History

Tidbinbilla Relays - Jo Cullen, yours truly, Bryan Thomas, Mary Ann Busteed

The Cross Country Club in particular, and other groups such as the ABS history project, are very interested these days in collecting and preserving historical information.

Do you have bits of our running history that might be of any value at all? Are there gaps in the information on the Cross Country Club website that you could help fill in?

One set of results we are hunting is the old ABS Fun Runs, up to 1981, a.k.a. Cameron Offices Fun Run and Belconnen Offices Fun Run.

Others seeking out this information include Graeme Small, Colin Bridge, Andrew Sutcliffe.

And I would love ancient photographs to copy and preserve for posterity.

So if you can help out, please contact one of us and tell us what you've got.
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May Handicap

In the May Veterans Handicap held yesterday at Farrer Ridge, Peter Hogan was 4th eligible in the 9k event, and Katie Forestier 4th eligible in the 4.5k event.

Results are available at http://www.actvac.com.au
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dehydration

An interesting article in June Vetrunner on over-hydration during marathons. I want everybody to read it carefully; read between the lines; so that you are NOT left with the impression that hydration is no longer a problem in marathons.

Consider my own experience with marathons. I could never get enough fluid despite drinking immediately before the races I went in, and at every drink station except the last.

Without exception whenever I ran a marathon at full intensity I would lose about 2kg (5 lbs) in weight from the start to the end of the race; most of this being fluid.

IF YOU LOSE WEIGHT DURING MARATHONS, try and get more fluid in. NOT JUST WATER: an electrolytic sports drink is ideal.

If you don't lose weight during marathons, maybe it is because you are running easily, in which case the sentiments expressed in the article may apply, and in these circumstances you should probably intentionally avoid excess fluid intake.

If it applies to marathon races it applies to training too; you will note in my long easy runs I don't bother to carry water as I believe my drinks before and after the training run will suffice. The pace is slow enough to get away with it.

Also consider other factors: if you drink coffee on marathon day you will need more fluid during the marathon; if you drank alcohol the night before you are even more susceptible to dehydration (although why drink alcohol before a marathon? It can be positively dangerous).

So if I have had a "night out" before a long training run, I DO carry water.

But I cannot believe this doctor quoted in the article has never seen a critical dehydration case as the result of a marathon. Or perhaps all the runners he has seen are plodders not racers.

And I disagree strongly with the suggestion that you should wait until you urinate before taking on water. That is completely crazy and counter-intuitive. If you are dehydrated you won't be doing much urinating. And you need quite a bit of fluid replacement after a demanding marathon before the body reverts to normal. I know, I have run 31 marathons.

Well, the article does come from the US. And is written by a journalist. q.e.d.
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Happy Birthday Ruth Baussmann

Last Tuesday Ruth had her 55th birthday - "Happy Birthday Dear Ruthie, Happy Birthday to you". So I have acquired a couple of attractive photographs of Ruth as a W50.

I got to know Ruth a few years ago when she was leading the Thomas handicap series, and I was desperately trying to catch her each month to peg back her lead. (Naturally that was early in the year, as I am never in contention later in the year!)

This Sunday if you compete at Farrer you will be competing as a W55 for the first time. I hope you do well!


Ruth ahead of her good friend Cathy, in a triathlon at Lake Burley Griffin.


Ruth, Kathy and Charmaine with W50 Half Marathon placegetters trophies, 2004.
This photograph was memorable because when it appeared in Vetrunner, Kathy's taped legs appeared to be grafted onto Charmaine; Kathy had rolled an ankle during the race and the publisher's inset photo was oddly placed.
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ACTVAC To-Do list

A week since the AGM and if you thought our new committee might be able to relax for a while until the track season gets underway you are wrong. Here are just some of the large items I think will already be on their to-do list.

1. Fix up the financial statement and get it audited.
2. Sort out the web-site/IT issues.
3. Start work on the 2006 AMA Nationals.
4. Complete a strategic plan and proceed with grant applications.
5. Organise the July SGM.
6. Contact key individuals and subcommittees about their roles.

In addition there are still all the more "routine" things like planning summer competition.

So what this means is, we all have to be ready to lend a hand to help support, develop, promote and strengthen the club.

"Fitness Through Fellowship".
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Pedestrian's Revenge

Another pedestrian killed on Canberra's roads - this time the one who is killed is visiting celebrity Christine Jacobs, a member of the Aboriginal stolen generation, who was to have given a speech to launch the National Day of Healing at Parliament House. She died on Tuesday night after being hit by a car in Deakin, as she went for a walk, not long after arriving on a flight from Perth.

Canberra drivers are appalling. And this year they have been getting noticeably worse by the month. Tailgating; cutting in and out of traffic, shouting abuse, and worst of all insisting on "obeying" the speed limit by exercising their "right" to drive on or above the limit whatever the road conditions.

Fellow pedestrians - we who occasionally risk life and limb to run on or near the roads are also pedestrians - it's about time we exercised our right to safe roads.

My plan is this - instead of driving at 5 to 15 kph above the speed limit like everybody else, we always drive at 5 to 15 kph below the limit. Always.

It will annoy the hell out of them, but it will also send a message to all those idiots who think the speed limit is a minimum limit.

I'm sorry, it also means some of you will have to leave home 10 minutes earlier to arrive at your destination.

But hey, save the aggression for your races. Drive safely; slowly; serenely. Put on soothing music. You might save the life of somebody's son or daughter.

And ignore rude comments. They already call us silly old buggers for running at our age; they may as well call us silly old buggers for obeying the road rules.

In both cases, they are the ones who will have the early heart attacks, not us.
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Runners Shop June Sale

From Brian Wenn -
Well it has come around to that time of the year again and the great Runners Shop June Sale is about to kick off. As usual we are giving our VIP customers from the local running, triathlon and orienteering community the opportunity to come in and pick up the best bargains before we advertise to the general public.
We are still waiting for some specials to arrive at the shop from Asics, Nike, Adidas and Saucony, but they should arrive in the next couple of days, almost certainly by the end of the week.
See below for a list of the June specials.
Happy Running,
Brian and the rest of the staff at the Runners Shop.

Shoe Specials – June 2005
Asics
Kayano XI (0193) Men’s $229 $189
Nimbus VI Men’s & Women’s $219 $179
DS Trainer Men’s & Women’s $199 $159
GT 2100 Men’s & Women’s $189 $149
Landreth Men’s $179 $139
Gel 1100 Men’s & Women’s $155 $119
Foundation V Men’s & Women’s $155 $119
Trabuco VII Men’s & Women’s $155 $119
Corrido $109 $79
210 TR (Leather) Men’s & Women’s $155 $129
210 TR (Mesh) Men’s & Women’s $145 $119
Gel 1100 Jnr Kid’s $99 $79
Achiever Jnr Kid’s $80 $59
Nike
Zoom Elite Men’s & Women’s $189 $139
Structure Triax 8 Men’s & Women’s $170 $129
Trail Pegasus Men’s $155 $109
Air Max Moto Men’s $180 $139
Air Perseus Men’s $155 $109
Adidas
Adistar Control Men’s $240 $169
Supernova Cushion Men’s $180 $129
New Balance
M 1221 SN $199 $129
M 1122 $179 $119
M1023 $159 $129
M 732 $120 $79
M 781/W 781 $125 $89
W 900 WB $155 $129
W 834 GR $125 $89
KJ 717 $95 $69
MX 664 (3 Colours)/WX664 (2 Colours) $125 $99
MW 755 $145 $99
Brooks
Trance NXR Men’s & Women’s $235 $189
Glycerin 2 Men’s $209 $149
Addiction 6 Men’s & Women’s $170 $129
Burn 2 Men’s $160 $129
Radius Men’s $155 $119
Vapor 6 Men’s & Women’s $155 $119
Radius Jnr Kid’s $85 $59
Verve Jnr Kid’s $95 $69
Ariel Women’s $209 $159
Saucony
Grid Hurricane 6 Men’s & Women’s $179 $129
Grid Triumph Men’s & Women’s $179 $129
Grid Jazz 9 Men’s $129 $89
Mizuno
Wave Rider Men’s & Women’s $189 $149
Reebok
Premier Stability DMX Men’s & Women’s $170 $129
Premier Road Lite II Men’s & Women’s $159 $119
Premier Cushion DMX II Men’s & Women’s $145 $109
Premier Lite II Men’s & Women’s $145 $109

ABS Fun Run

What appears below is copied in its entirety from last Friday's Canberra Times. You can see Geoff Monro and Mick Corlis in the photo as well as me. Eric Morris is the tall guy standing between me and Mick. Of our training group, Katie had the best run, improving her 5k pb on the way to a "7.3k" time of around 32 minutes. I took just over 31 minutes and was pleased to just crack 30:00 at the 7km mark.

Our training group results - not many ran this one! Maybe next year.
Male Results
40th Geoff Moore 31:02
68th Trevor Cobbold 33:09
91st Neil Boden 34:49
Female Results
9th Katie Forestier 31:57
10th Annette Sugden 31:59
18th Carolyne Kramar 34:45

A report - and full results - can be found at http://www.lunchstakes.webathletics.com.au/absfunrun/reports/2005.htm.


READY, SET: Competitors, including race veteran Geoff Moore (150) and eventual winner ABS statistician Eric Morris (2033), at the starting line.

By Mark Schliebs-
"The 13th annual Australian Bureau of Statistics Fun Run, held [on Thursday 19 May], has raised $3300 for the ACT Cancer Council. Volunteers said they were pleased with the turnout - 693 people participated in the annual charity event at Lake Ginninderra.

"Organiser Peter Harper was happy about the contribution the fun run makes to the charity. “It’s a very successful run,” he said yesterday.

"He said that because the ABS covered the cost of the event, all entry fees could go directly to the Cancer Council.

"The 7km course, which closely follows the lake’s edge, was filled with runners, walkers and even the occasional mother with a stroller.

"“The good thing about the fun run is that there’s people from all ages and all demographic groups. It’s a really good mix.. the emphasis is on the fun rather than the run,” Mr Harper said.

"Geoff Moore, 57, was glad that he could participate in the event that evolved from the fun run that he helped start 30 years ago.

"“They’re all putting the effort in whether they were at the front or the back,” he said. “I say well done to everyone.”

"ABS statistician Eric Morris was the first to finish the race, 35 seconds ahead of his nearest rival.

"“It was really enjoyable not only to win today but to participate in something that gets a whole lot of people along and raises money for charity,” he said.

"Emma Murray was the first woman over the line, while Scott Tomlinson, 17, and Louisa Lobigs, 15, won their respective junior sections and Colin Bridge the seasonally adjusted category, awarded for the best performance (time adjusted) by a runner aged 40 or over."
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Chinup Challenge

Colin Farlow won the chin-up challenge. He seems to have improved from four to twelve in two months. A coveted chocolate frog award went his way. Why not? He has won everything else.
It was a clear victory and "no correspondence will be entered into".
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Half Marathon

Results for our training group of the Canberra Half Marathon held last Sunday 15 May
57. David Webster 53 M50 1:28:16
85. John Kennedy 55 M55 1:31:16
136. Maria O'Reilly 50 W50 1:37:44
141. Ken White 51 M50 1:38:02
165. Cathy Newman 44 W40 1:41:14
170. Annette Sugden 42 W40 1:41:49
174. Cathy Montalto 52 W50 1:42:00
187. John Alcock 59 M55 1:43:08
196. Alan Duus 59 M55 1:43:47
238. Peter Hogan 58 M55 1:49:23
246. Mick Charlton 53 M50 1:50:18
279. Prue Bradford 45 W45 1:53:55
298. Thea Zimpel 22 1:56:18
301. Gabrielle Brown 41 W40 1:56:39
314. Ruth Baussmann 54 W50 1:58:37
323. Pam Faulks 45 W45 1:59:28
324. Geoff Moore 57 M55 1:59:51
336. Margaret McSpadden 58 W55 2:02:23

I enjoyed running the entire race at two hour pace and will probably do that again one day. I'm not sure I will do it in the Vets Half though, unless they change from their three start system back to one, because it is not possible to pace people running in three different groups starting half an hour apart! Maybe I will run in group three at exactly 1:40 pace? But not if the people I am trying to help insist on starting in group two.

It was good to see some PBs amongst the team members I have listed above. A perfect day and many fast times. Thea, Gabrielle and Pamela started with me and all managed to crack the two hour mark. Congratulations!

One example of a great run - Peter Hogan took 15 minutes off his time for last year!

Click on the names above to see each form guide for cross country club races.
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Caffeine

With a whole lot of stories in the news this week about sports people using caffeine I thought I would add my two bob’s worth. My understanding is based on my memory of research done long ago but I am not aware of any newer research which might change things.

Caffeine can help.
For any running event longer than an hour or so, a strong cup of black coffee about an hour before the race can result in a better performance. The reason for this is that coffee causes fats to be released into the bloodstream which are used by the body as fuel earlier in the performance, causing the postponement of the release of muscle glycogen until later in the performance. Thus fatigue is delayed and the body is able to perform longer at a high level.

Caffeine can hinder.
For running events shorter than an hour in duration, caffeine use hinders performance. The reason for this is that the coffee causes fats to be released into the bloodstream which are used by the body as fuel earlier in the performance, causing the postponement of the release of muscle glycogen which for events of shorter duration should be made available from the start of the exercise. Energy release from fats is less efficient that energy release from glycogen, and it is glycogen runners need instantly in events of shorter duration.

Other factors come into play.
A regular tea/coffee drinker will only get a partial benefit: coffee boosts endurance performance if your body is not already adapted/addicted to it. Or people can feel sick, or need a pit stop during the run.

There is no problem putting caffeine back on the banned list as it is effective in small quantities and it is practical to ban only the ingestion of large amounts. We would still drink coffee for its benefits and people would be less likely to (pointlessly) ingest large amounts which could be dangerous to their health.

Having said all this, I should point out that I have a problem with the mindset of people who look for artificial chemical means, legal or not, to enhance performance, when hard training and a balanced diet give proportionately far greater improvement and permanent fitness benefits to boot!

So in summary – as a general lifestyle rule, cut right back on caffeine use. Don’t use it before races up to 10k in length. For half marathons and above drink one strong black coffee an hour before the start.

Or – just enjoy your occasional tea or coffee, enjoy your long races, and forget about caffeine altogether.

There is no substitute for hard work in training!
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How we voted

The new ACTVAC committee elected at last night's AGM comprises
President Geoff Sims
Vice President Christopher Lang
Secretary Ken White
Treasurer Will Foster
Committee Chris Booth, Prue Bradford, Pamela Faulks, George Kubitzky, Peter McDonald, Roger Pilkington

Remarkable - not one of those elected was a member of the outgoing committee. A 100% turnover!

But they bring a wealth of experience. In particular Will is a past Treasurer of the club and Prue a past President.

Congratulations too to Jack Pennington, elected club Patron for the tenth year.
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Ken Eynon

The "sport and recreation" category of the 2005 ACT Volunteer of the Year Awards was won by Ken Eynon during Volunteers Week last week.

The awards, run by NRMA Insurance and Volunteering ACT, recognised eleven individuals in different categories for their contribution to the community through voluntary work.

From the VolunteerACT website

National Volunteer Week is a time set aside to give well-deserved recognition to Australia’s myriad of volunteers. Their work is creative, selfless, caring, and supportive. They help thousands of people each day and provide a much needed community service.

Not JUST a Volunteer! By Lorraine Higgins – CEO Volunteering ACT

"You are at a party and walk up to a group of strangers. After introductions comes the inevitable: “…And what do you do?” “I’m a retailer.” “I’m a public servant.” “I work as a solicitor (engineer, accountant, nurse, quantum physicist etc….). “Oh – and what do you do?” “Well….. I’m just a volunteer”.

"JUST a volunteer!!!

"In the first place, the word "volunteer" is not a job title, it's a salary classification.

"As a volunteer, your job title could be any of those given above - you may simply do the job without any expectation of monetary reward. But that does not mean that your job has less value than one that is paid, it may merely mean that you have a different motive for doing it.

"When asked what the word volunteer evokes, the answer is usually something like Meals on Wheels, charity collection, or, more recently, those who assisted after the tsunami disaster.

"However when one delves more deeply, it is possible to find volunteers doing almost any type of job that can be found in the paid work-force – but in a not for profit setting.

"In Canberra, a commendable 42% of our population offers time, skills and energy to assist the local community in some way. Some of these people do the work to return something to the community in which they live or to gain work experience. Many more people volunteer to maintain skills, to develop new skills, to practise their English language skills or to get a reference. Other people may volunteer because they see the need. The benefit to the volunteer is often an increase in self esteem, better health, a sense of achievement, increased social contact or simply knowing they have made a difference in the community.

"Whatever the motivation, the result is a more effective, productive and united community where volunteers provide services that would otherwise be unavailable. How valuable they are and how important it is for them to know how much they make our work easier, make our hours count for more and make people feel better served. And, that not only CAN volunteers change the world but they have for centuries; from voting rights to disaster relief; from school reform to building shelters for the homeless. There is no substitute for believing you can make a difference. Volunteers are, and continue to be, the power behind our great country.

"In this 2005 National Volunteer Week, let us take the time to think about and recognise the invaluable contribution that volunteers offer to our society and let us thank them unreservedly. Let us remember too that our youth are the future and that they are willing to do great things. We must take time to cultivate their spirit and allow them to become leaders who understand the importance of giving and sharing themselves with others."


Gerard Ryan and Ken Eynon at the marathon expo, 2003

Ken is representative of everything I like about athletics in the ACT. We are all volunteers, we belong to volunteer-run athletic clubs. But Ken sets the highest standard of anyone I know.

Congratulations on the well deserved award. It is a pleasure to have Ken as part of our training group.
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Misleading Heading

Have you found everything on the internet you were looking for today? If not, maybe it's here.

Have a nice day.
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10k training

Every few weeks I will post a training guide for the 10k. This is for those who have been doing a fair bit of long running and want to know how to improve their times. The goal is a pb at the Canberra Times Fun Run in September.

Not that this is better than any other guide; but this one will be an indication of what some in our training group are doing, and you could join them.

Stage 1 May 2005 (next three weeks, into early June)
Twice a week - long run. 60 to 90 minutes slow recommended. Build up if necessary.
Twice a week - hill sprints or equivalent gym work (eg climbing step machine). We do a Monday session that equates to this.
Once a week - a solid but not flat out run over the same course each week of about 6-8k as a measure of how things are going. Or we do a Thursday session that provides a more demanding interval workout.
Once a week - an easy recovery run
Once a week - a rest day.

Ideally the week should be organised so that each long day is followed by an easy day or a rest day, but that may not always be possible.
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speedyvicki

A real star of last track season was Vicki Matthews. Vicki was a regular winner in her age group despite having other excellent performers to contend with - such as Marlene, Sharon, and our very own Alex and Annemarie. Vicky showed us that it is possible to compete week after week at a high level for a whole season! Her events included sprints, jumps, throws, the occasional middle distance event, and pentathlon. She won six titles at the ACT championships this year - the 100 in 14.12, the 400 in 68.68, the shot in 7.87, the 200 in 29.50, the javelin in 21.76, and the Pentathlon. Vicki also took out the annual Boag sprint series, which is based purely on performance relative to age standards.

It is a pleasure to have Vicki doing much of her training with us, and despite us being primarily a middle and long distance group, she has found our training sessions useful and beneficial, sometimes adapting the sessions to her needs (as we all do anyway!).

Unusually unassuming for such a talented athlete, Vicki is worthy of our praise. She doesn't seek it out. No false modesty either; she competently goes about her training and racing without fuss and with plenty of grit and determination.


Vicki and her Boag award

Finally, to crown a great season, Vicki was awarded the Silver Fristad trophy. I reproduce in full the write-up from Vetrunner she received then. (No apology if there is repetition: I did not refer to the write-up when expressing my own thoughts so far)

"VICKI MATTHEWS W45: Vicki was a regular at the track participating in a variety of events including sprints, hurdles, relays, jumps, javelin throw and pentathlon. She performed well in all sprints, including a close second in the “Gift”, with all her times earning high 70 to low 80% of WMA standards. Her score of 2465 points in the pentathlon was best of the women."

Vicki also competes in the monthly running handicaps. Truly an all round top performer!
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How to vote

The long awaited AGM of the ACT Veterans Athletic Club will be held this Thursday. I cannot advise who to vote for, for the simple reason that the normal practice is that candidates won't be revealed until the night. But I can say that there has never been as much interest and discussion before an AGM as there has been leading up to this meeting. Not to mention contention.

For whatever reason, the current "executive" has decided during the last twelve months to make important decisions and try and implement them without attempting to consult with members directly or through the very good subcommittee system. Even in many cases, without meeting with the management committee, although I should add that there has been little or no attempt at the committee level to reach consensus; the committee has been treated as if composed of two political groups, a governing group and an opposition group.

Crazy days! Never before has this club been run in this way. Everything the office bearers on past committees have done have been openly communicated; transparent; and facilitating club unity.

If this state of affairs continues for a second year, it is obvious, to me anyway, there will likely be a mass walkout of members, including many key people responsible for the day to day operation of the club, and the likelihood of a second masters athletics group being formed in the ACT.

So who to vote for? Well, there is not a single person in my training group I would not trust to be responsible, accountable, effective, and have their heart in the right place. Should anyone in the training group stand for any of the positions, vote for them!

Vote 1 Team Moore!
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Time for recognition

The best runner in our training group over the track season past was without question Colin Farlow. He proved himself to be the best middle distance runner in Canberra when he won - for the second year in succession - the prestigious Pennington series, which is handicapped according to age, and therefore a good measure of one's relative ability.

Colin turned in top track performances week after week, and also set a fine example of regular training and of encouraging other runners in the group.


Colin putting in a big effort.


Colin's wife Amanda, also an accomplished middle distance runner.

Also in our training group, the best middle distance female runner in Canberra was Maria O'Reilly. Maria broke the W50 1500 metre record during the season. Her high places in the Pennington series too marked her as the best performed woman.


Maria and her mother

Congratulations to all our track stars. Many of you set records, notably in relays, and many of you placed in championship events.

At our dinner last night we recognised you all; and we singled out both Colin and Maria for special mention.
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Thursday Training

I have decided there will be no training at Dickson next Thursday 19th May. First of all there is the ABS Fun Run on at lunchtime (check out the link), and secondly the Vets AGM is on that evening. In regards to the latter, I feel a post entitled "How to Vote" coming on real soon now.

Training at Dickson oval the last two Thursday nights has been well attended, and not easy!
Thursday of last week the training session consisted of a continuous relay with teams of three, each team member running twelve 200 metre intervals. At the end of each interval while the other two team members were running the runners jogged down the 100 metre straight and back again as a recovery. Teams were chosen so that in each team of three, the runners were of approximately the same standard. This session works the slowest runner of the three very hard.

Last night we ran with teams of three again but this time each runner ran 8 lots of 300 with a 200 jog recovery, and teams were chosen so that each team had a faster paced, a medium paced, and a slower paced runner, with the expectation that teams would finish fairly close together.

Finally I must congratulate Thea for taking a full five minutes off her 10k pb last Sunday (check out the link!). This was run on the Acton course, which is a fairly quick course although not as fast as the Canberra Times one.
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A sub two hour ½ marathon!

For some reason which escapes me at the moment, I have entered Sunday's ½ marathon.

As my achilles won’t be any better then than it is now, I have decided to pace anyone wanting to break two hours. There are already two entrants who will join me and there may well be more. It should be a fun thing to try and do.

I figure on taking exactly 1:59.34 at even pace, unless I find myself quite alone, in which case I may be tempted to go 10 or 15 minutes quicker.

If you want to run along with me, please contact me now or at the start. Or if you know anyone who might want to tag along, please feel free on my behalf to invite them along!
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