Week 2: Make Hay while the sun doesn't shine.

What's on this week:

Mon 10 Jan	4:30pm	Parliament House 8k jog
	5:30pm	Parliament House speedygeese interval training
Wed 12 Jan	12:15pm	BBQ Stakes 6k
Thu 13 Jan	5:45pm	ACTVAC T&F
Fri 14 Jan	12:15pm	Customs 5k handicap
Sat 15 Jan	8:00am	Metro Runners Acton Ferry Terminal
	8:00am	KOSCIUSZKO CLASSIC 5k
Sun 16 Jan	8:00am	speedygeese intervals Stromlo Forest Park

Thursday's track timetable (again combined with AACT )
5:45pm 1500/3000m Walk & 3000m run
6:20pm Long Hurdles
6:50pm 60m
7:05pm 800m handicap
7:30pm 4 x 400m relay
7:40pm 200m
8:00pm 3000m/5000m run: last week at track I paced the late 3000m; it looks like this week is another pacing opportunity; any takers?

recent speedygeese results
Sat 8/1 Crackenback Challenge
8 James Stewart 25.58; 40 finishers

Sun 9/1 Hobart AMA Half Marathon.
130 Mick Horan 1:41.45
130 Cathy Newman 1:41.45

Sun 9/1 Hobart Cadbury Marathon.
62 Liz Bennett 3:39.03
66 Kelley Flood 3:41.23

Entries are now being taken for the 26^th Annual Weston Creek Half Marathon. The event this year will be on March 13^th. To enter online go to: https://www.registernow.com.au/secure/Register.aspx?ID=3373

Candid Canberra #46. Ladybirds.

100k

I trained today at Stromlo, have advertised it as a speedygeese training session, and ran solo for the second week in a row. I guess the Monday night sessions at Parliament House are so popular everyone prefers them. Anyway, I have now completed only my second 100k week since 2009 - that's right, in 2010 I was so slack, no wonder I have been struggling in races. Hopefully this 100k successfully completed is a sign that 2011 will be so much better. The cool weather has helped. Next week I will try for 100k again and add in an hour in the gym.

Candid Canberra #45. The Birds of Canberra

About me
I have updated “About me”  for 2011 and will update it every time I run a 2011 pb.

YCRC Calendar
The start of the new "Canberra Runners Club" 2011 calendar appears on the website. It shows that Summer Series events are being run as usual, 6:15pm Tuesdays, starting Tuesday 1 February.

2011
It is so exciting having so many events to choose from in 2011. The speedygeese are flying, Monday training numbers will build up, new people are always contacting us and joining in, and the dams around Canberra are still 100% full! A good year looms.

2011 integrated calendar of events
The best and most complete integrated local calendar of events is the one on the ACTVAC website, and it can also be accessed stand-alone at http://aus.calendars.net/actvac. A feature is that all official speedygeese training sessions are listed on this calendar! And - if you know of events missing from this calendar, I am the one to inform and I will make sure the calendar gets updated!

welcome back Tim

The speedygeese at combined AACT/ACTVAC track meet, Thursday 6 January

400m
M50 Rod Lynch 1:08.15 73.2%
M70 Tony Booth 1:19.51 77.0

1500m
M40 Damian Rutledge 4:48.65 79.0%
M55 Ken White 5:14.39 81.4
M50 Rod Lynch 5:17.14 76.7
W45 Katie Forestier 5:25.37 79.9
M40 Brett Morrison 5:30.13 67.7
Brett Lynch 5:34.84 **PB**
W40 Nadine Morrison 5:34.97 74.1
W40 Amanda Walker 5:35.55 75.7
W35 Rachelle Ellis-Brownlee 5:40.94 70.8
W40 Heidi Johnston 5:43.07 71.6
M50 Roger Pilkington 5:50.36 70.0
W55 Maria O'Reilly 5:56.40 82.9
W40 Bronwyn Calver 6:16.45 66.0
W45 Janene Kingston 6:21.04 69.1
M70 Tony Booth 6:32.55 74.8
Thea Zimpel 7:03.35

3000m
M50 Rod Lynch 11:10.74 75.6%
Brett Lynch 11:57.57 **PB**
Brett Lynch also 12:28.06 (there were two 3000m races)
M40 Brett Morrison 12:29.79 63.0
M50 Roger Pilkington 12:55.87 65.9
W40 Nadine Morrison 13:32.24 65.2
W40 Bronwyn Calver 13:43.58 64.3
W35 Rachelle Ellis-Brownlee 14:38.55 58.9 (ran one lap extra)
Yelena Pearson 14:46.38 **PB**
W60 Ruth Baussmann 14:54.00 75.4 **PB**
M60 Geoff Moore 14:55.72 62.2
Thea Zimpel 15:06.01

The speedygeese who ran the Customs 5k Friday 7 January
Geoff Moore 22:14
Bob Harlow 22:17
Yili Zhu 24:06
Colleen Koh 24:34
Bronwyn Calver 24:44
Tim Calver 24:44 (with a 7.3kg back-pack)
Caroline Campbell 28:47
Carolyne Kramar 50:00 (anyone who knows Carolyne will realise what a good effort this was!)

The Crackenback Challenge is on today, and a Sprint Triathlon is on tomorrow.

Today's Metro Run

with two new runners, Mary and Ann

Slow and Steady

Candid Canberra #44, the caterpillar of the white stemmed gum moth

I have seen a couple of these in our front garden this week.

cutlass elbow

Candid Canberra #43 - rubbish piled up at Kippax

Write your own caption, as I don't know how to describe the wonderful citizens who dump their rubbish next to donation bins.

Track last night.
It was a combined AACT and ACTVAC meet, the first track racing for the year, and there were many highlights, including Brett Lynch's sprint finish in the 1500m passing a gaggle of taller runners, Damian's strong run in the 1500m to win his heat, Yelena running a 3000m pb of 14.46, and Ruth running a 4 second pb, 14:54 in the same event as Yelena.

Ruth striding out at Weston Park; Neil is there too.

Pirate Maladies

from Tower of Turtles. http://www.towerofturtles.com/22_Pirate_Maladies.html

ouch

My legs are still sore after Monday’s hill session, so yesterday I gave the first race of 2011, the BBQ Stakes, a miss, and I don’t think I should race tonight either! It's mainly my hamstring, not the one that put me out for five months last year, the other one. Let's hope it comes good just a little sooner this time.

Tonight's events at the AIS Athletic track
5:45pm 1500/3000m Walk & 3000m run
6:00pm Sprint Hurdles
6:20pm 1500m
6:50pm 100m
7:15pm 4 x 100 relay & 2 x 200
7:30pm 400m
7:50pm 3000m
8:10pm steeplechase

Meanwhile in Blacktown, Sydney, Keith Bateman continues his run of M55 world records, this time setting a new record for the 5000m, 15:29.7.

Candid Canberra #42. Weather events continue.

Hailstones in Tuggeranong yesterday...

... and some of the damage they caused.

grandchildren on the move

2010-2011 sees all three families of grandchildren moving house, probably. Set one has moved from Queanbeyan NSW to Chisholm ACT, quite a short move; set two are moving from Flinders NSW to Albion Park NSW, a very short move, only a few kilometres; and set three may be moving from Brisbane this year to a location unknown but this will be a very long move and may even be to Canberra.

All eleven grandhildren have been visiting here over Christmas/New year, with their parents. By this Friday peace and quiet will have been restored!

Granddaughter Liana is eight years old today. Happy Birthday!

Candid Canberra #41 Gymnastics at the AIS.

Granddaughter Kayleigh on beam.

Granddaughter Kayleigh on floor.

Kayleigh, at eleven years of age, is the eldest of our grandchildren. And is setting an excellent example of fitness and health to the other ten.

Grandchild number twelve is due on 1 June 2011. There are seven boys and four girls so far, so we might expect number twelve will be a girl?

hot spot

Here's another Simon's Cat video.


Just like my cat.

Check out my song of the week: check out the hot female drummer! Skillet's "Awake and Alive", from "Alive", the final album in my favourites for 2010. No embedded code is available so you will have to view it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aJUnltwsqs.

At Parliament House last night, training were Craig & I (early), then Andy, Christopher, Colleen, Ewen, Joel, Neil, Ruth, William & Yelena arrived for an easy hill session which finished with an "attrition" event won eventually by Joel from Andy. Weather permitting we might repeat this kind of training for a few weeks.

Candid Canberra #40.

Canberra bird life: a Crimson Rosella. Very common in Canberra gardens.

What's on this week

Mon 3 Jan	4:30pm	Parliament House 8k jog
	5:30pm	Parliament House speedygeese interval training
Wed 5 Jan	12:15pm	BBQ Stakes 6k
Thu 6 Jan	5:45pm	ACTVAC T&F
Fri 7 Jan	12:15pm	Customs 5k handicap
Sat 8 Jan	8:00am	Metro Runners Acton Ferry Terminal
Sun 9 Jan	8:00am	speedygeese interval training Stromlo Forest Park

Candid Canberra #39: Saturday night's electrical storm

Holt was as bright as day from 1:15am to 1:45am on Sunday, so we didn't get much sleep. I still managed a good training run at 8:00am at Stromlo Forest Park.

Running in the rain

Cathy at Weston Park

out with the old, in with the young

2011 is the 2500th anniversary of the marathon legend: Pheidippides was supposed to have run from Marathon to Athens to announce victory in the Battle of Marathon, and then to have died. Most likely though he ran much further than that in total: possibly as much as 500km in the round trip he would have made, which might explain why he died afterwards! Nevertheless, anyone who runs the exact distance of 42.195km this year can do so in memory of Pheidippides exactly 2500 years ago.

The day of the 2500th anniversary is Sept 12, 2011. Perhaps we can find a suitable way to celebrate on that day without actually running a marathon? A relay perhaps? It's a Monday.

The old

Athens, finish line of the marathon

and the young

Brett having a run at Weston Park

another 2011 goal - sub 20 minute 5k.

Not just me. Half a dozen of the speedygeese could dip under 20 minutes for 5000m this year. The longer training will help. But as for me, it will happen. We're all in this together, let's go for it.

I managed to run at 6:30am today - it was cool in the shade but you could tell an extremely hot day is on the way.

Simon's Cat - Let Me In



The Moore boys have just arrived from Brisbane. There will be eleven (and a half) grandchildren here today. And the next phase of present opening will happen. So I'd better go!

last post

of 2010.

Candid Canberra #37. No room under the bridge.

It has been a year of unusual rain. Drought broken, dams full, rivers overflowing, grass long, fields green. But subsequently very hot weather has arrived, just in time for the new year. Logic says we will now see a period of disastrous fires. Let's hope the mowers can get into action to prevent this.

Candid Canberra #38. Summer sunrise.

It's a new year tomorrow. Let's hope and pray and work towards a better and brighter 2011. I know some of you are hanging out for that. Me, I am full of expectation.

My new year resolutions, or rather, my plans for 2011, include:

January		Build fairly quickly to 100k per week
		Add in two exercise circuits each week
February		Add in two gym sessions each week
April		Shed one key responsibilty
May		Turn 63
December		End up with over 4,000 km for the year

Just for interest:

	2008	2009	2010
DISTANCE RUN	4.095 km	3,271 km	2,211 km
APPROX WEIGHT	65 kg	67 kg	68 kg

My weight was down to 64 in mid-2010 but then the hamstring injury happened. So other goals would include (a) weight in the low 60's by the end of the year, and (b) don't get injured!

May all your resolutions be achievable, and achieved, in 2011!

another year nearly over

As another year of experiences draws to an end...

Here's wishing 2011 is not only a happy year but a year packed with many new uplifting experiences!

Candid Canberra #36 .. Path parking?

2011 .. are we there yet?

chitter chatter

cat chat


running chat

racing in the rain

Candid Canberra #35 - water chat

when our lake was flooded... all the talk is still about water.

Meanwhile Canberra's first "thirty degree plus" day, since last February, is due today or tomorrow... good except I will still be trying to run.

I must remember to drink lots of water!

all in

Parliament House training yesterday afternoon. I ran 8k early, five people joined me after that, Jen & Ruth ran just the warmup, Andy, Christopher, Craig & I ran the warmup then ran 12 x 200m on 2:30 with a 250m recovery, Rose Garden loop. Which means, I have completed all three such sessions within the 30 minute time limit. Next the challenge is to negotiate the hills successfully starting next Monday.

Song of the week: "All In" – Lifehouse – from "Smoke and Mirrors".


"Smoke & Mirrors" is one of my “top five albums” of 2010.

This week's training.

Mon 27 Dec	4:30pm	Parliament House 8k jog
	5:30pm	Parliament House speedygeese interval training
Sun 2 Jan	8:00am	Stromlo Forest Park speedygeese training
	9:00am	Weston Park Y-CRC 6k Women’s Jogalong

... otherwise playing it by ear while we have visitors.

caring and sharing

I am having a relaxing Boxing Day/Sunday, with family visitors and milder than usual December weather. I am feeling no desire to get out and hammer around any of my regular training courses: that can all start again tomorrow. Saturday was a good day for eating Christmas turkey and sipping wine. At any point in time there have been between three and eight grandchildren in our home; we have been sharing the visitors from Shellharbour with their other grandparents.

Now is probably a good time for me to share about next year. In 2009 this blog followed a theme of "transformation". In 2010 I occasionally pursued a theme of unity/diversity, although you wouldn't have noticed as I didn't spell it out.

[Slight pause as I save my wife's life! She had a lump of ham stuck in her throat! Panic is now over and we can relax again]

In 2011 I shall return to discuss running fundamentals. Stuff I wrote five years ago will be reviewed, modified, simplified, supplemented. The key-word which I shall use as a label for these posts: "foundations".

Where I have been running

There's such a thing as too much Christmas spirit.

What if Jesus had been born today?

santa claws

Happy Christmas to all the speedygeese and to fellow cat lovers everywhere!

And happy birthday to Jodie, 44 on Christmas Day!

events

Customs: No Customs 5k handicap on Fridays 24/12 or 31/12. Customs resumes Friday 7 January.

BBQ Stakes: No BBQ Stakes 6k handicap Wednesday 29/12. BBQ Stakes resumes Wednesday 5 January.

BBQ Stakes Results 22/12 

Roger Pilkington 28.20 

Geoff Moore 28.24 

Caroline Campbell 36.02.

Up and Running...                                               21/12/2010

"YMCA of Canberra Runners Club welcomes the announcement by Fairfax Events of its inaugural Australian Running Festival, to be held in Canberra on 9-10 April 2011. (see announcement on website http://canberramarathon.com.au/)"

"Club president, Geoff Sims said Canberra runners will be pleased, in particular, to see a marathon event in the April program. The new Canberra Times Canberra Marathon maintains the tradition of an Autumn marathon in Canberra, started over three decades ago by the ACT Cross Country Club. YMCA of Canberra Runners Club was established on 24 November 2010 by a resolution of the YMCA of Canberra Board. The aims of the new club are to encourage and promote cross-country and road running and to organise running events in Canberra into the future. YMCA of Canberra Runners Club is independent of the ACT Cross Country Club and is not associated with the dispute that has led the latter club into liquidation. From January 2011, the YMCA of Canberra Runners Club will conduct cross country, road running, jogalong and training events for Canberra's distance running community. Its program of events will be similar to that offered until December 2010 by the ACT Cross Country Club.  YMCA of Canberra Runners Club is pleased to be associated with Fairfax Events in the conduct of its Australian Running Festival.  The club is satisfied that Fairfax Events is committed to maintaining a cooperative and fair relationship with the Canberra running community.  YMCA of Canberra Runners Club is managed by a committee of runners, reporting to the YMCA Board.  The principal office holders are Geoff Sims, President, Sherryl Greathead, Vice-President, Bob Lowry, Secretary and Graeme Small, Treasurer."  

 

History of establishment of YMCA of Canberra Runners Club: "Arrangements to create the new club began in July 2010. A group of Canberra runners not involved with management of the ACT Cross Country Club formed an association that would be able to organise distance running events in the ACT, should the ACT Cross Country Club be unable to do so.   After exploring the most effective and economic way of administering a running program, and after considering benefits for runners, foundation members of the new association applied to create a distance running club within the YMCA of Canberra. To ensure its ability to meet the needs and expectations of the Canberra running community, the YMCA of Canberra Runners Club has acquired ACT Cross Country Club equipment, rights to use business names for major running events and ownership of the 'Canberra Runner' website.YMCA of Canberra's involvement with athletics extends back to at least 2003, when it established the YMCA Masters Games Athletics Club to conduct the athletics program for the Healthpact 9th Australian Masters Games.  The club has continued to operate as the organiser of National Running Week activities held in Thredbo each January."

"The YMCA of Canberra Runners Club is supporting the inaugural Australian Running Festival, to be staged in Canberra by Fairfax Events over the weekend of 9 and 10 April 2011. Entries are open via the website http://canberramarathon.com.au/" 

Breaking News: Canberra Times Canberra Marathon, 9-10 April 2011

Entries are now open for the Australian Running Festival 9-10 April 2011, incorporating The Canberra Times Canberra Marathon. Starting point: http://canberramarathon.com.au.