sticky tape

from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV3SWjrt2rE

hop it

Happy Birthday Kathy Southgate, 55 today! The W55 age group will never be the same!



from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYdDRTRaWr8

lead singer of The Big Polluders

I had to cut short yesterday's "30k run" because of a few sharp niggles.
Nevertheless everything was OK, good enough for me to sit down afterwards and put in my entry for the Australian Masters Games in Adelaide in October. Like last time, in 2009, I have entered only the 5000m track, the 8k cross country, and the half marathon road race.
The website to enter the Games is found at http://www.australianmastersgames.com

Last Thursday's Clarke & Dawe:



from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Vu15jVkTw

See you at Dickson tonight for the first session of Thursday training for 2011!

I was there!

There I am, can you see me? Or were those tall guys in front of me blocking the view?

Big Top Luna Park Thursday 21 April 2011

Switchfoot's lead singer in full voice

Pictures from http://www.facebook.com/#!/switchfoot

Meant To Live, from "Beautiful Letdown"
Fumbling his confidence
And wond’ring why the world has passed him by
Hoping that he’s meant for more than arguments
And failed attempts to fly, fly

We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside
Somewhere we live inside
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside

Dreaming about providence
And whether mice or men have second tries
Maybe we’ve been living with our eyes half open
Maybe we’re bent and broken, broken

We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside
Somewhere we live inside
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside

We want more than this world’s got to offer
We want more than this world’s got to offer
We want more than the wars of our fathers
And everything inside screams for second life

We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
We were meant to live
We were meant to live

On Thursday in Sydney, Switchfoot performed as many songs from "Beautiful Letdown" as they did from their most recent album, "Hello Hurricane".

speedygeese dinner, Zen Yai Thai

Announcing the speedygeese dinner, Tuesday 10 May 2011, 7:00pm

zen yai is an excellent thai restaurant situated in the sydney building on london circuit between northbourne avenue and east row. On this occasion we shall order from their extensive menu. Vegetarians are catered for, and the restaurant is byo/fully licensed. RSVP by Thursday 5 May, please!

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Happy birthday to Ewen, 54 today!

a week of holidaying

Coming Events, week 17 of year 2011:

Mon 25th	5:30pm	Parliament House training
Wed 27th	12:15pm	BBQ Stakes 6k handicap
Thu 28th	4:00pm	Dickson Oval – long run
	5:30pm	Dickson Oval - speedygeese training
Fri 29th	12:15pm	Customs Joggers 5k handicap
Sat 30th	8:00am	Metro Runners Acton Ferry Terminal
	1:00pm	YCRC Mills Creek
Sun 1 May	9:00am	YCRC Women’s Jogalong, Weston Park

I will be attempting a 100k week this week, which will be a bit tricky as we will be away for some of it, with quite a few parties and events happening. However, mild weather means no excuses! And I am going for a run now...

the final Brisbane distance event

The 8k cross country is always a fun event and a great way to finish off running at the nationals. Except, I've rarely managed to survive that long, although a couple of my years in the M35s were an exception, as was Blacktown a few years back. Quite a few runners depart so the fields can be smaller than on the track, although with a Sunday finish due to Anzac Day instead of the usual Monday finish, maybe it was different this time. This year I am told the course was less than perfect. Mud, long grass, sharp corners; you know. So well done to those who did well.

Results 8k cross country
Bruce Graham gold M45 and overall winner
Maria O’Reilly bronze W55
Katie Forestier 4th W45
Roger Pilkington 6-8th M50
Jeff Grey 8th M45

Remember no formal Parliament House training tomorrow but I have been told a few will still be turning up at the normal time. I shall see everyone on Thursday at Dickson!

A national 30k

Today I slept in, then ran a very slow 30k, having plenty of time on the run to listen on my Blackberry to every track on the four latest albums by “The National”. Quite good new music, or new to me anyway. The lead singer’s voice is reminiscent of Brian Ferry, for those old enough to remember him. The music and arrangements are excellent, the words pretty down-beat, verging on mild social and political satire, but mostly just reflecting the writer’s personal angst. Some clever lines, but I can’t imagine I’d have anything in common with the group’s normal audiences. The world I’m in is very different, for me it’s a needle and haystack world, but this writer has given up on haystacks although there are still a few needles around him, I expect. I am still running, but he’s stopped long ago. When The National’s songs ended, I switched back to Switchfoot, and I’m breathing in again. I call it living.

National track and field: AMA championships continues, more results are filtering through. .
1500m
Maria O'Reilly silver W55
Kathy Sims bronze W55
Emma Adams bronze W40
Ken White 4th M55
Colin Heywood 6th or 7th M55
Jeff Grey 5th M45
Rad Leovic gold M80.
5000m
Katie Forestier bronze W45
Maria O’Reilly bronze W55
Kathy Sims 4th W55
Roger Pilkington 8th M50
Bruce Graham 4th M45
Colin Heywood 4th M55
Jeff Grey 7th M45 (18:30, big pb)
400m
Emma Adams 4th W40
Noelene Burdon 4th W55
Ken White 4th M55
Robert Gerrard 6th M35
Consie Larmour gold W75
Corrie Collins gold W70
Sue Bourke silver W50
John Lamb silver M60
Geoff Sims bronze M60

Lyrics – Secret Meeting, by "The National"
I think this place is full of spies
I think they're onto me
Didn't anybody, didn't anybody tell you
Didn't anybody tell you how to gracefully disappear in a room
I know you put in the hours to keep me in sunglasses, I know

And so and now I'm sorry I missed you
I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain
It went the dull and wicked ordinary way
It went the dull and wicked ordinary way
And now I'm sorry I missed you
I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain

I think this place is full of spies
I think I'm ruined
Didn't anybody, didn't anybody tell you
Didn't anybody tell you, this river's full of lost sharks
I know you put in the hours to keep me in sunglasses, I know

And so and now I'm sorry I missed you
I had a secret meeting in the basement of my brain
It went the dull and wicked ordinary way
It went the dull and wicked ordinary way

Switchfootage

Last night's concert, Switchfoot's first of this year's Australian tour, was brilliant. Brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant. No wonder they are my favourite band. Jon Foreman's voice, live, is excellent I am delighted to report. They performed many of their older songs as well as many tracks off their most recent release, "Hello Hurricane". They didn't play anything from their next, long-awaited and still not released, "Vice Verses". No worries, we can wait another year given that their current music is so good. The concert was at Luna Park, Sydney. I got home and back to bed at 4:00am today.

No Switchfootage from me unfortunately as I guess I didn't operate my Blackberry's Video properly. Never mind, plenty of their material is on YouTube.

AMA Track Championships, Brisbane, speedygeese in red
800m
Maria O'Reilly gold W55
Kathy Sims bronze W55
Katie Forestier 4th W45
Emma Adams bronze W40
Ken White bronze M55

also Geoff Sims silver M60
Corrie Collins silver W70
Rad Leovic gold

10,000m
Bruce Graham silver M45
Colin Heywood gold M55

Taken from http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/ACT-Veterans-Athletic-Club/154445671239308. More detail and more results later.

Fly Goose Fly!

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
Love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are,
no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese,
harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
--Mary Oliver

Thursday's SPEEDYGEESE training sessions will commence on 28 April 2011 and continue every Thursday until October 2011.
Venue: The grass athletics field, Antill Street, Dickson ACT.
Training Pattern:
4:00pm: Craig, I, and any other early arrivals go for a long run AT MY TRAINING PACE. This is not as fast as you may think, but is still a reasonable speed.
5:30pm: The main group meets and sets off around the ovals for a warm-up jog.
5:45pm or 6:00pm: Formal interval training, under lights, no cost. The overall goal is to develop speed and endurance over five months. Any particular session can take the form of long or short repetitions, or relays, or handicap intervals, with varying types of recovery. Everyone can participate from the very fast to the very slow. There is no compulsion, as an option people can do part of the session or simply jog around and enjoy the company.
6:30pm: Training ends and we set off for a short cool-down run.
The more people who participate the better, as this provides more options for fun events like continuous relays. So everyone is welcome to join in, and please bring your friends!

Fly Goose Fly!

hello hurricane

Results Customs Joggers 5k on 15 April:
Yili Zhu 21:59
Bob Harlow 22:43
Caroline Campbell 26:02
Caroline Kramar 35:30
There will be no Customs Joggers event this week, Good Friday.

The fence is down!
Dickson Oval is available once again. We will resume training there on the 28th. If we get a good turn-out we can run continuous relays! So come along and bring all your running friends, everyone welcome. Please spread the word.

This Thursday, i.e. tomorrow, I shall be at a Switchfoot concert!
Song of the week: "Hello Hurricane", by Switchfoot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFjvaaF25F4

Training at Parliament House

Training last night were Andrew, Caroline, Christopher, Colin, Craig, me, Jochen, Joel, Ruth & Thea. Craig & I ran 8k early, then we all did a set of 20 x 100m uphill sprints on 90 seconds, on the lovely soft grass up the SE slope. All seemed to handle the hill work well, even those who had recently done hard distance races. It’s good to keep the coordination/balance work up, even if at a slightly reduced effort while in recovery mode. The focus can be on flexibility and form rather than on speed and strength.
Next Monday I won’t be at training but some are still going to meet at 5:30pm as usual, same time same place.
Yes we are there every Monday.

coming events

Monday 18 April 4:30pm Parliament House 8k jog.
5:30pm Parliament House speedygeese interval training.
Wednesday 20 April 12:15pm BBQ Stakes 6k Handicap, Woden Town Centre
Saturday 23 April 8:00am Metro runners, Acton Ferry Terminal
Future:
No Parliament House training on Easter Monday.
Dickson training commences Thursday 28th.
I'm rather pressed for time, hence the short posts(s)!
Best wishes to all those heading off to Brisbane for the Masters Track and Field Championships over Easter!

Today's ACTVAC handicap results

Majora Nature Park 10k
3 Mick Horan M50 46:10 73.7% **gold**
5 Caroline Campbell W65 57:26 **bronze**
26 Michelle Wells W35 44:40 78.0
27 Mick Charlton M55 59:21 62.3
28 Roger Pilkington M50 48:28 70.9
32 David Baussmann M60 50:40 73.7
36 Bob Harlow M60 45:20 83.0
38 Geoff Moore M60 45:25 82.6
39 Rod Lynch M50 41:54 81.3
41 Alan Duus M65 56:26 67.0
47 Kathy Southgate W50 44:23 90.9
53 Helen Larmour W50 47:40 82.2
67 Christopher Lang M60 56:11 66.4
72 Miranda Rawlinson 60:12 69.5
76 Craig Davis M40 53:49 59.0
87 Janene Kingston 55:56 64.7
99 Brett Morrison M40 99:39 31.9

Majura Nature Park 5k
1 Peter Hogan M60 31:02 59.8%
2 Maria O'Reilly W55 24:51 81.8
3 Peter McDonald 30:52 57.5
15 Jill Pearson W50 28:27 69.7
19 Cathy Montalto W55 29:16 70.8
31 Tony Booth M70 36:52 57.1

a windy birthday run.

I ran with Ann this morning, Ann is training for her next Half Marathon, the one on 22 May here in Canberra. There were no other takers. It was windy but not cold. And it is Ann's birthday! Happy Birthday Ann, 28 today!

which state?

What I am reading “The City & The City” by China Miéville. I guess the average Queenslander wouldn't have heard of it.

"It's the state of origin": from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAMB6rCAV0Q



ACTVAC 5000m Championships, Thursday Night Track
W45 Katie Forestier 20:17.47 77.5%
W50 Helen Larmour 20:45.03 81.6
W55 Maria O'Reilly 21:13.86 85.3
W40 Bronwyn Calver 21:46.19 69.4
M55 Graeme Patrick 22:08.90 69.6
W65 Caroline Campbell 23:58.02 90.6

Bronwyn's 5000m was a massive PB. And Caroline would be very pleased to have broken 24 mins.

Bronwyn

Warrick

Running in the rain in the Territory.

Roger

Plus Roger's official pictures and videos via http://tiktok.biz/canberramarathon/2011/a0732

no end in sight

Happy Birthday Miranda 58 today!

Training at Parliament House last Monday night saw Brett, Caroline, Colin, Craig, me, Jochen, Joel, Mick C, Nadine, Neil, Tony, & Yelena head down to the lake for 3 x one mile intervals. My feet didn't like the concrete much but it was worth trying the area for a change, nowhere else at night in the vicinity can one run a straight flat mile with reasonable lighting.

Customs result 8/4
Bob Harlow 22:37
Caroline Campbell 26:00
Carolyne Kramar 32:50

High Noon Meets are coming again in 2011: here are details, click to enlarge.

 Song of the Week: "Flags", by Brooke Fraser http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkTDD89_U48



Tori keeping a very smiling Ruth company during Ruth's marathon.

Now that I have completed the Running Festival Half Marathon, had a couple of long runs, done an intensive gym session, and had a sports massage, and all is OK, I am about to enter the next one: the Rex Foulkes Half Marathon on 22 May. Entries are open: click here to enter; race information here.

loud music + smile = 60km

Some footnotes to yesterday's post: (a) I have added Warrick and Adam's names to the speedygeese list; (b) both Liz and Ruth managed third place in their age categories, and (c) I was first M60 by only 15 seconds, phew! I was on only 5 minute per km pace for the last km or two, with many runners passing me, the second placegetter would have been catching me quite rapidly.

The website has photos and videos of every finisher, well worth checking out. Just click on the "2011", enter a surname on the results page, and go to their personal page.

Undoubtedly there are many remarkable stories of courage and perseverence. The most amazing story I have heard is that of Kelley, who did a 10k warm-up, then completed the ultra. And her 4:34 gave her second place in the W50-59 division of the 50km ultra.

Kelley + loud music + smile. Amazing performance.

sequential

Metro Runner Mary Zhang and I before the start of the half marathon - and before the start of the rain. Mary successfully completed her first ever half marathon, running 2:16.

Speedygeese in the Australian Running Festival
5k
409 34.10 Geoff Barker
634 finishers

10k
117 50.32 Sarah Pau
403 68.39 Adam Robinson
596 finishers

half marathon
88 1:34:07 Geoff Moore **winner M60-69**
110 1:35:47 Mick Horan
245 1:42:42 Charlie McCormack
256 1:43:02 Yili Zhu
257 1:43:03 David Baussmann
267 1:43:32 Bronia Rowe
322 1:44:59 Warrick Howieson
416 1:48:45 Katherine Sheppard
428 1:49:25 Bronwyn Calver
454 1:50:24 Craig Davis
1014 2:12.49 Adam Robinson
1071 2:16:21 Mary Zhang
1224 finishers

marathon
152 3:19.52 Liz Bennett
380 3:46.44 Colleen Koh
430 3:50.15 Kelley Flood
683 4:12.52 Ruth Baussmann
944 finishers

ultra
56 4:34.09 Kelley Flood
114 of the marathoners went on to complete the 50k ultra.

Craig Davis battling out the half marathon in the rain.

Coming Events, week 15 of year 2011:

Mon 11th	4:30pm	Parliament House 8k jog
	5:30pm	Parliament House speedygeese training
Wed 13th	12:15pm	BBQ Stakes 6k handicap
Thu 14th	6:00pm	ACTVAC T&F (final)
Fri 15th	12:15pm	Customs Joggers 5k handicap
Sat 16th	8:00am	Metro Runners Acton Ferry Terminal
	1:00pm	YCRC Anzac Relays, Northcote drive
Sun 17th	9:00am	ACTVAC Handicap, Majura

A couple of days ago Tim Calver finished the Marathon des Sables in 130th place. A huge congratulations, what a remarkable performance!