Chaos at Parliament House

What with a large number of tourists visiting Parliament House this time of year, massive numbers of students at school formals, and maiden speeches by prominent members of Parliament, it was chaos in the public car-park for Monday training this week.

At least three of us parked down the road and jogged up. Not a problem really, except some needed to get changed.

Many of us are on holidays so our numbers were down anyway.

Recent training sessions:
Thursday 28 November speedygeese @ Parliament House: Colin came along and ran the same session the group did on Monday - zigzag intervals at the lower flagpole area.

Saturday 30 November speedyducks @ Acton Ferry Terminal: Caleb joined me for an easy run.

Sunday 1 December speedygeese @ Stromlo Forest Park: I ran an 8k tempo run on the grass at Stromlo; but I did spend some time with Cathy & Caroline and others who were competing in the Women’s Jogalong, held at Stromlo this month and next.

Monday 2 December speedygeese @ Parliament House: I ran a steady 8k early with Miranda; then we took Andy, Christopher, Craig, me, Heather (new), Jen, Mick C, Miranda, Rae P, & Warrick to the big hill, southeast end, to run up the slope various distances. The two of us who ran early really struggled, it must have been the heat rather than the cracking pace. On the hill we were running "to points 1, 1½, 2, 2½, 3, or fence". The last run-up was "sprint up 2, jog back 1" until we reached the fence. Those who have done this session will know what this all means.

By all means join us: Saturday, Sunday, Monday & Thursday training will continue thru December, with the only break being Boxing Day, which is a Thursday.

recent race results

Tuesday 26 November YCRC Spring Series #4
Boathouse East 2k
6. Ewen Thompson M55 9:14
20 finishers

Boathouse East 5k
9. Andrew Simpson M40 19:45
12. Jennifer Bright W35 20:25
19. Kym Chisholm W30 21:40
29. Andrew Matthews M50 23:06
33. Kathy Sims W60 23:36
60. Mick Charlton M60 29:26
65 finishers

Friday 29 November Customs 5k Handicap
Jennifer Bright 20:27
Bronwyn Calver 23:11
Caroline Campbell 30:11

Saturday 30 November Ginninderra Parkrun #84
124 finishers

Saturday 30 November Tuggeranong Parkrun #41
164 finishers

Saturday 30 November Gungahlin Parkrun #7
A notable results – 40. Janene KINGSTON 25:38 W45
108 finishers

Sunday 1 December YCRC Women’s 6k Jogalong
13. Alison Sims W30 31:18
28. Michelle Wells W40 26:21
41. Kathy Sims W60 29:34
42. Marilyn Banfield W60 37:18
53. Cathy Montalto W60 33:39
56. Caroline Campbell W70 36:23
64 finishers

Sunday 1 December Dinner Plain Half Marathon
Sarah-Jayne Miller first female
I don't know why the name "plain", I am told it was "undulating", as well as high altitude, in the vicinity of Mt Hotham! Nevertheless, Sarah-Jayne wins yet another half marathon trail run!

Trouble Will Find Me

"Trouble Will Find Me" - The National

Today I start listing my top five albums of the Year 2013. As usual it was quite difficult to cut the list down to only five! At Number 5 is "Trouble Will Find Me", by The National.This is one of those albums which tells a story across all the tracks, and overall there is a feeling of sadness. All very well done.

Here is one of the tracks: "Fireproof".
From http://youtu.be/Ji-POOc1Tac

Caroline Campbell at World Masters

Porto Alegre, Brazil was the venue for the 2013 World Masters Athletic Championships. Caroline Campbell was there representing the speedygeese, well, representing Australia actually, in the W70 division. She competed in four distance races and did extremely well.

Caroline Campbell W70
5000m 4th(?) 26:05(?) *bronze*
10000m 4th 55:02
8k CC 3rd 44:11 *bronze*
Marathon 3rd 5:19.44 *bronze*

Not a bad set of results for a 71 year old! Great work, Caroline.

I am not sure if that 5k time is correct or should be 24:11.26, or something else. Nevertheless she received a bronze medal for it, but is now listed as 4th. Whichever, she was faster than I ran for my 5k split in today's 8k tempo run!

Caroline competing in the O'Connor Ridge handicap race this year.

Tallulah

Tallulah the car; Blue. VF Commodore 3.6 litre SIDI direct Injection V6 engine and 6-speed automatic transmission with Active Select; Dual Exhaust; 71 litre tank; 4 wheel disc brakes. Electronic Stability Control; electronic power steering; automatic park assist; blind spot alert; reverse traffic alert; automatic release electric park brake; six airbags; rear spoiler; Mylink infotainment system with colour touch screen for radio CD USB bluetooth iPod integration phone navigation smartphone etc; DVD playback; Satnav system with live traffic updates, traffic navigation and points of interest; and more. And it is blue.

Tallulah the mascot: a chick, Maisy Maisy Mouse's best friend. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maisy_Mouse

Dinner Plain Half Marathon

Happy Birthday Lucia, 32 today!

Sarah-Jayne (see https://www.facebook.com/sarahjayne.miller.5 ) is running this Sunday the "Dinner Plain Half Marathon" (http://www.visitdinnerplain.com/Pages/Events/103-Dinner_Plain_Mile_Trail_Run_-_1_December_2013.aspx)

Looks good! See the half marathon course map at http://www.milehightrailrun.com/#Section-1

By the look of the elevation, my guess is that S-J probably won’t run a PB. But she will definitely enjoy the run.

Fast and Speedy Form Guide

As 2013 nears its end, it is time once again to check out the form of the speedygeese.

Abi Fargher is running at Max speed these days.
Amanda Cook is speedy towards the end of an event, provided the event in question is a triathlon.
Andrew Simpson is sporty and healthy, and not ageing.
Andy Matthews has an aspirational goal: to run as fast as Jen Bright.
Bronwyn Calver is our only Hall of Fame-er. Has many speedy runs on the scoreboard.
Caroline Campbell age and speed will not weary her. But no ageing in evidence here.
Cathy Montalto an original goose, ran with us when the whole group was even speedier.
Cathy Newman always speeds up during a run, even during the 100m.
Christopher Lang would be speedier if running were not a warm-up for singing.
Clint Zirk who? That’s right, an alien with two (possibly) hearts. Built for speed.
Colin Farlow still training fast to train fast, déjà vu.
Craig Davis local hero. Speediest member of his household.
Eliza Middleton the secret of her speed is “ants in the pants”.
Ewen Thompson [see Cathy Montalto]
Garry Maher ageing grizzled sprinter, vulnerable in the 800m.
Geoff Moore biggest goose. Nice speedy car, but.
Jen Bright surges faster than the speed of bright.
Joel Pearson New M30, very speedy when allowed out.
Kathy Sims occasional visitor, speediest W60. Once never missed a session.
Kelley Flood [see Kelley Horan]
Kelley Horan [see Kelley Flood]
Kerrie Tanner talks about joining us again. A lot.
Kylie Malone warms up faster than my sprint.
Kym Chisholm due for a few wins, if she plays her cards right.
Lucia Pietropaoli warms up faster than my jog.
Margaret McSpadden could have claimed speedygeese longevity [see Ewen Thompson] if she hadn’t confessed to being a twin. Her identical sister was indeed speedy, even when walking.
Maria O'Reilly [see Kathy Sims]
Mick Charlton was speedy once, now quite retiring.
Mick Horan Always quick to follow orders. Not that it’s me giving the orders.
Miranda Rawlinson would feel safer if she drove to training in a good fast rugged SUV.
Peter Burke want to run a speedy 5k and break 20 minutes? Tag onto Peter.
Rae Palmer potential running streaker when she turns 67 next year. I will be watching!
Rod Lynch is he still speedier than his son? If so, not for long, but well done so far.
Ruth Baussmann thinks Canberra Marathon will be quicker than a freezing New York, even with all the hills of Canberra's new course.
Sarah-Jayne Miller New W30, hills don’t slow her down. Enough.
Susan Sturgeon A speedy return to health and 2014 looks good.
Tori Hennig [see Maria O'Reilly]
Warrick Howieson can be speedy. But not at the top of a hill towards the end of the marathon.
Yelena Pearson could be back to something like Max speed [see Abi Fargher] late next year, I would be expecting.

New Canberra Marathon course

So if you are training for the April 13 Canberra Marathon you might like to train on some hilly courses. Detail at Canberra Marathon website http://runningfestival.com.au/.

Our recent training sessions:
Thursday 21 November speedygeese @ Parliament House (new session)
Present were Andrew, Colin, Garry, me, and Miranda. We ran 12 x 150m "corridor sprints" on two minutes, from down by the lake to uphill on the grass.

Saturday 23 November speedyducks @ Acton Ferry Terminal
Caleb came and ran, and Jen, Miranda & I went on a longer run

Sunday 24 November speedygeese @ Stromlo Forest Park
This time I was the only starter, although it was not as cold as it has been that early in the day. The interval part of my run was 10 x 100m with a 200m jog in between. I am just starting to work more speed into the training sessions.

Monday 25 November speedygeese @ Parliament House
I ran early, as did Miranda. Then Andy, Bronwyn, Christopher, Garry, me, Jen, Kym, Miranda, Rae P, and Warrick trained in the main session which we divided into two parts with a six minute jog in between. At the lower flagpole section, the first part was 12 minutes of running triangles sprinting up the diagonal; the second part was 12 minutes of zigzag relays in teams of two.

games

Wednesday 13 November BBQ Stakes 6k Handicap
9. Helen Larmour 27:53
22. Jennifer Bright 25:44
31. Andrew Matthews 29:51
37. Caroline Campbell 38:20
54 finishers

Tuesday 19 November YCRC Spring Series #3
Black Mountain Peninsula 1.7k
5. Ewen Thompson M55 7:54
8. Caroline Campbell W70 8:43
25 finishers

Black Mountain Peninsula 5k
20. Helen Larmour W50 22:01
24. Maria O'Reilly W55 22:51
35. Kathy Sims W60 24:36
60 finishers

Friday 22 November Customs 5k Handicap
14 Bronwyn Calver 23:31
24 Caroline Campbell 30:19
26 finishers

Saturday 23 November Ginninderra Parkrun #83
66 Jill PEARSON 26:44 W55
134 finishers

Saturday 23 November Tuggeranong Parkrun #40
53 Ewen THOMPSON 25:32 M55-59
161 finishers

Saturday 23 November Gungahlin Parkrun #6
34 Amanda COOK 25:58 W35
57 Margaret MCSPADDEN 28:48 W65
120 finishers

Sunday 24 November ACTVAC Handicap
Central Curtin 6.3k
3 Christopher Lang M60 38:12 57.6%
13 Kym Chisholm W30 27:58 68.6
15 Marilyn Banfield W60 39:43 67.1
20 Rod Lynch M50 24:05 84.4
22 Maria O'Reilly W55 29:08 84.4
32 Mick Horan M50 27:19 75.0
37 Jennifer Bright W35 26:23 76.1
46 Andrew Matthews M50 31:22 65.3
73 finishers

Central Curtin 3k
38 Jill Pearson W55 23:43 45.5%
38 finishers

The games we play

song of the year

Over the next five Mondays I am going to feature my top five albums of 2013. However today I wanted to put in a plug for my "song of the year", for two reasons: the album it is from didn't make my top five, and the song itself is way better than any other I have ever heard; no contest. Since I have featured this song already this year, here is an acoustic version. The song is "Oceans(Where Feet May Fail)" sung by Taya Smith of Hillsong United. The album is called "Zion".

From http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGRz2BJQRXU

about time

Spring must be over, no more angry birds.
It is safe again at Stromlo Forest Park.

About Time.

It's all about time

and the weather...

... This is the storm over Parliament House last Monday when we were training there.

50th Anniversary

... of Doctor Who

ACTVAC future events

While the AIS track is closed for resurfacing, and I am sure they will start any time soon, there are still some events you can attend*

1. November Run/Walk Handicap – Change of Venue
Date: Sunday 24th November
Time: 8.30 am
Venue: Central Curtin - Curtin Primary School near the oval (on Theodore St C8 on Yellow Pages map 22).
The Thomas course is 6.3 km and the Frylink and Waddell courses are 3 km.
Cost: $4 for members, $8 for day membership

Please stay around after the Handicap events and enjoy some drinks (soft drinks, bubbly and beer) provided by the Club as this is the last event for the year. Annual awards will also be presented.

2. Albury T&F Meet 30 November
Athletics ACT invites members from ACTVAC to join its own members in travelling to Albury for an inaugural track and field meet on 30 November. The Border Track & Field Senior Club and surrounding Riverina athletes will provide competitors with a great afternoon of competition. The entry fee for athletes is just $5.00.

A Charter Coach has been booked and will depart the AIS car park at 8.30am arriving by 12.30pm. Competition commences at 2pm through until 6pm with the coach leaving Albury around 6.30pm for arrival at the AIS 10.30-11pm. The bus will stop at Gundagai on the way and likewise on the return trip.

All passengers will be charged a small admin fee of $10.00 and an online facility is now available on the AACT website at
http://www.athleticsact.org.au/aact-news/alburytrackfieldmeet-nov30 so you can book your seat! A draft program is also available using this link.

3. AACT & Gininderra Little Athletics Meet – Charnwood Oval Sat 23 November
Ginninderra Little Athletics is hosting an ‘all comers’ Athletics ACT Summer Series T&F Meet on Saturday 23 November commencing at 12.00pm. The club oval is located on Lhotsky St, Charnwood. All ACTVAC members are invited to compete.

*I shall use the break to focus on training

Why lift weights when you can run against gravity?

This article promotes hill sessions twice a week:
http://running.competitor.com/2013/11/training/steep-hill-sprints_9050
which is what we will be doing until the end of the year - some kind of hill work at Parliament House on Mondays and Thursdays!

arboretum photos

Not photos of trees - photos of some of the speedygeese who were in the October ACTVAC handicap.

Christopher

Christopher has returned to a couple of training sessions after a long absence

Jill

I haven't seen Jill at training for a while but she is still going in the Vets handicaps and some of the Parkruns

Ruth

Always photogenic, Ruth is still overseas travelling around the US after completing the New york marathon

Who has been at training?
This Monday at Parliament House I jogged around after a week off, and supervised the group running for 30 minutes a 400m loop with a 270m loop recovery. Participating were Andy, Bronwyn, Craig, Garry, Jen, Kym, and Rae W.

**This Thursday I have decided to train at Parliament House at 5:30pm, anyone can come along.  All being well, we will continue training there for the rest of the year**

recent race results

Wednesday 6 November BBQ Stakes 6k Handicap
23. Andrew Matthewss 29:36
24. Kerrie Tanner 29:56
29. Helen Larmour 27:59
48. Caroline Campbell 44:25
54 finishers

Tuesday 12 November YCRC Spring Series #2
Barrenjoey Drive 2k
5. Ewen Thompson M55 10:26
9. Caroline Campbell W70 12:34
17 finishers
(The first four finishers were aged 8, 9, 10 and 11 respectively!)

Barrenjoey Drive 5k
9. Jennifer Bright W35 21:05
15. Mick Horan M50 21:35
21. Maria O'Reilly W55 23:05
39. Mick Charlton M60 28:30
49 finishers

Friday 15 November Customs 5k Handicap
Bronwyn Calver 22:59
Jennifer Bright 28:44
Caroline Campbell 28:51

Saturday 16 November Ginninderra Parkrun #82
33 Lucia PIETROPAOLI 23:19 W30
71 Jill PEARSON 26:39 W55
139 finishers

Saturday 16 November Tuggeranong Parkrun #39
175 finishers

Saturday 16 November Gungahlin Parkrun #5
42 Margaret MCSPADDEN 28:23 W65 New PB!
83 finishers

exhumed

Song of the week: "Bear", by Sparrow Folk.
from http://www.abc.net.au/local/videos/2013/08/01/3815925.htm

Sparrow Folk are the Canberra "Exhumed" winners. Exhumed is a new series on ABC1. If you missed it last week, part 1 can be downloaded from http://www.abc.net.au/tv/exhumed/pages/s3867344.htm

Part 2 (of 5) will be shown on ABC1 at 8:00pm this Thursday 21st. For fans of good local amateur music, "Exhumed" is not to be missed! And just like the "Vets", all participants must be at least 30 years old, with most being somewhat older!

2014 goals

Goals for the year 2014

1. Run the Centenary Trail
The plan is to run each of the seven sections of Canberra's Centenary Trail in 2014, on seven separate days. Company would be good and I will have to arrange transport. Information about the trail is found at http://www.tams.act.gov.au/parks-recreation/recreational_activities/centenary-trail. Here is an excerpt and there are maps and very detailed guides.

What is the Centenary Trail?
The Centenary Trail is a 145 kilometre self-guided, non-motorised loop trail for walkers and touring cyclists that showcases Canberra and takes users on a journey between urban and rural environments past iconic sites and hidden treasures.
The Centenary Trail is divided into daily sections, spaced for walkers and bike riders. Users are able to join or leave the trail in many locations.
The Centenary Trail is:

• a seven day walk, averaging just over 20 kilometres per day or
• a three day ride, averaging just over 45 kilometres per day.

The trail is designed to be accessible for as many walkers and cyclists as possible. It follows fire trails, walking tracks and shared paths in urban and natural areas and is open to everyone. The trail is designed for low intensity use by all walkers and cyclists of moderate ability and is generally less than 10 percent gradient.
Trail Sections

Section 1 - Parliament House to Watson
Section 2 - Watson to Northern Border Campsite
Section 3 - Northern Border Campsite to Hall Village
Section 4 - Hall Village to Black Mountain
Section 5 - Black Mountain to Stromlo Forest Park
Section 6 - Stromlo Forest Park to Tuggeranong Town Centre
Section 7 - Tuggeranong Town Centre to Parliament House

2. Keep working out at the gym (as well as running)
I have enjoyed working out at the CIT gym for the last couple of months and will continue to do so. Unlikely to go elsewhere, too.

3. Break 20 minutes for 5000m.
This goal says it all. Obviously there are a host of sub-goals about training I might have listed. Let's just say "whatever it takes"*

*not in the Essendon Football Club sense of this motto

How to get race ready in four weeks

This is an article from the Running Competitor website
at http://running.competitor.com/2013/11/training/how-to-get-race-ready-in-4-weeks_62116
and four weeks preparation from virtually nothing is exactly what I did after a month touring outback Queensland in August this year and before the Australian Masters Games in early October.

I like the following quotes from the article:

“My advice with only four weeks to go is to not over-commit on the training.”

“A runner going from little training to guns blazing shouldn’t expect a personal best”

“Building mileage isn’t as important as focusing on quality workouts with only four weeks to go until your race.”

“use your last quality session in week 4 to prime you for the race.”

Of course, one of the problems I had was that I would be racing three long hard races in five days. The other problem was the strained lower back I sustained just days before the first race, which meant the focus had to move towards fixing that - by resting. But it is possible to do three things at once: "train to race and race to train simultaneously" and recover from an acute injury. And plan the race tactics. Four things.

My pattern over the four weeks, though not the detail, followed that recommended in the article. I had a short buildup and a short taper, I focussed more on quality in between, and I had one short race as a tune up for the Games. Note - just the one.

So it's possible to get race sharp in four weeks. Not the best plan, but sometimes necessary. Particularly when injuries or work, or holidays even, intervene and you have to keep starting again.

coming events

From the side-bar, which I update every day or two:
Future...
Friday 15 November
12:10pm Customs 5k (handicapped race)

Saturday 16 November
8:00am Ginninderra 5k Parkrun #82
8:00am Tuggeranong 5k Parkrun #39
8:00am Gungahlin 5k Parkrun #5
9:00am speedyducks @ Acton Ferry Terminal

Monday 18 November
4:30pm easy run @ Parliament House
5:30pm Speedygeese @ Parliament House (intervals)

Tuesday 19 November
6:15pm YCRC Spring Series #3 Black Mountain Peninsula 5k

Wednesday 20 November
12:10pm BBQ Stakes 6k (handicapped race)

Friday 22 November
12:10pm Customs 5k (handicapped race)

Saturday 23 November
8:00am Ginninderra 5k Parkrun #83
8:00am Tuggeranong 5k Parkrun #40
8:00am Gungahlin 5k Parkrun #6
9:00am *speedyducks @ Acton Ferry Terminal

Sunday 24 November
7:00am *speedygeese @ Stromlo Forest Park (long intervals)
9:00am ACTVAC handicap, Central Curtin (new venue)

*=I expect to attend

Note I have removed the asterix from a couple of events because I will not be able to make training for a little while yet. I am HOPING to resume training on Saturday 23rd and go from there. But until then, running is not a good idea.

If you ever want to know exactly what training and racing is happening in the next seven days, open this blog and view the sidebar.

Another service I can offer you is, if you wish to receive an email on a weekly basis let me know: an email sent on Mondays which gives you the coming events for the next seven days, and the blog posts for the previous seven days. You won't be giving me more work because I already send that email to a short list of people and it is just a matter of me adding your name to the contact list, and voilà.

Today:
44 years ago today Jenny and I announced our engagement! We were married the next year.