November 28, 2012

BBQ Stakes Wednesday 28 th November 2012

Geoff Hawke to the rescue.

Alison Haile won last weeks stakes and was due to be the timekeeper today, in the last hour or so before the run, she asked Geoff Hawke to fill in for her in the timekeeping dapartment.

Adrian Plunkett was a notable absentee, in attending  golf at royal Sydney Golf Club.

So Kerrie Tanner was left in charge of today's proceedings, ably assisted by Julie Quinn in doing the runner recording at the finish.

Two or more new starters today, Tania from Russia here for a few weeks holiday, and Matt Deow, from Matthew Murphy's workplace.

Word of mouth brings a lot of new runners.

Fast runners last week were Peter Bourke in 25:35, and Alison Haile in 35:46.  Julie Quinn was last week fastest female in 26:35, and florien Benz was fastest male in 26:37.

Pointscore leader is on 1529, second is Julie on 1360,  and third is on 1357, I think that's George.

Today's placegetters were Michael de Velde, first, Matt Plestow  second and John Scheding placed third.

Next week is the trophy run for the teams, and in December the Christmas Relay and Annual awards are scheduled.

November 27, 2012

ACTVAC Run/Walk Handicap Annual Awards

 
 
ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD 2011
Pauline Rohan, John Alcock, Bernie Millett
 
I congratulate these recipients
 
 

November 25, 2012

From The Runners Shop Website


Nick Walshe

Nick is now the owner of The Runners Shop, having bought the business off Brian after a number of years working as an accountant. Nick competes locally in distance running, and has also represented the ACT for national cross country and national half-marathon championships. His international highlight came in 2004, when Nick was part of a mixed team of distance runners from PricewaterhouseCoopers, who qualified for the JP Morgan World Corporate Challenge in New York. Nick ran a solid time for the 5.6km course, finishing in 30th place. Nick is currently training for marathons, and is hoping to beat his personal best 2hr 32min. Nick and his wife Linda now have two children, with son Noah and daughter Stephanie.

The White Friar

This book, I noticed in the Woden Library last week.

The title drew my attention.

The summary of the contents revealed it was a mystery.

A visiting card showed a drawing of a monk in a white habit and cowl.
 
Who was the White Friar.

Eventually in the last pages of the book, the truth was revealed.

None of the activities of the book, resemble any of my activities in my lifetime.

November 24, 2012

Australian W 80 5000m record - Norma Wallett

The  outstanding performance this recent Thursday  was Norma Wallett breaking the Australian W80 5000m record by a whopping 5 minutes. The national record was around 36:06, and Norma ran 31:11.58.

Thanks to Speedygeoff for this information.

November 21, 2012

BBQ Stakes 21 st November 2012

Today's winner was Alison Haile, second last week I think or high in the placings.

Alison has 173 runs with 6 wins and a P.B. of 30:09.

 Michael De Velde was second and I didn't hear who was third as Kerrie was admonishing the returning Bob Harlow, as she was making the annoncements.

Garry Bowen came in at the end, 56 th,  of the field, due to not being able to get a drink of water, on the sidelines during the run. Helen Larmour started late and finished 62nd, while Gabrielle Wtright finished 63 rd.

Roger Pilkington was 60 th, left behind by Robert Ey, they usually finish together.

John Barrett was fastest male last week at 28:20, and Julie Quinn fastest female in 26:39.

Being the end of the year, several regulars are changing departments, and they were given a heartfelt send off.

Christmas relays are to be held on Wednesday 12 th December, second wednesday, I think cost is $2 this year.  Start chatting to your team mate to work out your strategy and your team start times.

Two per team, closest to 40 minutes are the winners to hold the Golden Shoes trophy for 12 months.

Relay referee is Terry Levings who thought this concept through and has been a regular result worker out since its inception.

Sir Terrence of Levings, as he is known elsewhere.

Tim Wright, who has been helping with recording the past few weeks, is doing well with his pacemaker, and went for a long walk recently.

After many years helping out and participating, Tim and Gabrielle no longer go to the Monthly Jogalong.


November 15, 2012

Paul Blessington

Death of Paul Blessington (updated)


Paul Blessington, who had to leave his post as St Helena’s Financial Secretary to seek urgent medical help, has died in Australia. He had cancer.
Paul’s contribution to life on St Helena went far beyond the requirements of his job. He was an energetic leader of Jamestown scouts, and supplied regular reports on the golf club.The following statement was issued from The Castle on 14 November 2012:St Helena Government has this morning learned the deeply sad news that our former colleague and Financial Secretary, Paul Blessington, passed away today in Australia.HE Governor Capes has sent a message of condolence to Margaret Blessington and Paul’s family on behalf of the public service.Governor Capes said: “Tamara and I were deeply saddened to learn of Paul’s death. I have also received messages from colleagues in the FCO and DfID who were also sorry to hear this news.“Paul fought a tremendous fight against his illness, supported with much love and care from Margaret and his family and friends. His memory will live on in the hearts and minds of so many people here in St Helena.”Paul was born in the UK but his career took him to Australia, where he became national president of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He also taught public sector management at the Australian National University.He arrived on St Helena in January 2009 to work as government economist, and he and his family quickly began to make an impact in other areas of island life, including the scouts and guides.A year later he was promoted to become Financial Secretary, giving him a seat on the island’s executive council.He was a very fit man, and would regularly run from The Castle in Jamestown to his home at Piccolo Hill, Longwood in under an hour – involving an ascent of 2,000 feet. In the past he had taken part in mountain running events.But his name did not feature in the results lists for the 2012 St Helena Festival of Running.On 12 July 2012, only a few weeks before his three-year contract was to end, it was announced that he would be leaving the island that day on the NP Glory 4 cargo ship, having been advised to seek urgent medical attention.Storms meant his voyage was uncomfortable and prolonged by several days, but he reached Namibia in time to catch a flight to Cape Town, where he underwent tests. He eventually flew home to Australia."
A funeral service will be held this coming Saturday, refer the Canberra Times for further details.
Many of you will have run with Paul and will be saddened to hear of his passing. Paul was a regular CJs participant, always positive and encouraging and kept in touch even after moving to St Helena.

His family would welcome CJs runners at his service at St John’s church, Reid, on Saturday at 11am. Any contributions can be made to Outward Bound Australia or the Australian Railway Historical Society.

November 14, 2012

BBQ Stakes 14 th November 2012

Now is the time to start getting your team and team strategy worked out for the Annual Christmas Relays, and presentations in December.

There will be no ordinary run that day, the relays commence at 5:30 pm in the usual start area.

Teams of two estimate each member to a start time, which will result in the team finishing closest to 40 minutes overall.

The trophy is a pair of Golden Shoes the winning team will keep for one year.

Friendly rivalry results in a great event which has been staged for a number of years now, under the watchful, guiding,  eye of Terry Levings.  "Sir Terence of Levings"  as he is known in other circles of Canberra Running, and an  accredited AA  course measurer.

Today's winner was John Barrett, crossing the line at 40:05, although Jeff King beat him to the line.  I think John had a win recently, so he is striking good form at the business end of the season.

John has 782 runs his 22 nd win with a P.B. of 23:33.

Julie Quinn was fastest last week at 20:47.  Daniel Buckley wore an Germany Track and Field emblazoned T-Shirt.

Robert Ey and Paul Baungarten were awarded their 100 run T-Shirts, 

Lloyd Donnelly, ran today after having missed many runs through being overseas and working on Weddnesdays. He now hopes to have a continual run at the stakes.

Simon Heineken, last week's winner mow has a handicap of 12:45, and has joined a cycling group, and is thinking of setting himself for a half marathon running race, so is intent on putting in some suitable training. I think his run time last week was 29:18.

November 09, 2012

Toothpaste Tubes

We have  usde the same brand of toothpaste over the many years.

However over the past most recent couple of years, I have noticed that    .........

the tubes, when depleted by one fifth or one quarter of the contents,    will suddenly disgorge a quantity of air,    This I have been thinkung of for a while before blogging about it.

Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon. ??

Is it something I can complain to the manufacturers about,  or should I worry that I am not getting full value for the money spent on purchasing these items.??

Has any other person noticed this occurring ??

It does not seem to occur with shaving cream tubes.


Should I write to the manufacturers ??

November 07, 2012

BBQ Stakes 7 th November 2012

Only a sparse group of 35 competed today, including Axel Godeck, after the wheels had fallen off his aspirations.

His comeback however lasted several weeks where he had done better, and had him fired up to do even  better.

The winning team today was IP Australia, after my comment last week that IP Australia could be in for a win for the teams.

Simon Heinecke did a "Victor Hessel" like finish, where he jogged to the finish line and on the finish line for many seconds, before recording his finish time across the line.  He has 65 runs with a P.B. of 21:37.  Second was Aloson Haile in 40:05, with Ben Rheay third in 40:15.

I think his strategy helped IP to record a team win today.


While a triple triathlon over last weekend, kept some away to recover, others were fiercely competitive; one runner lost concentration and headed off in the wrong direction before being recalled, he finished well back in the field after thinking he had a winning chance today.

Note that the Christmas Relays for the BBQ Stakes will be held on Wednesday 12 th December commencing at 5:30 pm.  With presentations and annual awards to be  held after the relays, where each team of two tries to finish closest to 40 minutes for the course.  This is an occasion not to be missed.

Will Julie Quinn be the first female to win the yearly pointscore ??

November 05, 2012

Stromlo Running Festival 2013


Challenge yourself over the 30km or 10km Lightning Strike Trail Runs!



In 2013, the STROMLO Running Festival will take place in Canberra on the weekend of the 15th-17th February 2013, but now with a more condensed program now focussing on the Lightning Strike 30km and 10km events, the 12-hour and the 7.5km Cross Country. On-site camping and caravan facilities will again be available for those participants who would like to stay at the event venue, however the all-inclusive entry is no longer available.

The 30km Lightning Strike event provides a challenging run for even the most experienced runners. The profile of the course makes it one of the toughest trail runs in Canberra. In 2013, transport of runners from the event hub to the start is included as part of the entry cost.

The new 10km Lightning Strike course developed in 2012 proved to be a great success and will once again be used in 2013. This event now starts and finishes at the event hub in Stromlo Forest Park and consists of a flowing and picturesque loop around one of Canberra's best nature parks.

The 7.5km Cross Country race will now be held as a normal mass start with all runners beginning at the same time and Age-Sex adjusted performances calculated after the event, based on competitors finishing time. There is still $2,000 in prize money available for the event. The handicaps and rules for the event are based on your age and gender and can be found on the website (www.stromlorunningfestival.com.au).

Building on the success of the inaugural 12-hour event, a range of ultra events will now start on Saturday evening and will now also include 6-hour, 50km, 12-hour and 100km options. In 2012, the 1km road loop course proved to be a fast one, with many experienced ultra runners netting personal best distances, so why not test yourself in one of these unique events?

If you are looking for a great weekend away; an event to finish off your summer; or your final training preparation for the 6-Foot Track Marathon – the STROMLO Running Festival has an event for you.

In 2013 the Stromlo Running Festival will offer the following events:

- Lightning Strike 30km

- Lightning Strike 10km

- Cross Country race (7.5km)

- Ultra Events featuring 12-hour, 100km, 6-hour, and 50km events

Early bird entries will be taken from the 1st of October through to the 30th of November 2012. Camping and caravan sites for the weekend will be at a further cost of $20 per person ($50 for a family with 2 adults and up to 6 children).

November 03, 2012

Australian Outback Marathon

27 th July 2013

www.australianoutbackmarathon.com


Book through travelling fit 1300 728 296

Australian Outback Marathon 27 th July 2013

November 02, 2012

Customs Joggers Friday 2 November 2012

Competed (not). " Participated" may be a better statement about today's effort.

I got in the post this morning two pairs of compression socks.

Thought I'd try them out, they tired me out instead.

Wore them over a 5.4 km course, something resembling the Custome Joggers Floriade course, which means at that speed there is plenty of room for improvement.  The first km was just on 10 minutes.

Must get over to Stromlo Forest Park for a few training runs, where I think the YMCA runners club are going to hold some of their races.

Then recycled our old mobile phone at Duffy Shop/Post Office, by placing all the paraphenalia into an envelope, signing a declaration that there were no dangerous goods in there, and leaving it for collection at the Post Office.  It's all too easy.