Do or do not

Speedygeese results King of Mountain Sunday 7 July
75 Kelley Flood 3:02.41
76. Michael Horan 3:02.41
102 finishers

Speedygeese results Jogalong Sunday 7 July
There were about 71 more finishers in Sunday’s Jogalong than in Saturday’s Longstaff trophy race
34. Marilyn Banfield W60 35:38
52. Cathy Montalto W60 33:22
71 finishers

Speedygeese results Customs 5k Friday 12 July
Jen Bright 20:30
Bronwyn Calver 22:39
Ewen Thompson 25:15
Thea Zimpel 25:22
Caroline Campbell 30:50

Speedygeese results Ginninderra parkrun #64 Saturday 13 July
23 Craig DAVIS 21:25 M40 First Timer!
54 Thea ZIMPEL 24:34 W30
59 Jill PEARSON 25:13 W55
82 Margaret MCSPADDEN 28:37 W65 New PB!
115 finishers

Tuggeranong Parkrun #21 Saturday 13 July
102 finishers

Today Ewen, Caroline & I had a run in the YCRC 8k at Black Mountain Peninsula. We all made the top 20! I think there were 17 finishers, or at least that was the number given me at the finish line. No sign of my health recovering, not yet, but at least I jogged 6k before having to walk.

... or a goose.

Flexibility and Strength.

One thing I have learnt about flexibility is that it goes hand in hand with strength. The bottom line is, stretching muscles which you never attempt to strengthen is a waste of time.

On strength, how much should I work on this? If you are a long distance runner, you want lean muscle strength, not bulk. And you need active, dynamic strength, the strength which allows you to fly up and down hills with ease at pace. But it’s simple - any distance runner wanting to get strong and stay strong can get away with just a few basic exercises. It would be sufficient to focus on push-ups, sit-ups/sit-backs, dips, chin-ups/pull-ups, and core exercises such as planks.

On flexibility, what are some good stretches for runners? When do runners need to stretch? Why do some runners never stretch? If some flexibility is good, is more flexibility better? Can stretching cause injury?

1. What are some good stretches for runners? An injury-prevention program will include proper warm-ups and cool-downs, care with shoes, awareness of recovery principles, training on varying surfaces at varying pace, as well as using gentle stretches appropriate to the training being undertaken. The simple stretches we see runners do are in fact the best: the popular stretches for hamstring, quad, calf, glute, ITB etc are all useful as part of a warm-up and cool-down procedure and can be a combination of static and dynamic stretches.

2. When do runners need to stretch? I recommend a good warm-up first before doing any stretching, and to do a few gentle stretches before any speed-work or racing. Focus on problem areas: I have a stiff lower back these days so I like to do back exercises and mobility work before attempting a quick run. But stretching becomes more important when recovering from injury. Your sports physiotherapist is likely to prescribe stretching when muscle tissue is being rebuilt. Targeted stretching, along with ice, heat, massage, strengthening as advised by your physiotherapist, will all help with healing of injuries.

3. Why do some runners never stretch? I think it is because they have run for years without getting injured and without ever stretching. To a great extent, stretching is over-rated. But later in a running career stretching and mobility work and massage become more beneficial and useful and necessary than earlier on.

4. If some flexibility is good, is more flexibility better? Flexibility for its own sake should not be your goal. Not many ballet dancers or gymnasts can run well. Core strength and stability should be the goal of the runner. A certain level of flexibility should be maintained, but too much flexibility can cause problems, which is why many runners seem to get away without stretching at all; they manage to stay within a range of flexibility which keeps them out of trouble.

5. Can stretching cause injury? Indeed it can. All stretching should be gentle, and dynamic stretching should be within a comfortable range of motion. Definitely warm up the muscles before stretching them. Can stretching prevent injury? Possibly but you need to be strong too. I emphasise these two points again, because they are so important.

Make flexibility and strength part of your daily routine and you will have an excellent foundation for staying fit and healthy indefinitely.

photographic evidence

Speedygeese results BBQ Stakes 6k Wednesday 3 July
7. Jennifer Bright 25:52
32. Andrew Matthews 28:00
55 finishers

Speedygeese results Customs 5k Friday 5 July
Jennifer Bright 22:02 after "getting lost".
Bronwyn Calver 23:00

Pictures from the Mount Ainslie Vets Handicap

 Cathy

 Ewen pursuing Robyn

 Janene

 Margaret

Ruth

Photographic evidence that Ruth did walk the 10k. A couple more like this and she should have a good handicap, eh?

designated deriver

Training at Dickson - last week in my absence, Roden, Susan, Colin & Rod trained, pyramids up to 400m. This week I came along and supervised, with Roden, Rod, Susan and Thea running a double pyramid, 30, 60, 90, 60, 30, 60, 90, 60, 30 seconds, each one on 2:30.

Thursday training at Kaleen is on again tomorrow. Last week at Kaleen, Rod and Colin ran km intervals. This week we will do something similar, although possibly half the ovals won't be lit.

Maxwell

Moderators of the intention-behaviour relationship in the physical activity domain

Monday training at Parliament House - Cathy, Ewen & I ran early, then Andy, Craig, Jen, Mick C, Rae, Susan, Warrick, Garry & Mark (new) participated in the main training session, which was 4 sets of 2 mins (1 min jog), 1 min (30 Seconds jog), 30 seconds, with a 2 minute recovery between each of the sets. Next week we plan to return to the hills.

The more days you skip training, the harder it is to start again.
Obvious? But if you have some niggles and need to take time off, how long should you take off?

Studies in 2011 of circus performers (!) showed that two-day breaks between performances lessened injury rates, but the rates rose again if performers rested for three days or more.

Keeping a tight schedule with exercise matters because when you skip a lot of days in a row the health benefits start to dissipate. At first, this is just a decrease in the positive metabolic aspects, but eventually skipping exercise affects motivation, endurance, and can increase injury.

Endurance also fades if you skip exercising for too many days in a row. The same is true with motivation. In study after study, researchers have found that one of the primary reasons people continue exercising is that they enjoyed yesterday’s exercise or the exertions of the day before; they felt healthier and more physically masterful afterward and wish to relive that sensation. Longer periods between exercise sessions potentially could dull that enthusiasm.

Everybody is familiar with  "motivational flux". If you want to check the research, go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22278998. Loving all the long words.

dancing in silence

Song of the week: Dancing in Silence, by Sydney group "The Former Love".
from http://youtu.be/obRDaNC_dN4

graceful entrance

That feeling when you know you shouldn't be there, but just don't know how to make a graceful exit:

None of you are like that I know.

Speedygeese results
BBQ Stakes 6k Wednesday 26 June
20. Andrew Matthews 28:26
23. Joel Pearson 30:05
34. Jennifer Bright 27:34
58 finishers

Customs 5k Friday 28 June
Andrew Simpson 20:05
Jen Bright 22:02
Bronwyn Calver 22:13

ACTVAC Mount Ainslie 9.3k Sunday 30 June
21 Bronwyn Calver W40 46:16 70.2%
26 Kelley Flood W50 45:07 80.2
29 Rod Lynch M50 37:43 84.2
41 Marilyn Banfield W60 62:55 66.0
46 Andrew Matthews M50 46:34 68.6
55 Maria O'Reilly W55 46:13 83.5
56 Ewen Thompson M55 57:19 56.9
60 Mick Horan M50 48:24 65.6
64 Janene Kingston W45 52:11 66.8
71 Margaret McSpadden W65 61:47 69.6
76 Ruth Baussmann W60 80:16 51.0
85 finishers

Mount Ainslie 4.5k Sunday 30 June
9 Cathy Montalto W60 24:07 74.8% **Bronze**
46 finishers

Training at Parliament House Monday 1 July
Early: Ewen, Cathy
Hill session: Garry, Rae, Susan, Kelley, Andy, Warrick, Jen, Craig

Tuggeranong parkrun #20 Saturday 6 July
98 finishers

Ginninderra parkrun #63 Saturday 6 July
51 Jill PEARSON 25:06 W55
87 Ruth BAUSSMANN 29:23 W60
116 finishers

Longstaff 8k Saturday 6 July
5. Ewen Thompson M55 39:20
6 finishers

I love this Canberra weather. Crisp and clear mornings, just right for putting on the beanie and gloves and going for a run. This morning I ran at Stromlo, three 1 kilometre intervals with a similar jog. The first two were with long sleeves, beanie and gloves, all of which I shed for the third. Times were 4:53, 4:33 and 4:18. That's 20 seconds faster in total than last week. What this all means is (a) I am more disciplined than I was, I can run intervals by myself, and (b) I am not waiting to get fast before I start trying to train fast, as it usually works the other way round.

I am looking forward to seeing today's Gold Coast Marathon and Half Marathon times, and also today's King of the Mountain results, in case any of the speedygeese ran. I hope you did well.

I am also looking forward to meeting up with everyone again on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and hopefully a few of you next Sunday too.

Very speedy goose

... so stay tuned

(back tomorrow). In the meantime

more posts coming soon....

run slower run further?

"Ultramarathons are an up and coming sport where participants run for multiple days straight, covering hundreds of kilometers, climbing up to 40 m high over the terrain. At first glance, this might sound like an excruciating way to tear up your body all weekend, but results from a study showed that participants were taxing their bodies up to 30% less at the 200 mile mark than at the 100. Exhaustion plays a big role in this. Participants that went the full distance were about 4 minutes per mile slower than their counterparts who did half the distance. It appears that “slow and steady” really does have advantages in a race setting."

... see http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/breakthroughs/when-running-200-miles-is-easier-on-your-body-than-running-100-15632972

Check my mirrors, indicate, blindspot and....we're good to merge.

...from http://youtu.be/7RZBcvB9Q7Y

It doesn't look too bad

Clubbing baby seals - what's so bad about that?

We'll live a long life

Song of the Week: Mumford and Sons "Ghosts That We Knew"
from http://youtu.be/VurfjgJqyFY

Tugg turn

Here are some photos from the 2.5k turn in yesterday's Tuggeranong parkrun

 David W third in line

 Cathy

 self in red

 self again

 George K

 Susan

Graeme

 self

Ewen

While today at Stromlo, Warrick, Andrew S and I fitted in a solid session before the Canada Day Fun Run got underway. A beautiful morning for a run after so many cold or wet days.

Three different approaches to running 3 x 1km:
1. Run them as evenly as possible. Warrick's times were 4:42, 4:41, 4:40 approximately.
2. Work your way into them. Andrew's times were 3:43. 3:31 and 3:26.
3. Die after the first one then find something at the end. My times were 4:28, 5:11 and 4:25.

And at Mt Ainslie there was a Vets Handicap
[I shall update this post with the results ... next week]

a visit to the south side

Today I packed my bags, found my passport, grabbed an umbrella, a towel, and a change of clothes, checked that my snow chains were still in the boot, and braved a drive way down south to Tuggeranong to have a go at their parkrun for the first time. A tricky little course with a few 90 degree turns, made trickier by a little mud in places and constant light rain, but the weather meant that there were no problems with cyclists, walkers, prams and little children, dogs, or antarctic sea-lions.

I haven't raced much and am so out of form, this "race" was no exception.

Susan was the success story - this race was set up as the first test of a training program which I tailored for her and which she started three weeks ago. Despite one or two sessions missed due to weather cancellations, today she came up with a one minute improvement over the 5k distance. Susan's next test is three weeks away and will be the Bush Capital 16k, which is a very demanding course, but she will have previous years' times to compare with. Meanwhile, great work Susan!

speedygeese at Ginninderra 5k parkrun #62 on Saturday 29 June
26 Gary BOWEN 22:01 M55
27 David BAUSSMANN 22:13 M60
81 Cate WINNING 28:31 W50
88 Margaret MCSPADDEN 29:19 W65 New PB!
115 finishers

speedygeese at Tuggeranong 5k parkrun #19 on Saturday 29 June
15 David WEBSTER 21:40 M60
26 Geoff MOORE 22:49 M65 First Timer!
30 Graeme PATRICK 23:21 M60 First Timer!
36 Susan Anne STURGEON 23:52 W35 First Timer!
43 Adam ROBINSON 25:04 M40 New PB!
45 Catherine MONTALTO 25:17 W60 First Timer!
72 Ewen THOMPSON 29:30 M55
97 finishers

Today's Tuggeranong photos

Me finishing

Susan finishing

Looks like it's uphill!

Cathy finishing

Friday night

And I think I have been able to make a post from my new phone. The guess ahead feature makes for quick typing but odd sentences sometimes

i have no memory....

Speedygeese in the BBQ Stakes 6k Wednesday 19 June
10. Gary Bowen 27:55
23. Andrew Matthews 34:11
37. Caroline Campbell 38:34
44. Roger Pilkington 38:53

Training Monday 24 June
Cancelled - pouring rain. I believe Jen turned up.

Training Tuesday 25 June
Cancelled - all ACT sports fields were closed

Training Thursday 27 June
A perfect evening for running! I was at Kaleen with Kathy, Maria, Susan, Kelley, Rod & Colin. We ran 3 x 1km again, this time with a longer recovery than last week.

Susan and I plan to run in the Tuggeranong parkrun this Saturday. we haven't run there before.

screen grab

from http://youtu.be/LpHpm_b0vRY

entered

I have now entered the Bush Capital Half Marathon!

Frogs

Monday training at Parliament House: I don't know if anyone went, the weather was appalling.

Speedygeese running the Customs 5k on Friday 21 June
Tim Calver 19:18
Andrew Simpson 20:38
Bronwyn Calver 22:27

"Frogs?"
In case you haven’t noticed there is to be an election this year, this will bring you up to date. One of the best ever Clarke and Dawes.
From http://youtu.be/TDS6RyXwzCA




BUSH CAPITAL BUSH MARATHON FESTIVAL
Weekend of 20/21 July at Campbell High School both days.
See http://www.coolrunning.com.au/calendar/public_html/2013/2013e036.pdf

ONLINE REGISTRATION OPEN
Online registration is open at https://www.registernow.com.au/secure/Register.aspx?ID=9547 and there is a 10% discount for all entries by 1 July (next Monday) and a 20% discount for family entries (2 parents and 12 or more children under 20 years of age). The Bush Capital Bush Marathon Festival raises funds to assist the Australian mountain running teams going to World Championships in Poland in August and September.

SATURDAY 20 July 2013
9.00am 16km bush run and 16km bush walk
11.00am 5km and 10km walks
12.00pm Under 13 years 2km children’s run
12.30pm 10km run
12.35pm 5km run

SUNDAY 21 July 2013
7.30am 63.3km ultra run and relay (triple half marathon)
8.30am 42.2km bush marathon run, walk and relay; half marathon walk
9.30am 21.1km bush half marathon run

VENUE
The start/finish on both days is the Campbell High School sports field at the junction of Limestone Avenue and Treloar Crescent, Campbell ACT. The out and back half marathon course used last year for the marathon, half marathon and ultra-marathon in Goorooyaroo and Mulligans Flat reserves is not available this year because of a kangaroo cull in these reserves in late July. It has been replaced by a half marathon course in Mt Ainslie and Mt Majura reserves (a shortened version of the 25 km course used for several years); this is hillier but more interesting and quite scenic.