobel W50 30:36

Pennington 12k
28. Bob Harlow M55 53:16
32. Roger Pilkington M45 54:27

Longstaff 8k
5. Annette Sugden W40 36:44
12. Caroline Campbell W60 44:23

10. Geoff Barker M60 41:22
11. Peter McDonald M50 42:11
12. Geoff Sims M55 42:16

Gold Coast Marathon
415. Roger Pilkington 3:26.39

Gold Coast Half Marathon
409 Bob Harlow 1:32.55
524 Jeni Greenland 1:35.14
693 Ron Vines 1:38.00
2041 The Barbara 1:54.55 W60 bronze
2298 Kiwi Barbara 1:57.57

My training progress

Here's the story

last week's target "jog as able" actual zero
this week’s target don't know
quote of the week “God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind, I will live forever."
weight 64.5 kg and falling

That's blown the weekly average! I have been - in one word - sick. Eating has been singularly unattractive the last few days. Energy levels fluctuate. I will still try and get to the training sessions this week, if at all possible.

Arrivals and Departures

Arrival - Tessa Deanne Lowes, 4 July
While I was in Sydney, my wife's brother (at the age of 47) became a dad for the first time.

Congratulations to Bruce and Trina.

Departure - Allan Sherriff, 4 July
Also on the same day the ACTVAC's oldest member Allan Sheriff, aged 92, passed away with kidney failure.

Staying Put
I am not going anywhere! I will be continuing to improve and develop this blog for the primary purpose of inspiring, encouraging and informing my training group. Stay tuned, the best is still to come! This is something I never intend "finishing".

4 Hours

Confused Goose leading the pack

Causes of Death for Some of the Great Philosophers, by Stiv Fleishman
Thales: Drowning
Parmenides: It wasn't anything at all
Ockham: Cut while shaving
Russell: Cut while being shaved by one who did not shave himself
Descartes: Stopped thinking
Spinoza: Substance abuse
Leibniz: Monadnucleosis
Darwin: Natural causes
Hume: Unnatural causes
Kant: Transcendental causes (although it was his own idea)
Paley: By design
Heidegger: By Dasein
Meinong: Climbing accident
Neurath: Boating accident
G.E. Moore: By his own hand, obviously
Sheffer: Stroke
Sartre: Nausea
Pascal: Became despondent after losing a wager
Wittgenstein: Tried to see if death was an experience one lived through. (Alternate: fell off a ladder)
Hegel: Collision with owl at dusk

Googong Dam Half Marathon

Geoff is away at the moment, which means that his poor blog is open for me, as a co-contributor, to destroy...

The first Googong Dam Half Marathon was held on the weekend by Ken and other ACTCCC members and was a fantastic opportunity for a run in the bush. The event was rather affordable, indeed for quite a few, free, and it proved to be a great work out for any other runners similar to me who are still developing their hill running muscles. In fact, I'm still walking a bit strangely, and I believe a few others are as well.

I do not have Geoff's extensive knowledge of Team-Moore-ese runners, so I may have missed a few of you out. If you wish to be included, e-mail me at akipk@yahoo.com and I'll get around to it, or better still, e-mail Geoff and annoy him. :)

Googong Dam 21.1k

37. Alan Duus 60 M60 1:58:44
40. John Alcock 60 M60 2:00:00
45. Geoff Barker 61 M60 2:04:58

5. Cathy Newman F 45 W45 1:53:33
15. Thea Zimpel F 23 2:11:48
16. Caroline Campbell F 63 W60 2:12:04
18. Carolyne Kramar F 42 W40 2:16:50
19. Pam Faulks F 46 W45 2:21:27

I also spoted Magaret and Ruth in a team, doing a challenging Saturday run, and Maria O'Reilly and Peter Hogan were a welcome sight at the half way mark with drinks. Thank you to both of you.

Gold Coast

Well I am off to Sydney for a week and may not post... there is an internet cafe at Acer stadium where I will be daytimes, but there will be a queue I expect.
Last week I only managed about 65k due to wet days, back problems, and being busy.
But I still managed a BBQ Stakes pb of 25.40 and a 20.10 5k at Customs which is clear third best time for that course and included a "dance with a dog" for more than a few seconds.
My weight is 65 kilos and falling. Good.
And while in Sydney I plan only to jog most days.

Gold Coast results
I will update this part of the post if and when more information comes through. All I know so far - unreliable -
Lee Troop won the marathon in 2hr 14min ish, 2nd Gemechu Woyecha (ACT) in 2hr 17.

In the Half the first four Australians were all from the ACT.
1 Marty Dent 62m 57 (1min pb and world 20k road champ qualifier)
2 Japanese runner second
3 Anthony Haber (64m 20 massive pb also with a 20k road qualifier)
4 Japanese fourth
5 Scott McTaggart 64m 50 ish
6 Phillo Saunders 66m 5 seconds

Bush Marathon News

Bush Capital
Bush Marathon Festival
5km, 16km, 25km, 42km marathon & 60km ultra runs;
16km & 25km bush walks
Campbell High School, Canberra
SATURDAY 29 July 2006

7.30am Early bird start for slow runners in 60km ultra and 42km marathon
8.30am Bush marathon; marathon relay; 60km ultra; 25km bush walk
9.00am 16km and 25km bush runs and 16km bush walk
9.15am 5km run

The Jaggad Bush Capital Bush Marathon and Ultra is an exciting off road running and bush walking event from the centre of Canberra through Mt Ainslie, Mt Majura, Goorooyarroo and Mulligans Flat nature reserves. Apart from a short stretch of bitumen in the area connecting Mt Majura and Goorooyarroo Nature Reserves, the events are fully off road, nearly all on well-maintained management trails in the nature reserves.

Although organised by the Australian Mountain Running Association, the courses do not take in the peaks, instead sticking to the undulating trails on the lower slopes. Various sections of the courses offer spectacular scenery, both from the higher points and in the valleys as the trails wind between imposing hills.

The major goal is to offer a very enjoyable running or walking experience for all participants. The secondary, but nevertheless very important, goal is to raise funds to assist the Australian Mountain Running Team. Each year members of the team have to self finance up to $4,000 each to represent Australia at world mountain running championships. Hopefully funds raised from the voluntary organisation of the Bush Capital Marathon and Ultra will enable significant subsidies to be provided to our Australian mountain running representatives.

The support of Canberra Nature Park and the ACT Parks and Conservation Service is greatly appreciated in providing access to some of the most beautiful areas of Canberra’s nature reserves and other support assistance.

Information on Canberra Nature Park is found at http://www.environment.act.gov.au/bushparksandreserves/parksandreserves/canbnaturepk
Maps of Mt Ainslie, Mt Majura, Goorooyarroo and Mulligans Flat nature reserves can be downloaded from this site.


Race information
Start/finish
Campbell High School, Treloar Crescent, Campbell ACT. This is adjacent to the Australian War Memorial and the headquarters of the CSIRO and less than one kilometre from the city centre.

Maps
See www.mountainrunning.coolrunning.com.au

Facilities
Change rooms, toilets, showers, gymnasium hall for race administration.

Weather conditions: excellent for long distance running
Average temperature on 29 July at 9am: 5.1 degrees
Average maximum temperature: 12.5 degrees
Average daily sunshine: 6.5 hours
Sunrise: 7.00am Sunset: 5.20pm

Events
60km ultra run (time limit 9hrs; finish cut off 4.30pm)
42.2km marathon run (time limit 7 hrs 30mins; finish cut off 4pm)
25km run (time limit 5 hrs; finish cut off 2pm)
25km bush walk (time limit 7 hrs 30mins; finish cut off 4pm)
16km run (time limit 3hrs; finish cut off 12 noon)
16km bush walk (time limit 5 hrs; finish cut off 2pm)
5km run (time limit 75 mins; finish cut off 11am)

Age limits
Minimum age of 18 years for the marathon and ultra, and of 16 years for the 25km events.

Entry fees
By 11 July
Ultra $60; Marathon $50
Marathon relay runners, minimum team 4 runners, $15 per person
25km run and 25km bush walk $40
16km run and 16km bush walk $20 adults; $10 juniors (under 20 years of age)
5kms $12 adults; $5 juniors
Late: From 12 July to 26 July
Ultra $80; Marathon $70
Marathon relay runners, minimum team 4 runners, $25 per person
25km run and 25km bush walk $50
16km run and 16km bush walk $25 adults; $10 juniors
5kms $15 adults; $5 juniors
Very late: 27, 28, 29 July
Ultra $99; Marathon $99
Marathon relay runners, minimum team 4 runners, $30 per person
25km run and 25km bush walk $60
16km run and 16km bush walk $30 adults; $15 juniors
5kms $20 adults; $10 juniors

Note: Late entry penalties reflect the considerable organisational difficulties of catering for late entries for refreshment stations, awards and transport. Late entrants cannot be guaranteed awards.

Marathon relay
Legs: 11.2kms, 5.8kms, 15.0kms, 10.2kms. The 1st leg change over is at the drink station at Mackenzie Street, Hackett. The 2nd leg change-over is just after runners cross Horse Park Drive, at the entrance gate to Goorooyarroo Nature reserve. This is also the 3rd leg change-over, as 3rd leg runners will run out and back from this point to the marathon turn-around point. The 4th leg finishes back at Campbell High School, following the marathon course.

Race registration
12.30pm Tues 18 July at Black Mountain Run Up, Clunies Ross St, Acton (100m from Botannic Gardens entrance)
12noon to 2.30pm Sat 22 July at the ACT Cross Country Championships at Weston Park
10am to 11am Sun 23 July ACT orienteering event at The Sandhills west of Bungendore
4pm to 7pm Fri 28 July: The Runners Shop, 76 Dundas Court, Phillip ACT ph 6285 3508
7am-9am Saturday 29 July: Campbell High School gymnasium, Treloar Cres, Campbell.

Accommodation and information on Canberra
See http://www.visitcanberra.com.au/

Course information
5km course: out and back from Campbell High School.
16km course: a circuit around Mt Ainslie, along the eastern slopes on the way out, returning along the western slopes.
25km course: this follows the 16km course until the 11.2km drink station at Mackenzie Street, Hackett. It then goes out and back to the drink station at the Federal Highway underpass at the north-western end of Mt Majura reserve. On returning to the Mackenzie Street drink station, the 25km course follows the 16km course back along the western side of Mt Ainslie to the finish at Campbell High school.
42.2km marathon course: This is the same as the 25km course, with the addition of an out and back section across Horse Park Drive and through Mulligans Flat and Goorooyarroo nature reserves to the 24.5km point. Runners should take care crossing Horse Park Drive both ways as this is an 80 km per hour major road.
60km ultra course: Same as the marathon with the addition of an out and back circuit through Mulligans Flat nature reserve to the 33.4km point.

Awards information

All events
Souvenir Jaggad Bush Capital Bush Marathon coffee mugs for all finishers who have entered by 11 July; late entrants cannot be guaranteed a mug — those who miss out will receive a certificate. .

5km, 16km, 25km, 42km and 60km runs
• Jaggad zone top for the male and female winners of each race. These are comfortable and breathable and perfect for runners.
• Trophies for first three male and female finishers.

16km and 25km bush walks
Miscellaneous random draw prizes. No awards for fastest finishers as there is no policing of walking action.

2006 JAGGAD Bush Capital Bush Marathon entry form
Enter online at www.mountainrunning.coolrunning.com.au

Narnia

'Are you not thirsty?' said the Lion.

'I'm dying of thirst,' said Jill.

'Then drink,' said the Lion.

'May I - could I - would you mind going away while I do?' said Jill.

The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl...

'I daren't come and drink.' said Jill.

'Then you will die of thirst.' said the Lion.

'Oh dear,' said Jill, coming another step nearer. 'I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.'

'There is no other stream.' said the Lion.

- C.S. Lewis The Silver Chair, ch. 2

I have finally seen "The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". It was as good as I expected; even better.

The first C. S. Lewis Narnia book I read was the first he wrote, and the first film installment, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

My favourite is “The Silver Chair” but they are all excellent.

I first read them not that long after they were published, and have re-read them many times since.

Published order:
1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950)
2. Prince Caspian (1951)
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
4. The Silver Chair (1953)
5. The Horse and His Boy (1954)
6. The Magician's Nephew (1955)
7. The Last Battle (1956)

Chronological order (now sold in this fashion):
1. The Magician's Nephew (1955)
2. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950)
3. The Horse and His Boy (1954)
4. Prince Caspian (1951)
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
6. The Silver Chair (1953)
7. The Last Battle (1956)

Film installment plans
1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)
2. Prince Caspian (2008?)
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
4. The Silver Chair
5. The Magician's Nephew
6. The Horse and His Boy
7. The Last Battle

Here is a quote from C.S. Lewis himself regarding the position of "The Magician's Nephew", when asked if the books' internal chronological order (not the published order) is preferred:

“I think I agree with your order (i.e. chronological) for reading the books more than with your mother's. The series was not planned beforehand as she thinks. When I wrote The Lion I did not know I was going to write any more. Then I wrote P. Caspian as a sequel and still didn't think there would be any more, and when I had done The Voyage I felt quite sure it would be the last. But I found as I was wrong. So perhaps it does not matter very much in which order anyone read them. I'm not even sure that all the others were written in the same order in which they were published.”

- from C. S. Lewis' Letters to Children

There is some debate around what the order should be, but I think Lion should be read (and viewed) before Magician’s Nephew.

Heights

quote of the day. "The heights which great men reached and kept, Were not attained by sudden flight, They, whilst their companions slept, Were toiling upwards in the night." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.


A young Ron Clarke lighting the Olympic Flame at the MCG in 1956

I thought. I ran. I conquered.

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or gazelle - when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

Today I ran.

Yesterday my back was so sore I didn't even run. Today my back was so sore I decide to take it easy. After running, my back is no longer sore. Today I ran the BBQ Stakes in a new PB. And I thought I was taking it easy! It was 5 seconds faster than the previous pb run in August 2005.

What is going on?

Before we forget who the socceroos are

Socceroo sayings
These have been reported over time and collected by "sources" around the world.

"My parents have been there for me, ever since I was about 7." Tim Cahill.

"I would not be bothered if we lost every game as long as we won the league." Mark Viduka.

"Guus Hiddink is the best manager I've ever had at this level. Well, he's the only manager I've actually had at this level. But he's the best manager I've ever had." Lucas Neill.

"If you don't believe you can win, there is no point in getting out of bed at the end of the day." John Aloisi.

"I've had 14 bookings this season - 8 of which were my fault, but 7 of which were disputable." Ned Zelic.

"I've never wanted to leave. I'm here for the rest of my life, and hopefully after that as well." Mark Schwarzer.

"I'd like to play for an Italian club, like Barcelona." Vince Grella.

"I'm as happy as I can be - but I have been happier." Mile Sterjovski.

"I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel." Craig Moore.

"I took a whack on my left ankle, but something told me it was my right." Harry Kewell.

"I couldn't settle in Italy - it was like living in a foreign country." Vince Grella.

"Germany is a very difficult team to play . . . they have 11 internationals out there." Zeljko Kalac.

"I always used to put my right boot on first, and then obviously my right sock." Jason Culina.

"The Brazilians were South American, and the Ukrainians will be more European." Scott Chipperfield.

"All that remains is for a few dots and commas to be crossed." Marco Bresciano.

"One accusation you can't throw at me is that I've always done my best." Craig Moore.

"I'd rather play in front of a full house than an empty crowd." Mark Viduka.

"Sometimes in football you have to score goals." Harry Kewell.

Guts on Display

Best effort
Socceroos. All guts. Some glory.

Not so best effort
This about sums it up
Quote of the day. "A lot of people run a race to see who's the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts." - Steve Prefontaine

We are a flourishing training group

We are a flourishing training group - just look at the runners in Sunday's race! Lots of excellent performances on a freezing morning.

My training progress
last week's target 110km actual 64km. heh!
this week’s target 120km. hmm!
weight 65kg and falling
song of the week One Last Breath – Creed
quote of the week “run to the half way mark as if it were the race itself” - Percy Cerutty

Last week I had a bit of a cold because of long runs in the cold! The race at Mt Ainslie (see below) was a struggle and not as fast as I ran as an M50 once. However I am happy with the time and seem to be still on track. This week I hope to run extra kms, if I can find any spare time, because we are off to Sydney next week and I won't be doing a lot of running there, probably. Hey Sydney readers, any good runs around the Baulkham Hills area? Early mornings, Tuesday 4 July and on, will be my only option. This week's training plans may disappear out the window if I get no sleep tonight watching the soccer. Go Aussies!

Yesterday’s Vets Handicap – Mt Ainslie
Long course – 9.3k
3 Barbara Tucker W55 50:18 gold
10 Barbara Williams W60 49:47
12 Alan Duus M60 45:04
14 Roger Pilkington M45 38:50
15 Cathy Newman W45 43:31
20 Rod Lynch M45 36:49
21 Kathy Sims W55 46:10
27 Ruth Baussmann W55 53:07
31 Geoff Moore M55 39:45
37 Jill Brown W55 54:27
40 Pam Faulks W45 52:52
46 John Kennedy M55 39:59
50 Maria O'Reilly W50 42:22
54 Christopher Lang M55 50:07
57 Graeme Small M60 55:30
64 John Alcock M60 47:14
65 Helen Larmour W45 44:40
66 John Stoney M40 46:26
72 Geoff Sims M55 49:07
73 Colin Farlow M40 37:43
77 Peter McDonald M50 48:11
79 Margaret McSpadden W55 55:06
81 Neville Madden M50 46:02
83 Geoff Barker M60 51:33
88 Charmaine Knobel W50 50:11
90 David Webster M50 42:47
94 Amanda Walker W35 50:42
98 Alice Scott W60 68:00
108 Tony Booth M65 54:58

Short course – 4.5k
4 Amanda Chew W45 26:11 silver
21 Neil Boden M55 20:14
22 Katie Forestier W40 19:11
30 Gary Bowen M45 18:56

Food for thought
In our Veterans athletic club, three very important things to foster are
...1. A good (welcoming) (supporting) atmosphere, as in our motto "Fitness Through Fellowship", and
...2. good communications by EVERY means possible, and
...3. good solid contemporary rock music. (sorry, a minor typo, that should read “flourishing training groups”).

Tuesday Run
Given the soccer, a sleep in will be called for tomorrow. Here is the perfect way to start the day: (from Ian Clout, ABS)
"With a sunny day forecast for tomorrow, what better way to spend your lunchtime than having a go at the Ginninderra Handicap. As the bikepath is still unavailable for the first half km of the course, meeting place is in the car park behind Bella Vista restaurant, from about 12.10pm."

Barbaras Beat the Best

Barbara ("The Barbara", see photo below) was belatedly declared the winner of last month's Vets Handicap.

Meanwhile, "Kiwi Barbara" was the worthy winner of this month's Vets Handicap.

They train together. Go Barbara go Barbara go!

Oh, and Mandy won a short course silver.

Footnote - a group dropped in to see Peter after the run today. See Tuggeranong Don's article & photo.

ANOTHER training group engagement /wedding announcement!

I have heard a rumour that last weekend Joel Pearson & Yelena Valdivia announced their engagement.

I have further heard a rumour from a very reliable source that they will be married at 12pm November 4th, 2006 in La Molina, Lima, Peru. (3am Sunday November 5th our time).

Joel you didn't tell me!

Congratulations, how fantastic, imagine the honeymoon options in the Peru mountains!

Rain at last

Where's the sun? Not here. No I didn't run at Customs today. Maybe if I were nearby I would have, but it is wet and gloomy out there today. I stayed home and dry instead.

Tomorrow is a 30th birthday party for my youngest daughter, then Sunday I WILL run at Mt Ainslie whatever the weather. If I am going to slip down from second place in the point score, I would sooner do it after running and trying to hold off the inevitable, than by missing the race altogether.

Cool Kewell

Twenty Twenty
Set the group a twenty twenty run last night; as a bit of a break from the longer training sessions we usually do at this time. Twenty seconds "on", twenty seconds "off", for twenty minutes.

Two Two
The draw sufficed for the Socceroos to make the round of sixteen. Another night of little sleep coming up!

Happy Harry
"STUTTGART (Reuters) - A late equalizer by Harry Kewell gave Australia a 2-2 draw with Croatia on Thursday to put his country into the last 16 of the World Cup.

"Kewell scored from close range in the 79th minute of the Group F match after Croatia, needing a win to qualify themselves, twice took the lead.

"Croatia went 1-0 up through Darijo Srna in only the third minute but Australia equalized with a Craig Moore penalty after 38 minutes. Croatia's second goal was scored by Niko Kovac in the 56th minute.

"Australia go on to play Italy in a second round fixture in Kaiserslautern on Monday.

"Croatia finished with nine men after Dario Simic and Josip Simunic were sent off and Australia ended with 10 after Brett Emerton was dismissed in the closing minutes."

Footnote
Peter is scheduled to have his operation at 11am today.

Obesity Obscenity

So I'm gonna buy a gun and start a war

If you can tell me something worth fighting for.

- Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head.

With childhood obesity in Australia dramatically rising, and adult obesity at disgraceful levels, why do we continue to hear promotions by unethical food companies such as McDonalds who have been primarily responsible for this epidemic, along with the stupid people who fall for it and consume far more food than they need?

It is time we started a war!

I reproduce an article in one of today’s papers. Does it make you as angry as it makes me?

UP TO 50 Victorian schools have signed up with Krispy Kreme doughnuts to raise funds, leaving health experts and parents' groups furious.

The American doughnut chain - which opens its first Victorian store in Narre Warren today - will provide kids with cut-price doughnuts to sell to raise cash for their schools.
Nutritionists are horrified the international chain is encouraging children to eat fat-laden doughnuts while the nation is in the grip of an obesity crisis.

Almost 400 New South Wales schools ran Krispy Kreme fundraisers within months of the first Australian store opening in 2003.

A glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut has about 836 kilojoules (200 calories), with half coming from fat.

A fundraising box of a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts costs $8.

Schools on-sell them for $13, netting a $5 profit per box. There is a minimum purchase of 50 boxes.

A company spokesman yesterday said about 50 not-for-profit Victorian organisations had registered to raise funds through Krispy Kreme, but would not disclose how many were schools.

The company will launch the details of its Victorian fundraising policy in the next two weeks.

Statistics show about 10,000 Victorian children become obese or overweight every year.

Kelly Neville, from Nutrition Australia's Healthy Eating Schools program, said the Krispy Kreme fundraising was appalling.

"It is horrifying. Krispy Kremes are very high in saturated fat and are larger than other doughnuts," the dietitian said.

She said the fundraising program would encourage children to eat more doughnuts and contribute to the obesity problem.

Nutrition Australia recently released a Fundraising Ideas for Healthy Kids manual which lists a number of alternatives.

"We have seen some schools take the risk and drop hugely successful junk-food drives in favour of staging a fun run," Ms Neville said.

Obesity expert Professor Boyd Swinburn said Krispy Kreme was undoing the programs to reduce childhood obesity.

"They are undermining all the hard work that the State Government, schools and parents are doing," he said.

"All junk food should absolutely be banned from school fundraising."

Parents' groups have joined the experts in calling for junk-food bans.

They say chocolate, lolly, pie and especially doughnut drives should be dropped.

The State Government plans to ban sugary soft-drinks at schools.

But parents say schoolground bans are pointless when their children return home with boxes of junk food to sell.

Parents Victoria president Elaine Crowle said schools with good healthy eating policies were hypocritical by raising money through junk-food drives.

"They really defeat the purpose of having healthy eating at school," she said.

Ms Crowle urged schools to be wary of Krispy Kreme.

"I suggest schools look very carefully at the nutritional value of Krispy Kremes and not just at the dollar signs."

Victorian Parents Council executive officer Jo Silver said junk-food drives should be used in moderation.

"Parents need to consider the health food messages their children are learning at school and should think about other fundraising alternatives."

Williamstown North Primary School scrapped its chocolate fundraiser - that netted about $4000 per year - in favour of staging a Golden Circle fun run that earned them just as much.

I saw a "Krispy Kreme donut" once and it was disgusting looking. How can people bring themselves to swallow such junk?

Three Fifties

The latest group to reach the 50 runs status at Oakey Hill are all Team Moore members, from the left, Neville Madden (married Jill Brown last Saturday), David Webster and Mick Saunders.

A bit of a wasted day; I didn't run the BBQ stakes today; I arrived late at Woden then got a phone call asking me to return home because the plumber was arriving. Before returning home I had time to go shopping and didn't find what I was looking for. Aaaaargh.

Great to see you there today Charlie. Looks like you ran well. Also I saw Peter last night and today; he goes in to Canberra Hospital on Friday and should be operated on the same day.

If you missed Monday's Canberra Times page three photo, here's another photo of Barbara. She's a popular girl this week!


See you all at Mt Ainslie on Sunday, if not at training this Thursday.

Terry Fox times

one photo they didn't publish.

click to enlarge.




Some of the results for Team Moore and friends

Female 10km
6 Melinda Cockshut 41:48
14 Bronwyn Calver 45:00
16 Cathy Newman 45:20
Gabrielle Brown ~48.20
Charmaine Knobel 50.08
Pam Faulks 51.11
Barbara Tucker ~51.59
Margaret McSpadden 54.49
Ruth Baussmann "55" she said

Male 10km
Richard Faulks 39.44
Geoff Moore 40:56
John Kennedy ~41.20
David Webster ~41.30
Bob Harlow 42.35
Dave Baussmann ~46.20
Alan Duus 46.48
John Stoney ~49.59

Female 5km
6 Kathy Southgate 19:13
14 Katie Forestier 21:08
23 Barbara Williams 24:02

Male 5km
20 Roger Pilkington 19:29
Graeme Small "28"

There are many I do not know.
eg Neil Boden?

Quite a few pbs here, congratulations.

Moore updates

My training progress

last week's target 100km actual 94km

this week’s target 110k
weight 66kg and rising
song of the week Come Back Down - Lifehouse

"When you come around

I'll be there for you

Don't have to be alone with what you're going through."

I must reverse that weight gain - it was 62 or 63 before April's marathon, and has gone up to 65 or 66 since. There are ten weeks until the Vets half, my next challenge. I should be able to get down to 60 or 61 kg by then. I can come back down!!!!! My times have been improving despite the weight gains, but it would be so much easier, were I lighter!

My best time in the Terry Fox Fun Run as an M50 was 41.46, and so far as an M55 was 43.37, so yesterday's 40.56 is all the more pleasing for bettering both those times.

Lastly, I hope to see Peter today and again tomorrow to see how he is doing and offer him all the support we can provide him. I know he appreciates all your kind wishes and expressions of concern.

footnote - I see that one of my favourite songs, The Hardest Part, which I quoted in my coaching essay, entered the aria singles chart this week. It is the only decent new lyric being played today. But it has a very weird video clip!

Terry Fox

The bravest story in running is the story of Terry Fox.

Terry Fox was a young Canadian who, having lost a leg to cancer, began a run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. After running two thirds of the way (more than 5,000 km) he had to stop, stricken by lung cancer, and shortly thereafter died on 28th June, 1981. Terry captured the hearts of millions of people and through his "Marathon of Hope" raised more than $24 million for cancer research. Terry Fox Fun Runs are now held in 58 countries around the world. Please visit the Terry Fox Foundation's web site for further information: www.terryfoxrun.org.

The Fun Run
Today's Fun Run to raise money for cancer research was organised by the Canadian High Commission, Canberra, the Cancer Council ACT, the Australian-Canadian Association in Canberra, and the ACT Athletic Association and the ACT Cross Country Club.

I ran, and managed four minutes faster than my year's previous best official 10k, although I was only about half a minute faster than my Doomben half marathon 10k split would have been. Anyway, my time of 40:56 was good for me; I usually have trouble with the Terry Fox course (hills!) but today was better.

Sad Irony
One of the runners in the training group (who is known as "PRB" - "Perfect Running Buddy") told me at the Terry Fox run today, that he has just been diagnosed with cancer of the bladder. We wish Peter all the best as he starts urgent treatment asap.

Full Results?
There won't be full results of the Terry Fox 5k or 10k as only the top 25 men and 25 women have their times recorded. So I will be asking everyone who ran what their times were, and in due course publish a list. If you see this, please, please send me your time and any others you are sure of, to save me some time chasing you up! There are lots of excellent runs to report.

Huge Support
I was pleased to see large numbers of Team Moore members running today. Even though the Fun Run is not a "major event" on the calendar, and we don't train specifically for it, the run is seen as a significant one and heavily supported.

Who is in the new banner?

CJ & Strewth
Colin
Aki
Kevin M
Matthew & Son
Speedy Goose
Roger
Maria
hem hem
Mr B
Annemarie & Tony
Helen, SG, Charlie & Gabe
My Jenny
Mr Flibble

second row
Dash
Buster
...
Our Lauren
...
Luckylegs
Southy & li'l Southy
Chris

Sprinklers and Splices

I went to the Customs 30th anniversary run today, it was nice to see the sun and a temperature in double figures (yes, ten degrees!). A lot of people turned out who don't normally go, as well as old faces from the distant past, and regulars. In the new-comers category there were many Team-Moore-ese friends such as Jimbo, Geoff "six foot" Barker, Helen, Cate me Mate, and even Jill the day before her wedding day.

Flashduck produced some cleverly hinged results boards she had made which she can carry folded up on her bicycle. Oh if I only had half the brains she has.

Excuses first. I had a hard training session last night, had two errands on the way into town and did not have time for more than 3kms warmup which given the cold day and my state of soreness was too little, sprinklers were on over the track, and part of the path behind Regatta Point was covered with machinery and closed forcing a detour up and down the icy grass.

So with all that in mind (blow by blow description coming up) I decided I would jog and not race, and picked Phill to run with. But he left early and I missed him, so I decided to start with Jodie. I got ready but she'd gone early too! Then I decided I would run with Helen, but she started too soon too, with Rosemary, and I missed her as well. So then I decided to start with Allrounder. Any later and it would be up to my real start time! The brain was surely in slow motion today. At 14:30 we set off, Allrounder taking off (as usual) and at 2km I finally caught her having had to push it to keep her in sight! Then I more or less ran with her to the end. 21.59 is OK for a "jog".

Next - Terry Fox 10k on Sunday. Can I persuade myself to race this one?

Have you tried the blogger spellchecker?

Blogger Spellchecker suggestions for this post are as follows.

Jimbo - jumbo
Cate - CAT
Flashduck - plastics
Phill - Philly
Allrounder - alarmed
warmup - harrumph
blogger - blocker
and finally, spellchecker - splices

All very apt I think.

Square One

“Under the surface trying to break through”

Reading other runners' blogs is something I do every day. It is a good way to get inspired to carry on, whether it is one of those rare blue days one would have thrown in the towel, if one had a towel, or whether it is one of those happy days when everything's fine, the kitchen installers have done the right thing, and my training is up to date.

This blog's right hand column has a few links (see "blogroll"), and if you want more, you cannot do better than browsing the cool running blogging guide.

Speaking of which, I see Strewth has joined Team M. Welcome!

“You just want somebody listening to what you say”

I do have a towel by the way, a nice new blue Doomben Half finisher's towel. That was a good idea, race organisers, prizes should be things you can eat, and/or wear, and/or carry around with your racing kit.

I see that Belconnen's weather yesterday ranged from minus seven to plus eight. That's almost illegal, isn't it? It was OK though, there was no wind. One had to be very careful, however, not to slip on the ice on the front steps when retrieving the morning paper.

"The future's for discovering the space in which we're travelling"

My eldest grandchild (of the nine we currently have) is seven years old today. Phew! Makes one realise the days are ticking past fast. Happy Birthday Kayleigh.

“You wonder if your chance will ever come
Or if you're stuck in square one”

I do feel like I restart from square one after every hard effort requiring recovery. Oh for those younger days when I could bounce back to form in minutes!!

3-1

“I Told You So” - Johnny Warren

I didn’t make it to the BBQ Stakes today. I had wanted to go and catch up with my good friends, check out Lowes and their "Girly Girl" T-shirts, not to mention buying some new gear at the Runners Shop! Having workmen around to fix our kitchen intervened.

Already at 5pm, going outside is just like entering a walk-in freezer. At least there is no breeze. I have returned from a 20k run; just me, gloves, long-sleeve top, MP3 music player, and Mr Flibble who told me the distance was the 20km I always guessed it was, or close enough. That's the fifth day in a row I have run 16k or more.

The altitude varied from 560m to 660m above sea level. My house, the start and finish point, is at 600m.

The songs that accompanied me today were
Beautiful Day – U2
Beauty In Me – The Whitlams
Been Away Too Long – The Whitlams
Politik (Live) – Coldplay
Roots In Stereo – P.O.D.
Square One – Coldplay
Talk – Coldplay
Fondness Makes The Heart Grow Absent – The Whitlams
God Put A Smile On Your Face (Live) – Coldplay
Lights Out – P.O.D.
Sleeping Sun – Coldplay
Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of – U2
What If – Coldplay
White Horses – The Whitlams
A Rush Of Blood To The Head (Live) – Coldplay
Beautiful As You – The Whitlams
Elevation – U2
Gravity – Coldplay
If You Could See Me Now – P.O.D.
I Was Alive – The Whitlams
White Shadows - Coldplay
Fix You – Coldplay
Goodbye For Now – P.O.D.
One I Love (Live) – Coldplay
Second Best – The Whitlams
Walk On – U2
Year Of The Rat – The Whitlams - “Everyone’s a Star”

Finally it's great when people add their comments because then it's not just a monologue. Thanks cool Karmin, lovely Lulu, dashing Don, burley Griffin, and every last goose out there.

“Leave the place better than you found it” - Johnny Warren.

Practise Those Starts!

Recent Results

Molonglo Reach 5.0k Women
6. Katie Forestier W40 21:40

Molonglo Reach 5.0k Men
19. Roger Pilkington M45 21:47
23. Geoff Barker M60 23:50

Molonglo Reach 10.0k Women
6. Maria O'Reilly W50 43:43
14. Thea Zimpel 49:27
15. Kathy Sims W55 49:48
29. Barbara Williams W60 55:36
33. Pam Faulks W45 57:35

Molonglo Reach 10.0k Men
43. Roger Pilkington M45 41:05
47. Richard Faulks M45 41:46
56. Bob Harlow M55 43:03
70. Ken Eynon M60 45:59
77. John Alcock M60 48:17
78. Peter McDonald M50 48:25

Goorooyarroo 8.0k Women
6. Thea Zimpel 23 39:58
7. Caroline Campbell W60 43:38

Goorooyarroo 8.0k Men
29. Roger Pilkington M45 34:31
41. Bob Harlow M55 37:25
42. Geoff Moore M55 37:41
47. Ken Eynon M60 40:28
48. Neil Boden M55 40:56

Vets Point Score
After 5 rounds I am still in second place in the Thomas Series, but slipping fast!

The Value of Starting Practice

It's An Honour

Jack, our club Patron, was awarded an OAM today.

Name: PENNINGTON, John Harold
Award: Medal of the Order of Australia
Date granted: 12 June 2006
State: ACT
Suburb: Kaleen
Postcode: 2617
Citation:
For service to athletics, particularly in the area of long distance running, as an administrator, coach and competitor.

Cooler than cool

My training progress

last week's target n/a actual 62k

this week’s target 100k
quote of the week “Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself." - William Faulkner
weight 65kg and steady
song of the week Year of the Rat - The Whitlams, from "Little Cloud"

Monday and Tuesday were long runs in Brisbane, then three days off running while returning home. We visited Western Plains Zoo on Friday morning. I “raced” Goorooyarroo on Saturday in 37:40, very slow but still three minutes faster than last year when I jogged the last bit. Hills are not my forte. Had a bit of a run with Griffin and Speedy Goose on Sunday before heading off to Scott & Ruth’s engagement party. Can’t say I am feeling all that flash but it’s good to be home, despite the cooler than cool – ice cold – weather.

Tying the Knot

Jill and Neville have just announced they are getting married next Saturday! (Sorry, I cannot find a photo of Neville at such short notice!!) Congratulations and very best wishes for the future.

Let's hope the weather brightens up for your wedding.

It's a very nice venue, the same as where my youngest daughter was married, in 1999.

sub 90 form

The last few seconds.

Congratulations grandma

Sandgate run, bye bye sun.

Our Brisbane holiday has reached its last full day.

We spent the morning and lunch time at Bribie Island, but the wind was too strong to attempt a picnic lunch on the beach as planned, so we sheltered in a park instead, and were hassled by eight white ibises for food scraps.

Mid afternoon I ran 12k from the top of Shorncliffe along the coast cycle path through Sandgate and Brighton to the Houghton Highway Bridge and back, while Jenny walked to the end of the Sandgate Pier and a couple of grumpy old fishermen, before following me along as far as a quaint old Baptist church by the sea.

"Perfect the next"? They must have been kidding. Cool and cloudy and windy today! With all the smoke around, a glorious sunset, but!

Vale Jim Sawkins

Just read this on allrounder's blog - another dear friend departed. Jim was recently, amongst other things, a regular with the Vets "Tuesday group". And very fit and fast.

Redcliffe Run (but no cliffs)

Today I ran along the shore line from Suttons Beach to Albatross Canal and back at lunch time, a total of 17km. This is around the Redcliffe/Scarborough area. There is a 15km cycle track marked every 100 metres! No hills (hurrah!) and the 17k took a comfortable 90 minutes. Obviously I am completely recovered from yesterday's race. Next time I might head south instead of north and do the other half of the track. It was very warm, clear and sunny, with a light easterly breeze off the sea. While we were there at Suttons, men were pulling in, with the aid of two cars, a huge net which contained truckloads of large mullet. We bought six off them for $4.00 altogether. We know they are fresh as they were still kicking! Fresh fish for dinner tonight, yummmm.

Cutting It Fine

.......so I went out at 4:10 pace in the Queensland Half Marathon today knowing I was nowhere near fit enough to maintain it on current performances but interested in how long I could keep it up for assuming that I could get on the pace to start with!

.......and the first four km were on pace, then reaching 5km in 21 mins flat which was perfectly satisfactory, halfway in 44 mins or so; well up on the time in Canberra three weeks ago and well on target for a sub 90.

......not sure what happened after that but just like Canberra the left hamstring seized up after 15k, however unlike Canberra the lower back was alright. And it was getting rather hot.

......at 17k was running about 4:35 pace, up and down a bit, and realised that I needed 4:25s exactly, from that point, to crack the 90 minute mark. So I tried to ignore the pain and make a race of it with the other runners as they continued to pass me.

......and I finished in a time of 1:29:55. Phew!!!!

.... silver in the M55.

Ron Vines (silver in the M60s) and John Diamond were also running, and also I enjoyed meeting (how's my memory?) Eddie, Tesso, Lady Jove, Cato, ILikeToast (resplendent in psychedelic tights), IHateToast, Robert Song, Beagle, Karisma, Run67, Digger, and a few more whose names elude me now.... meeting them all for the very first time. And many other coolrunners I didn't get to meet including a cool cheer squad of two (Davo and Cirque). Thanks to all of you guys!

postscript - I was 88th out of 499 official finishers. An M55 pb at the age of 58, and my second best time since the early 1990s. Can do better!

Old Photographs #5

I like this one because of the good view of the main stadium which is now obscured by pesky trees.

Note the 'tucked in' singlets - very neat.

I'm guessing this was a 1500 metre race. The bearded runner is Andrew S, who, for many seasons had the ambition of running sub 4 minutes for 1500 metres. He eventually achieved this goal due in no small part to his single-minded focus on the event.

Andrew used to 'double' and run the 3k steelechase for Interclub points. His technique was so bad that even a slow wombat could beat him and that was before the said wombat was coached by Geoff to run under 11 minutes for the event.

This is my last post for a while as I have to pack my bags for our trip to THE BIG ONE. Geoff will be back soon to report on his fabulous, fast and hot half marathon.

Old Photographs #4

This one is at the Warm-up track at Bruce when we still had another track in the main stadium - February 1985. Note the lack of a grandstand in the background.

I think everyone wore club uniforms in 'the old days' because they were so trendy. You've got to love those vertical stripes. Very footy-like. There were a lot of female middle distance runners in the 1980s. I'm not sure who the Weston Creek runner leading in this race is but I know the other two.

Woden had heaps of female runners because the maron and blue vertical stripes looked so good. Crop tops hadn't been invented back then.

Old Photographs #3

This is an interesting one. It's from the winter season of 1984. I'm not sure of the race - perhaps the ACT 25k road championships. Yes, for some strange reason, half a marathon wasn't long enough back then.

There are a couple of interstate runners competing. The blue singlet on the left is from the Victorian Glenhuntly club. Who is the runner? How many of this crowd are still running in 2006? Looks like a typical Canberra day - no gloves or beanies and plenty of sun. The race must have been in April or March! Also on the front line are a couple of classy 1500 metre runners.

Old Photographs #2

Speedygeoff is migrating north for some mid-winter sun so I thought I'd post these two old photographs. They're from the 1980's.

Does any reader recognise the athlete on the left? Or any of the other athletes? One of them is from South Australia! The occassion was a track meeting at Sydney Athletic Field. The athlete on the left was better known as a marathon runner but on this occassion she won the 1500 metres in a time of around 4:10.

She commenced her career as a track runner and moved from 1500 up to 3000 metres because she couldn't 'sprint' and win international 1500s. At this time there was no 5000 metre race for women at the Olympics so she tried marathon running and did very well. I think this shows that being fast at shorter distances is helpful even for marathon runners.

Come on, back!

ACTVAC handicap results

Oakey Hill 7.5k
3 Barbara Williams W60 42:12
10 Helen Larmour W45 35:32
17 Roger Pilkington M45 32:08
19 Caroline Campbell W60 41:06
20 Rod Lynch M45 30:34
26 Christopher Lang M55 40:02
27 David Baussman M45 35:58
33 Alan Duus M60 37:35
39 Geoff Moore M55 32:57
40 Barbara Tucker W55 43:09
43 John Alcock M60 37:49
57 Ruth Baussmann W55 44:34
70 David Webster M50 32:54
75 Geoff Barker M60 40:17
78 Graeme Small M60 45:14
83 Mick Saunders M55 37:24
84 Cathy Newman W45 38:13
85 John Kennedy M55 34:36
90 Margaret McSpadden W55 45:23
93 Charmaine Knobel W50 40:52
94 Tony Booth M65 40:21
95 Rae Palmer W55 43:03
103 Mick Charlton M50 42:31

Oakey Hill 3.5k
10 Ken Gordon M40 14:11
12 Gary Bowen M45 14:34
13 Kerry Boden W45 20:44
21 Neil Boden M55 16:37
22 Katie Forestier W40 15:43

My training progress

last week's target 80k actual 86k

this week’s target 80k? (whatever I can fit in when travelling)
quote of the week “ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put”
weight 65kg
song of the week

Come on Back To Me – Third Day, from "Wire"

You’ve been hiding now for so long

Never understanding why

Running far away from the truth

And all along chasing after lies

I have loved you from the beginning

Long before you knew my name

Even though you’ve broken my heart

I’ll love you just the same

I’ll love you anyway

Never mind your worries

Never mind your fears

They can only take you far from me

When you feel there’s nowhere

Left for you to turn

Well, I got all you want

And everything you need

Come on back to me

Do you believe in second chances

Or in a love that never fades

Put your faith in what you can’t see

Just put your hand in mine

And I’ll show you the way

My back is great, I came through the Oakey Hill effort with flying colours. Now for the big one next week. The Queensland Half. Something to which to look forward.

News Wrap

Saturday's Carillon 6k results
Women
11. Caroline Campbell W60 34:28
12. Barbara Tucker W55 35:18


Men
35. Ewen Thompson M45 30:29
37. Ken Eynon M60 30:44
38. Mick Saunders M55 30:57
39. Neil Boden M55 31:28
41. Geoff Barker M60 33:10

Sale. Don’t forget to get to the runners shop for their June shoe sale.

Trail. The perfect running trail..

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

I managed a long run yesterday. Mr Flibble told me it was 18.1 km and 104 minutes. I haven't had time to try downloading and analysing the data yet.

This is a ten minute pb for the course - probably because I was listening to a new music list. I don't think I am suddenly that much fitter!

Hearts of the Innocent – Kutless
Lonely Nation – Switchfoot
Roots in Stereo – P.O.D.
Square One – Coldplay
Tunnel – Third Day
Eagles – Third Day
Lights Out – P.O.D.
Shut Me Out – Kutless
Stars – Switchfoot
What If – Coldplay
Beyond the Surface – Kutless
Cry Out to Jesus – Third Day
Happy is a Yuppy Word – Switchfoot
If You Could See Me Now – P.O.D.
White Shadows – Coldplay
Fix You – Coldplay
Goodbye For Now – P.O.D.
I Can Feel It – Third Day
Smile – Kutless
The Shadow Proves The Sunshine – Switchfoot
Easier Than Love – Switchfoot
Keep On Shinin’ – Third Day
Promise of a Lifetime – Kutless
Sounds Like War – P.O.D.
Talk – Coldplay
Communion – Third Day
On the Grind – P.O.D.

Today I ran another 5k easy in preparation for racing tomorrow. I am not all that confident, as my back still feels sore.

A Message

Lake G Handicap (from Ian Clout)
"Just a reminder that the next Lake Ginninderra Handicap run is on Tuesday 30 May. As the bike path is still closed at the normal start line, the registration point is behind the Bella Vista in the car park.

"In line with their new corporate uniform initiative, runners from DIMA will be required to have shirts tucked in and shoes laces properly tied.

"As mentioned at the last run, one of the organisers, Michael Aylott, has transferred to Melbourne with work. The remaining organisers would therefore welcome offers of assistance so that they can do the occasional run themselves. It's not difficult, especially when a few people can share the load. So please email me back if you're prepared to help out, even if it's only a couple of times during the year.

"Finally, if you wish to donate a bit more than a gold coin to the Cancer Council and get a receipt for tax purposes, please bring your donation on Tuesday or contact me in the next couple of weeks."

I will add the handicap to my "coming events" list.

Dickson training
Over twenty runners were at Dickson last night to enjoy or endure a set of 600 metre runs with equal-time recovery. I had a good hard workout, that's two days in a row! It was great to see John Morton return to the training group.

If you want to see a really good write-up of this and other training sessions we do as they happen, Strewth usually attends both Monday and Thursday training at present and summarises each session very well in her blog.

A Message From God
One day God was looking down at Earth and saw all of the rascally behavior that was going on. He decided to send an angel down to Earth to check it out.

He called one of His angels and sent the angel to Earth for a time.

When he returned, he told God, "Yes, it is bad on Earth: 95% are misbehaving and 5% are not."

He thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I had better send down a second angel to get another opinion." So God called another angel and sent him to Earth for a time too.

When the angel returned he went to God and said, "Yes, the Earth is in decline; 95% are misbehaving and 5% are being good."

God was not pleased.

So God decided to E-mail the 5% that were good because He wanted to encourage them. Give them a little something to help them keep going.

Do you know what that E-mail said ? ? ?

No?



I didn't get one either.

Introducing Mr Flibble

Dark Mondays
A reminder to everyone who trains with me Mondays to bring a TORCH to Parliament House. Bring two!

The New Mr Flibble

Mr Flibble is my new Garmin 305 which arrived yesterday. So this is what the 21st century feels like.

And watch out for new technology like this! Change is faster and furiouser than ever.

Half Marathon

SMH half results can be found here. I see Don finished in the famous 666th place.

My running

In the BBQ Stakes yesterday I ran within three seconds of my course pb (one full clockwise lap, the normal direction). Does this mean I am suddenly, somehow, back on track despite being nowhere near recovered from injury?! Maybe I can run a sub 90 minute half next week?

The original Mr Flibble

Here he is. From the "Quarantine" episode of Red Dwarf V. The best episode of them all. "Mr Flibble is very cross."

10 cubic meters

A 10 cubic metre skip was sufficient for the debris from the demolition job done on our old kitchen plus some of the accumulated junk from 36 years of living in the same house, mostly from the garage. But wait there's more! There are still two room fulls of stuff we will want to throw out. We will have to order another skip down the track! Maybe not quite as big?

How you voted
speedygeoff's filter of the AGM of the ACT Veterans Athletic Club held last night at Wests leaves us with the following information

Great venue. Much better than the crappy places we have met in past years.

Great food too.

Great club. There is none better than the ACTVAC. The 45 or so people at the AGM - the low numbers in itself a sign that members are happy and don't want change - overwhelmingly approved the actions and directions of the club.

Our President's message focused on the challenge that we cannot just "carry on" with ongoing administrative business, but we also must contribute to keeping people active in our society at large. We are an organ through which people can deliver programs to help an aging society. We must protect that role and look to other activities and other collaborations to progress that.

Two new faces in a small turnover of committee members (not the 100% of last year!) saw Craig Wisdom elected to the committee, and Rosemary Parker, a former club secretary, rejoining the committee. The Secretary's position remained vacant and will be covered by the committee until a permanent secretary can be found.

Treasurer acclaimed as the finances were accepted with joy and a stamp of approval on the new budget. A very large surplus because of some one-off income means the club can repay members via holding membership fees as is, and reducing weekly track entry charges from $5 per person to $3 per person for 2006-07.

The new committee
Patron Jack Pennington
President Geoff Sims
Vice President Christopher Lang
Secretary vacant
Treasurer Will Foster
George Kubitzky
Peter McDonald
Roger Pilkington
Rosemary Parker
Craig Wisdom

Aki Installation

Our kitchen is being installed today and tomorrow with mostly everything completed by Friday. Painting and some flooring will wait. Aki (Australian Kitchen Industries) supplied the kitchen so I half expected a young slender jogger-lady with an ultra-long ponytail to do the installation but no, it was two young men doing the work. Competency with lego preferred but not essential.

Head for the Hills
On Monday night we reverted to a hill session we hadn't done for a year or so, not since the grassy slopes around Parliament House had been dug up and then left unattended for ages.

Trevor, Zel and I had an early run up Mugga Way and back down Flinders Way at 4:30pm, before we met everyone else for the main warm-up run at 5:30pm. Then after everyone had warmed up, the group's fast work consisted of six reps of a circuit on five minutes; the speedier runners took about 2:40 and the tailenders up to 3:40.

The circuit took in three sprints up a nice little hill and two loops joining the top of the hill to the bottom. On completion, runners jogged back down the hill to wait for the five minute whistle before starting again.

I was delighted to see Jennifer K turn up for her first Parliament House training session; another seriously fast Veteran Sprinter joins the group. We welcomed back CJ, I remember her excelling on these hills in the past. John A and Charmaine made welcome returns, and Annette rocked up the first time for a while. Altogether, 22 runners trained with us last night.

The new grass was soft and great to run on. There was no moon and the sky was clear of clouds which would have reflected the lights of Canberra, so it was very dark. Torches essential.

Over and Out

Progress?

last week target 80k actual 60k
this week’s target 80k plus?
song of the week – "The Blues" Switchfoot, from "Nothing is Sound"

Is this the New Year or just another night?
Is this the new fear or just another fright?
Is this the new tear or just another desperation?

Is this the finger or just another fist?
Is this the kingdom or just a hit n' miss?
A misdirection, most in all this desperation

Is this what they call freedom?
Is this what you call pain?
Is this what they call discontented fame?

It'll be a day like this one
When the world caves in
When the world caves in
When the world caves in

I'm singing this one like a broken piece of glass
From broken arms an' broken noses in the back
Is this the New Year or just another desperation?

You're pushing till you're shoving
You bend until you break
Till you stand on the broken fields where our fathers lay

It'll be a day like this one
When the world caves in
When the world caves in
When the world caves in
When the world caves in
When the world caves in
When the world caves in

There's nothing here worth saving,
Is no one here at all?
Is there any net left that could break our fall?

It'll be a day like this one
When the sky falls down and the hungry and poor and deserted are found
Are you discontented? Have you been pushing hard?
Have you been throwing down this broken house of cards?

It'll be a day like this one
When the world caves in
When the world caves in
When the world caves in

Is there nothing left now?
Nothing left to sing
Are there any left who hasn't kiss the enemy?
Is this the New Year or just another desperation?

Does justice never find you? Do the wicked never lose?
Is there any honest song to sing besides these blues?

And nothing is okay
Till the world caves in
Till the world caves in
Till the world caves in
Till the world caves in
Till the world caves in
Until the world caves in
Until the world caves in
Until the world caves in
Until the world caves in
Until the world caves in
Until the world caves in

quote of the week “In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded.” - Terry Pratchett

Team Moore Results North Lyneham 6.2k
Women
7. Maria O'Reilly W50 28:12
13. Kathy Sims W50 32:28
14. Barbara Tucker W55 34:53
Men
14. Roger Pilkington M45 25:55
37. Peter McDonald M50 30:41
38. Neil Boden M55 30:50
45. Geoff Sims M55 34:00

Team Moore Results North Lyneham 3.1k
8. Roger Pilkington M45 12:26
21. Katie Forestier W40 13:48
31. Barbara Williams W60 17:33

SMH Half Marathon

Martin first Anthony second. Go ACT!
I haven't forgotten that Anthony trained with us for twelve months as he got his athletics career going.

Jogalong

I finally found the jogalong results from 2 weeks ago. And quite a few training group members ran. Including Michelle, expecting her second baby in a month or so. (OK, she walked)
21. Barbara Tucker 33:34
31. Michelle Wells 54:59
69. Amanda Walker 32:53
77. Helen Larmour 27:40
85. Katie Forestier 27:37
92. Pam Faulks 33:23
98. Barbara Williams 35:33
107. Charmaine Knobel 30:33
112. Caroline Campbell 32:17
152. Annemarie Calnan 34:01

IE7
I have just loaded IE7. It looks a bit different from IE6. Quite good, really. But the appearance of fonts on these pages is a bit strange to the eye. Interesting.

My kitchen's gone!

I am planning to run the Oakey Hill familiarisation run at 9:00 tomorrow, if people want to meet there.

We have completely dismantled our old kitchen in preparation for the new one to be installed next week.
Nothing's left, not even the kitchen sink.

Volunteer of the Year

Mr David Hobson, of the ACT Cross Country Club and occasional runner with the ACT Vets, accepting his award as 'Volunteer of the Year 2006' in the 'Sport and Recreation Category'.

custom built

Customs 5k 30th anniversary next month
Customs Joggers had their first recognised handicap run on Friday, 11th of June, 1976. As most of you will know, they have about 50 handicaps each year. Their 30th anniversary run will be held on Friday, 16 June, this year. We are trying to get as many of our past runners as possible, (and new runners/walkers as well), to celebrate this occasion.
The event starts near the toilets, about 100 metres from the front of Stage 88. It is run on a handicap basis, on a gross time of 35 minutes,with the gun going off at 12.15 pm, but this time we will have earlier starts for those who are now just walkers or even gentler runners.
If you are arriving by car, there is a parking area near the Archbishop's House and then walk towards the Stage 88. There will be the normal first, second and third prizes for regular runners and barrell prizes for all competitors. Most of these are from The Runners Shop.
There will be snacks and biscuits available, along with different types of drinks. Different types of barrel prizes will be supplied which will partially be paid for from the $2 event fee.
For more information, contact Rick Hatcher on 6258 5465.

Masters Cross Country

My style is shot! Looks like I have developed a "rolling" style to compensate for the soreness of having run a marathon. Needs work!
Ron Vines is in the foreground (#6134) looking a lot better than I am.

Ron is Margaret McSpadden's brother-in-law. Photo taken by Jeni Greenland.

half photos

There will be more photos, full photos, half photos, all kinds of photos. I will be posting photos of all kinds of events as time permits. Specially if I purchase a camera soon. Or will I buy a 305 next? Decisions decisions. Meanwhile Allrounder's half photos are not half good! Congratulations on a great pb.

Foood is goood

Team Moore Dinner Photos

I spoke

I still spoke

Margaret gets a koala

photos by Ken

Another food opportunity
Annual General Meeting - This is a reminder that the ACTVAC AGM is to be held at 7:30 pm, Tuesday 23 May 2006 at the West District Rugby Union Club in Catchpole Street, Macquarie. The committee encourages you to attend and advises that supper will be provided.

B1 and B2 have left the building

Riki the cat guarding the last of the bananas. Photo taken 13 March. No bananas have been seen since.

I have had bananas with my breakfast almost every day since 1962 until now...

The C word

It all starts here.

To be a winner, all you need to give is all you have.

The winners of the prestigious Caramel Koala awards at last night's Team Moore dinner were -

Maria O'Reilly. Attended more training sessions than anyone else in the group. And her results reflect that!

Margaret McSpadden. Inaugural female winner of the Moore 3000 trophy.

Aki to Zel

I forgot that the Half Marathon results would appear on an obscure web site, not the Cross Country Club one.

Team Moore results
93. David Webster M50 1:33:00
104. Geoff Moore M55 1:34:21
116. John Kennedy M55 1:35:54
126. Gary Bowen M45 1:36:31
146. Jeni Greenland 1:37:59
171. Zel Bodulovic M50 1:39:20
200. Thea Zimpel 1:41:41
214. David Baussmann M55 1:43:12
216. John Alcock M60 1:43:37
226. Cathy Newman W45 1:44:46
251. John Stoney M40 1:48:31
293. Caroline Campbell W60 1:52:12
351. Carolyne Kramar W40 1:59:17
359. Barbara Williams W60 2:00:34
360. Ruth Baussmann W55 2:00:38
364. Margaret McSpadden W55 2:02:00
Barbara Tucker W55 dnf – taken out by a bicycle

Relay Teams
4. Speedy Geese FF 1:36:12 - Maria O'Reilly, Charlie McCormack.

Caroline won the W60 section; Speedy Geese was the first female relay team; Thea took about nine minutes off her pb; Zel about five minutes off his.

One of my new rules of thumb should be - avoid gym work for six weeks before any important race. (CJ would do well to note this too!). Otherwise if it's not an important race just train through and take what comes, but don't expect a pb.

Did I miss anyone? (Can happen).