Tesso - one of the Magi

Canberra was graced by one of the Queens of the blog world, when Tesso from Brisbane joined me (at left) and a couple of others for a nice run around the Mawson, Isaacs, Wanniassa area of Canberra's south.

It actually felt a bit strange to be honest. This is Pink Arrows territory (the name of my Saturday running group) , except that my group weren't out this morning resting up for their participation in the 'Tour de Mountain' challenge tomorrow. So to be running over the familar tracks and trails on a Saturday without my group felt odd. But to be there with Tesso, along with Steve and CJ, was special.

I was a tad embarrassed that the run was longer and hillier than Tesso had expected. She had wanted something longish but easy. With that in mind, her and I had gone for a 5-6k primer before we would catch up with Steve and CJ for what we thought would be a gentle 13 gallop through the suburbs. What we found, however, was that Steve the Mountain Goat wanted to do a trial run of tomorrow's Tour de Mountain for CJ's benefit. Um...ok! Being runners we can accept any challenge, leap tall buildings with a single bound, stop trains, etc.

So with Steve leading, we followed....little rats trailing the Pied Piper to god-knows-what. Launching out of the shops at Mawson, I warned Tesso that...ahem...there was a gentle little climb to come up and over Isaacs Ridge. A little later I then mentioned that there was....um...a slight incline to negotiate over Mt Wanniassa. Of course after that, I said, it is all down hill to the finish at the Mawson shops - that is if you choose to ignore the one of two 'mild undulations' here and there we still had to do. Anyway after about 14-15 kms of lung-crunching hills I wondered if Tesso would still be talking to me. She was and it was great to have the chance to chat to her throughout the morning about running, about things in general, including our not too dissimilar schooling in Brisbane.

A lowlight of the run was a classic case of Tuggeranong Don 'foot in mouth' disease when I proclaimed loudly for all to hear that Tuggeranong Don never falls over when he runs. It might happen to others but not to me, I said rather stupidly. Of course that dude with horns, a cape, a pitched fork and from a place a little too hot for comfort then made an appearance didn't he! A little later in the run for the first time ever I fell, tripping over probably not much at all and landing in a flurry of dust, interupting a very enjoyable chat I was having with CJ. CJ had been telling me about her yummy gingerbread muffins. I don't think she had realised she was running beside a ginger haired twit!

Anyway, this post is my tribute to Tesso. Tesso's own blog is a delight to read, full of so many observations of other great runners and great runs. But what comes through so strongly in her blog is that running is fun. The 'fun run'. It's the heading on a million promotional flyers for recreational and community runs all over the world.

Yet, stripped to the core, the fun run is our Christmas Star drawing us runners ever closer to the meaning of why we run. Tess, I think you are like one of the magi from the east with their gifts of gold, frankincence and myrrh. Only in your case, your gift can't be weighed or carried. But it is a bountiful one just the same. It is the sense of fun you bring to this wonderful sport of ours. We are all the richer for the treasures you have shared with us.

The cycle of life

I have had a strange week of running, hitting a real flat spot in my form.

I said in my last post that last Sunday's Triple Tri was one of the toughest runs I have done and perhaps that accounts for the way I have felt since. I seem to be battling nausea and fatigue for runs that I would take easily in my stride. Yesterday's 19km run with my Saturday group was one of my worst. I struggled on all the hills and even had to do the unthinkable for me - resort to walking at several spots. I'm not sure what's going on here, but perhaps diet is to blame and mine is far from perfect. Perhaps the heat and difficulty of last Sunday's run took more out of me than I thought.

Still, I'm careful not to complain. I love my running enormously and I am currently free from injury. And as a postscript to last Sunday's Triple Tri we all heard the terrible news that there was a fatality out on the course during the middle run leg of last Sunday's event. Details are very scarce but the story doing the rounds is that a young runner collapsed and could not be revived. I only wish to extend my sympathies and sincere concern to the family of the person involved. That was a dark shadow over an otherwise great day.

On a happier note I had the pleasure of seeing daughter Alana do her thing at today's Women's and Girls' Jogalong at Weston Park. My little darling likes her running and just for the fun of it, as her smile shows (above). As the last run for the year, it was also presentation day and it was a real thrill to see the son of my running buddy, Michelle, take out a prize for best male junior runner.

Running reflects so much of life. Like life, running has its fair share of pain, glory, joy, disappointment, estacy, and sadness. Great runners come and go. All of us come and go. It seems that as soon as we struggle to come to terms with the tragic loss of a loved one or friend, we still have the capacity to see, through our tears, youth and renewal all around us. The cycle of life in its wonderous beauty goes on. See that cycle at work in the smile on a little girl's face doing an activity she loves with the world at her feet. With not a care or a worry about what might happen tomorrow, she is simply living for the joy of the moment.

Running does that to a little girl - or boy. Running can do that to all of us. Let's cherish the little girl or boy in all of us that running - and the cycle of life - brings forth.

Triple Tri

I've had a big weekend for running; actually a big week when I think about it.

I headed out to the AIS track last Thursday night for my first Vet's meet for the season. I ran one leg of the 4 X 800 relay (a 2.37 for me), which was just so much fun. I then backed up a little later in the night to run the 10,000m. The latter was no starring performance for me. I finished with a 44.14, which is minutes outside my PB. It was hardly a surprise to be honest. It was my third run for the day after I had done a 14 k'er before dawn. Great to see Ewen and Strewth at the AIS. Well done to the both of you for your 1500 m walk and 10,000 run respectively. Good to see Griffin again too, such a friendly guy.

On Saturday morning, I caught up with the Saturday group for a gallop up and over Isaacs Ridge and then tackled Mt Wanniassa before heading back to the start at Mawson. This was a 14 km run and purely social as I was saving myself for the big one Sunday morning. I couldn't stay for the regular post-run coffee as I had to head off to my daughter's Little A's meet to help out as First Aid officer.

Sunday was the Triple Tri - that three triathlons back to back covering almost the length and breadth of Canberra and several of its waterways. I was part of a nine-member work team, and I ran the 20km third leg from the western side of Mt Majura, up and over the mountain, then down to Mt Ainslie, up and over it before exiting the bush at the back of the War Memorial, down Anzac Parade to the lake and then on to the finish at Grevillea Park.

With the temperature over 30 and a very hilly and demanding course, this was tough, hot, and dusty work. My time of 1.43 was nothing special but it was very satisfying simply to survive and finish this run. I judge it as one of the most difficult runs I have ever participated in. I was covered in so much dust, grime, sweat, sticky drink, and sun cream that I was surprised Rico could recognise me when I handed over to him for his 3.5 k swim in the lake.

Overall I was very impressed with what I saw of the organisation of the Triple Tri during my run leg. The drink stops were frequent and well appointed, even in some of the most unlikely parts of the Mt Majura scrub. To see a friendly face at those tables in the middle of the bush was just great.

I think a key point about my running over the last week shows that there is so much structure to our wonderful sport here in Canberra. It would be nice to have a beach or two but for runners the Canberra scene is well established, professional, and diverse. It caters to many standards and interests.

Mt Majura vineyard Two Peaks Classic run

I know I have a tendency to go over the top with my descriptions of my runs around Canberra, but there is something about our clear mountain air that makes me that way. I get a little loopy sometimes. Just can't be helped.

Anyway, I have run out of superlatives (thank God some might say!) for describing last Saturday's run where I ran with Elle from my Saturday group in the Mt Majura Vineyard Two Peaks (26kms) Classic. Most of my Saturday group did the shorter 15km One Peak Challenge.

It was simply the most perfect of Canberra mornings, a little brisk to begin with but later becoming warm and sunny with not a cloud to be seen. The Two Peaks Classic is appropriately named comprising two major uphill sections up and over Mt Ainslie to be followed a little later by a difficult (walk only) section up and over Mt Majura.

It was nearly all tracks and trail through scrub, pine forest, among delightful screeching bird life, kangaroos and the other unique flora and fauna of our wonderful country. (Ewen, take note - there were no slithery things to be seen but I did look carefully during one pit stop). Unfortunately I left the camera at home in the rush to get out the door in the dark earlier, which I really regreted as there were some magnificant veiws to be seen over central and northern Canberra.

The turn out was perhaps not has large as I would have expected, but I still saw many familiar faces. As always, I could really feel that positive energy from the special bond that us runners seem to have when we are there at the start of a race on a gorgeous day in a great part of the world.

Elle and I didn't push the pace and we were content to treat the event as a training run, finishing in about 2 hours 40. That was well back but I didn't care a bit. I simply enjoyed the run and was pleased with the effort as it was my longest run since the Canberra marathon earlier in the year. A special thanks to our mutual running friend, PRB, who didn't run himself but was tremendously generous in picking us up and getting us home again. Thanks also to the Australian Moutain Running Association and John Harding for organising such a wonderful event. And to the volunteers again, what gems. To come across a smiling face at a drink station in the middle of the bush is a unique experience in itself.

Dairy Farmers Hill

What a glorious morning to be running in Canberra again.

It was not too cold, no wind, and not a cloud to be seen. It was a roughly 15km gallop with my Saturday group this morning from the Curtin shops to Dairy Farmers Hill in the Stromlo pine plantation and return.

There was just time at the top to check out the view (top left) do a little stretching (top right) and say hello to Smiley (left).

Heading back down (below right) for the return leg we even came across a giraffe or two (below left).

My thanks to 2P for giving me a little wake up call to get bloggging. Since my return home from my travels I have not done much in the way of interesting runs. But as always there is the simple delights of the "ordinary" run, which are all too easy to take for granted. Today was very much one of those kind of days - not that we usually see giraffes on our "ordinary" runs in Oz.

We are heading out bush again next weekend for the Mt Majura Vineyard Two Peaks classic (26km) and the Mt Majura One Peak Challenge (15km).

I'm looking forward to finishing one of those runs as rumour has it that each finisher receives a bottle of vino from the local vineyard. I will try and stay sober enough to post a report.

(For the record, 2P, I did submit my tax returns on time and got a refund back within a week!).

Good to be home

Finally I'm home after the most concentrated period of travel in my life - three separate overseas work trips over four weeks, through three continents and six of the world's major cities.

Just on a month ago it started with an overnight trip to Tokyo, then on to New York for one night and Washington for three nights (see earlier post). A week later I was in Singapore for two nights where I had a great run along Orchard Road (at left), the island's main shopping thoroughfare.

I then went on to Bangkok for two nights to attend a series of conferences and meetings and had a chance to check out Bangkok's caterpiller-like new international airport (at right). I also distinguished myself by getting lost in Bangkok during one of my runs and struggled to get back to my hotel when I couldn't find anyone who could speak English and/or knew where my hotel was. Thus, Bangkok joins Tokyo (2003) and Washington (2005) to those cities in the world where this spatially-challenged runner has...um...lost himself (yes, I know, sad but true)!

Just yesterday I returned from my final trip to Vienna in Austria where I enjoyed the last of Europe's pleasant autumn weather before the northern winter starts to set in. It was my second work trip to Vienna this year and I am coming to love this place. It is just so incredibly beautiful with an aristocratic old world charm about it (see left) and a fabulous cafe culture to match what Paris has to offer. I didn't get lost running in Vienna but I did have a chance to see the city's Roman ruins (at lower right).

The morning after getting home (today) I was out with my running group enjoying a very nice 17k'er through Canberra's forrests and tracks and trails. After spending time with my family, getting back with my running group and catching up with the blog world again I am gradually reestablishing the priorities in my life.

I have had some fantastic experiences over the last month and am so lucky with the opportunities that came my way. It is a month I will never forget.

As always, though, it is so good to be home. There is just a little matter of outstanding tax returns still needing to be done (argh!)

Voices of America

I have just got back from my US trip and about to head off to Singapore and Bangkok for the second of my four overseas work trips that I am undertaking in five weeks.

So many stories to relate about my week in the US (me at left on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington) but just have to tell this one, a really bizarre experience that probably belongs to one of those 'only in America' categories.

Walking to dinner a short walk from my Washington hotel I came across St Matthew's Cathedral. The Cathedral is a Washington landmark being among, other things, where JFK's funeral was held in 1963 and the spot where JFK junior poignantly saluted his dad's casket.

When I read the plague at the church describing this I also noticed a middle aged woman sitting alone at the top of the church steps (see steps in photo at right). I asked her why she was sitting there in the dark by herself and she told me that this is where she slept for night. I thought she was just another of Washington's homeless - which in fact she is but with a difference.

This woman - Jean was her name - was well dressed, clean, had polished nails, hair neatly done, and so on; not the typical picture for someone living on the streets. When she starting telling me that it was God's wish that she live on the the church steps and that this is what he had directed she should do I began to think I had a looney on my hands.

But as she continued to talk she explained ever so articulately how she was an adult convert to Catholicism, that she had moved away from her family to devote herself to the church, that she heard God's voices and that him and her talked to each other directly. I was having trouble coping with all this and my internal computer chip marked 'sceptic' was working overtime. Yet there was something about this incredibly articulate and attractive woman. I sat on those steps for a good 45 minutes or so going through the problems of the world and being impressed with her take on them and the church. Never in my life have I had a conversation such as this and I will never forget Jean.

I really struggled with the jet lag in the US and my running was of poor quality. But I did have a great run one morning at dawn (see the US Capitol building at left) where I also met a cute young Californian girl called Samantha. We had a lovely run together around the monuments and sites. She was a delight to talk to and it made me realise that us runners, no matter where we come from, share so much in common.

Anyway, I am about to head to off Asia. A trip to Europe is in the pipeline in a couple of weeks and then I am back to the USA in early November. All this travel and disruption is causing me to fall well behind on my reading of blogs. I also have my wonderful and beautiful family to thank for so much and especially for their patience for what is a very frenetic time. I really am thinking about all my blogland friends too and promise to try and catch up with you as soon as I can. Take care everyone.

Japan and the USA

I am on the road travelling for work again. I have just spent a day in Tokyo and am now in New York, typing this a few blocks from Times Square. I head down to Washington tomorrow and spend a few days there before heading back to Oz over the weekend.

I will try and post a couple of stories and some photos if I get the chance.

Because of my travels I am very behind in my blog reading. I promise to try and catch up with everyone's news as soon as I can.

When I arrived in New York tonight I had to ask directions. Turns out that the the random couple I asked were from Oz and - wait for it - from Canberra of all places. Here I am in this incredible city of 18 million people on the other side of the world and the first people I speak to just happen to come from my home town.

I am going to try and get in a run early tomorrow before the streets come alive.

Canberra Times Fun Run

Thank you so much everyone for your wonderful comments to my previous post. I was greatly touched by many of the things that you said. It just reinforced to me - not that I needed it - that there are many fantastic people in Blogland who are not just fellow bloggers and runners but special friends as well.

I ran the Canberra Times 10k fun run yesterday. I am not going to dwell on it because I had a shocker. It was a gorgeous Canberra day, and perhaps too gorgeous and too warm. I really felt the heat and struggled home in 41.50, almost a full minute slower than the last time I ran this race in 2004. I didn't enjoy the race, but I did, as always, enjoy the atmosphere of the day and loved catching up with everyone again. Just to feel the energy of the day is special in itself.

Lady runners

My Saturday group had another of its lovely runs on Saturday, this time revisiting familar ground at the Cotter Reserve. The group split into two at the start with some opting for a longer 24 km course, and others preferring a shorter 19 kms. It was long and tough no matter which starting point we chose.

The Cotter is simply a wonderul place for running. The trails seemingly go on forever and on Saturday we even had the blessing of a river crossing to contend with (below left). I swear the water in that river was piped direct from the snow country. It was that cold.

The Cotter is not an easy run. Yet, clearly as a group we are getting fitter and faster. As far as I could tell there was not a complaint to be heard about the run itself. Everyone just got in there and did it.

I don't know what it is about the Cotter but I seem to lose myself out there a bit and I came back reflecting on the qualities of women runners, who make up the majority in our group.

Women bring many gifts to this world, not least their intelligence, their intuition, their sensuality, their capacity for feeling and nurture. The ladies of the running world bring all this to running. And they bring more.

I delight in the watching the elite of this world, be they Kerry McCann or Norma "Lucky Legs" Wallet. At the other end of the spectrum are those members of the elite who never make the newspapers but are special just the same.

It's women who can teach us guys a new way of seeing beauty in the world. Think of the exqusite delight of the statue of Venus. This incredible sculpture is one way of seeing beauty. Yet then again look at the ladies in our group. They come with different backgrounds and approaches to this wonderful sport of ours, but all are incredibly fit and are equipped with levels of strength, grace, and enthusiasm that are beyond my words to describe.

I think that perhaps more than us males, running for women is simply a means to an end. Ladies love to run for the fitness and competition that running brings. But it seems to me they run - in stronger tones than us males - for the pleasure of sharing the experience with friends, new and old. I have heard so many times from my lady friends, "I only run for the coffee afterwards". Which I think is code for "I love running because it helps me bond more with my friends".

Running helps us get in touch with our feelings as perhaps few sports do - it helps us map our emotional countours. I just loved the following few words about one of the oldest emotions known to humanity:

"Love doesn't happen in an instant. It creeps up on you and then it turns your life upside-down. It colours your waking moments and fills your dreams. You begin to walk on air and see life in brilliant new shades. But it also brings with it a sweet agony, a delicious torture. It reduces one life to feverish meetings and pining in between." (Q and A, by Vikas Swarup)

If it wasn't for the female of the species we wouldn't be able to say such a thing. If it wasn't for the female runners of this world we wouldn't be able to say such a thing. And if it wasn't for the beautiful (in all its forms) women I have come across through my running that I would be able to say such a thing. Women give insight into what love in this world really means, whether it be in the capacity of one human to love another, a love of running, or a love of life itself.

ACT Vets Half Marathon

I escaped my daughter's birthday party sleep-over and six screaming ten-year olds to run the ACT Vets half marathon today.

I had a really strong run and was again helped by Pollyanna, the little birdie at my ear who helped me during the City to Surf two weeks ago. More on my feathered friend later.

There were some sensational runs today and I was totally in awe at what many runners achieved. Special congratulations must go to several friends from my Saturday group. Emma (W35 1.42), Linda (W50 1.54), Marg (W55 1.55) and Norma (W65 2.07) were all age group medalists - simply fantastic runs by all of them.

Elle - one of my running buddies - just missed out on a medal, coming fourth in her age group (W35 1.46). It was an excellent run by her and I know she was very happy with it. The Spirit of Camelot came to the fore again when she said she dedicated the run to our our much beloved friend, the still hospitalised PRB.

I want to say something about today's volunteers. We all know that we owe them so much. But the volunteers who come to the Vets events are just something else. Before the race I went over and had a chat to one or two and loved their infectious enthusiasm for lending a hand. All of them out on the course, without exception, were helpful, friendly and supportive. Leah, one volunteer and a fantastic runner herself, I know you were champing at the bit to be running today but your legs will thank you for the rest.

It was wonderul at last to meet Flashduck (simply an amazing woman and runner) and great as always to catch up with Speedy Geoff and Griffin.

As for me, I was pleased with how I ran. I felt strong and stuck to my race plan of not going out too fast or too slow. A special thank you to Paul who I met for the first time during the last few k's of the race. Paul and I had a great duel, racing shoulder to shoulder when the going was getting real tough. Inside the last km I moved ahead thinking I had put him behind only to have Paul come back to my shoulder with 75 metres to run. It was then a sprint finish for the both of us, with each trying to outdo the other. We dead-heated, with the clock reading 1.30.55. I was amazed when I found out Paul was in the M55 category. A sensational run by you mate, a great guy.

I was just a tad disappointed not to go sub-90 but 1.30 was easily my fastest half of the four I've done this year and my fourth fastest overall out of nine completed half marathons. It was that little bird Pollyanna who I have to thank for this. Paul was pushing me hard at one shoulder. There was Pollyanna at the other telling me to dig deep when I didn't think I could possibly dig anymore.

Pollyanna and I had a chat after the race and my wise little friend told me about the great coincidences of life. Seemingly out of nowhere you can meet someone new who can infuse you with positive energy, making you a better person. There were many "coincidences" there today at the Vets half. So many runners and friends bringing their own unique gifts to the day - their enthusiasm, their determination, their smiles, their quest to drive themselves a little further. Many had their own Pollyannas to carry them through. That's what makes the day such a special one; a Spirit of Pollyanna day if ever there was one.

Camelot

Don't let it be forgot,
That once there was a spot,
For one brief, shining moment that was known as Camelot

Yes, I know. I'm smitten with my Saturday running group. I won't deny it. The group reminds me of Camelot. They are an idealised world of chivilry and grace, good times, mugachinos, raisin toast, and grand gallops across the woods and hills of the nation's capital. All the ingredients are there. There's Arthurette and Merlin and all those Dames and Knights of the Runners Round Table (I'd like to think I'm the Court's Poet Laurette, but given the exalted company I'm happy to settle with being the Village Idiot!).

After today's run we celebrated the birthday of Arthurette (Maria) herself. That's her at left. She's the one who established this most brilliant of courts. There's three candles on her cake. That's one for each thousand of years she has been with us. It's befitting this figure of legend and myth who just always seems to be there; this apparition who arises each Saturday from the mists of time. We love you Maria...er...Arthurette. You're our Merlin (ette), our wizard(ette), the glue (ette) that holds us all together. Happy Birthday.

Then there's PRB, one of the bold Knights of the Runners Round Table. That's him at right. Just last Sunday he was with us at the City to Surf. He had a great run, finishing around the 80 minute mark. On the very next day back in Canberra he underwent major surgery for a very serious condition. Despite what he had been through he looked fantastic when I visited him after today's run, still in Camelot's hospital. To all those who know him, PRB is one special person. But it was Queen Flashduck who caught his personality so well with her great epithet for him, "PRB" or Perfect Running Buddy. Indeed.

You're a cherished knight from Camelot, PRB. We miss you. Get well soon. The running woods beckon.

Then read below (extracted from her blog), QueenAki's beautiful words about both Queen Flashduck and Sir PRB:

I find it rather strange that there are all of these fully capable runners out there, yet two people who are the most bravest and strongest runners they are, who have such a great level of determination and inner strength, who are battling serious illnesses, and run despite all odds being against them just happen to be my two greatest friends and support crew with running.

They don't run because they'll make the olympics. They don't run because of pbs. They run as an act of defiance against nature and a test of their self belief, but most of all, they get out there, even if it is just to hold the clock some days, because they love it.

Aki you have brought a tear to this Knight's eye.

Such is the spirit of Camelot.

The Mad Hatters' Tea Party

Today’s City to Surf, my third, reminded me of the Mad Hatters’ Tea Party from Alice in Wonderland. There were enough mad hats on display for a start (as at left). But is was such a great day, a fantastic day, that I could just imagine the Mad Hatter saying to the March Hare: A very merry unbirthday to us! .. The day mightn’t be any special anniversary of sorts. But to those who ran and walked it was special just the same and worthy of a birthday party.

There’s something incredibly seductive sucking in the collective energy of over 60,000 kindred spirits. James Redfield in his Celestine Prophecy talks about how we can become more complete people by drawing in the positive energy from those around us.

I certainly felt like that today. I had a ball. The weather was stupendous; all of us were excited and happy just to be there to participate in one of the world’s great community events.

I stopped the clock at 59.37 and was ecstatic to come in under the hour. When I saw the finishing chute come up ahead and I knew I had beaten sixty minutes, I punched the air and did a little two step. It wasn’t a PB but that didn’t matter. I was just stoked to really run strongly and tackle the hills aggressively. And truth be known I had some help. Throughout the race I could hear this little birdie at my ear, whispering encouragement. Pollyanna we’ll call her.

Being from Canberra, I really noticed the heat. Just after the 6k marker and approaching the bottom of Heart Break Hill I was starting to fatigue. But Pollyanna said: “You can do it - I'm sending some positive energy your way - you love hills so run ‘em hard”. So true I thought to myself, so true. So I pushed on. Again feeling hot and under pressure with those pesky hills between the 10 to 12 k markers I can hear my special friend saying, “…come on you can do it, you’ll be through the hills soon and then it’s all down hill”. “Yo, I can do it…on, on.on…”

Then finally, when I hit Campbell Parade I was really feeling the pain. My chest was burning, my legs were killing me, and I was sick in the stomach. Then I whiffed some wretched cooking smells from nearby bbq's. I felt like puking. “I’m a goner”, I thought, only to have Ms Pollyanna say “you’re running like a rubber ducky. Come on, you’re almost there.” Somehow, out of nowhere I got up a sprint for the last 300 hundred metres. I stormed home, forever grateful to my sweet voiced friend.

I caught up with so many friends and Cool Runners on this gorgeous day. PRB, Bernie, Elle, James, Jane, Greg, Leah (great PB), Aki, Marg, Wombat Face, Jim, John Rawlings, BlkBox (great to meet you mate), Tesso and Miners (pictured at left), Gronk, Ellie80, Strewth, CJ, Shelly, Sekhmet (telepathically), Unidentified friendly lady at the Hash tent, Unidentified friendly guy who’s ran every C2S I chatted to at the start, and to all my other friends who were there in spirit if not in person – thank you so much for this special day. With so many unpleasant things happening in this world, all of us did our bit today to make the world a better place.

It was our very own Mad Hatters’ Tea Party.

"Bless me father...."

"Bless me father, for I have sinned. It has been three fun runs and two marathons since my last confession, father, and these are my sins...."

A mea culpa follows, but first of all some pride before the fall. My Saturday group did another great run today of about 16-17k's over familiar terrain in the Fadden-Wanniassa-Isaacs area. That's Leah, Ann and Maria (right) on a high(!) having reached the top of Mt Wanniassa leaving behind the magnificance of the Tuggeranong Valley. Simply a bootiful morning!

After the run we celebrated the birthday of Marg (left) today, one of our much loved members. Happy birthday, Marg! I know you had a great day yesterday with your family and friends. Your running friends today cherished the opportunity to share in it too.

Now for the Mea Culpa. My name's not Mel Gibson and I didn't get caught drink-driving on a Los Angeles highway. But I am guilty of a crime so wicked, so heinous, so dastardedly awful that a public lynching seems the only appropriate recompense. Yes, my friends, I am guilty of....

....failing to mention my friends on my blog. Really, I am very embarrassed by this.

It occurred during my last post when I listed those I had met during last week's Bush Marathon festival. I try to personalise my blog entries by mentioning names, but that does mean I run the risk of forgetting to mention some people. Which I did.

So to Marian (right above) and Kevin (left, below), especially, I am sorry. I will stress that neither made a fuss about this. Father, bless their angelic souls!

It's just that I've seen the Da Vinci Code and I'm heavily into self-flagellation and enjoy its liberating effects. In fact, I will probably employ the whip when I battle with Heart Break Hill during next week's City to Surf in Sydney.

"...so father I am guilty as convicted...and I'm happy to now go and run three marathons barefoot for my penance. Thank you, father......God bless you my son."

PS. To my Saturday friends - more photos to come with next post.
PSS. My foot doesn't seem to have suffered anything too serious from last week's run (previous post refers); just a few lingering little creaks and groans now and then.

Bush capital marathon festival

It was great to see so many happy and smiling faces today at Canberra's Bush Capital Marathon festival. I'd never run the event before and was impressed with the organisation and turn-out. The festival caters for events from the 5km to a 60km ultra, all off-road via track and trail through the Mt Ainslie and Mt Majura areas and beyond. Start and finish is at the Campbell High School next to the Australian War Memorial.

I settled for the 16k run that roughly follows a circuit around Mt Ainslie. I felt tired at the start after yesterday's 60k bike ride. So I didn't push the pace and was happy just to chat with others and admire the views. Being a great run in the bush, nature was in full force. On a beautiful sunny winter morning I enjoyed taking in the fresh air and seeing the fantastic bird life. Galahs, sulphur crested cockatoos and other pretty flapping things were in abundance. Departing off the track for a pit stop I even disturbed a herd of kangaroos that was as surprised to see me as I was to see them. I was worried about snakes but Elle (at left), one of my running buddies, promised to do a Crocodile Dundee on them, catch one, and break their backs. Thanks Elle!

The day was again a great social one and I enjoyed very much catching up with everyone. A special word of congrats to Emma (at right) who did the 25km run and looked as fresh and relaxed at the finish as she did when I ran with her in the early stages of the run. I also ran for a bit with one of my regular running buddies, Michelle, and was impressed as always with her ability to really push on the hills and at the same time respond to my inane chatter! (that's Michelle at lower left finishing hard).

There were so many of my other running pals out there today and it was wonderful to see them - and be inspired by them - including PRB (great seeing you running for a bit), Leah (your recovery from injury is an inspiration), Aki (nice to meet you again), Strewth (hope that lergy is a thing of the past), Natasha (hope that foot thingy is a thing of the past for you), Eric and Norma, Beryl, Bernie, Maria and Jim, Allrounder (a very embarrassed Tuggeranong Don was intrigued to find you were a female and not a male), Marg, Charmaine, Helen and Maria, and Jodie.

It was great to see Speedy Geoff again with some of his proteges. (That's him lower right at the finish with Helen and Maria. Holding hands...umm...nice touch Geoff!

So the morning was a delight. The only note of concern was the short, sharp pain I felt in the middle of my left foot as I tried to push the pace, not far from home. A couple of hours now after the run, the foot doesn't feel quite right. I hope it is nothing.

Mt Taylor revisited

We didn't get there last weekend due to the weather, but we did today. After yesterday's group run, some of us from the Saturday group did an early morning Sunday run to the top of Mt Taylor.

It was one of our shorter runs, about 7 or 8k. But it was an intense effort, especially over the last couple of hundred metres up the steep track to the summit.

That's us at the top, along with some of the great views to be seen - looking north (at right) through the Woden Valley towards Black Mountain and a glimpse of Lake Burley Griffin, and looking south (at left below) over the Tuggeranong Valley and Lake Tuggeranong.

As always, I really enjoyed the run with the group and especially loved, again, working hard to get to the top of Mt Taylor.

But I thought I needed a little more. With plans to move onto triathlons later in the year, after the obligatory post-run coffee I set off on a 67k bike ride through Tuggeranong and Woden. The trip took several hours and included a stop at the Tuggeranong pool for a swim session and a stop for a high reps class at the Southern Cross Club.

I finally got home in the dark feeling very happy for myself. After yesterday's beaut group run, it was a great day to top off a fabulous weekend covering just a few of the ways of keeping fit and loving life in the national capital.

Group dynamics

I had called them "pikelets" for opting out of last week’s run in poor conditions. Today, they showed why my Saturday running group is so special to me.

Firstly, some details on this morning’s run. It was mostly over old ground. Starting at Mawson it takes in nature reserves at Farrer Ridge, the Wanniassa Hills, before a jaunt through the Long Gully Pine Plantation, then a return to the start at Mawson and our coffee. It was about a 17km effort. As we like it, it was hilly And mostly over track and trail with mega kangaroos and a rising morning sun (above) for additional company.

Last week’s non-run probably contributed to a great turn out today and it was fantastic to see everyone. It was made more special for me as there was a nice little surprise waiting for yours truly during the coffee. The group wished me happy birthday. Very nice….and very intriguing – my birthday was actually back in May! But a confidant had leaked (so typical of Canberra!) this bit of sensitive information to our convenor, Maria. Maria then went and organised accordingly. (That’s me above right with my candle.) I shan’t reveal the confidant’s name (but Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and a Mad Hatters Tea party =?).

I was very touched by this morning and the surprise says so much about the group. A year ago I didn’t know one person among them. But yet they are now among my closest friends and I feel like I have known them forever.

They are wonderful people who, as I have said before, celebrate a common passion in our sport.Birthdays are recognised, triumphs celebrated, and disappointments lamented.

"Just do it", says Nike, as if it's a dream, an aspiration and something which should get around to doing.

"Just does it", is my group's approach...to running, walking. To life.

That's (in descending order) Michelle, Natasha, Marg, Elle and Linda from the group.

Mt Taylor - solo

I set out this morning in the rain to run Mt Taylor with my Saturday running group, only to find the group had found the morning too cold and wet and, like little pikelets, had given it a miss.

So it was left to me to do battle - alone - with the elements, to run hither and tither through slosh and sleet, across brooke and dale to the lofty heights of this mighty summit overlooking Canberra's southern suburbs. It was enough to make one sing.....(and I can just hear Julie Andrews now...."Climb every mountain....").

Actually it turned out to be quite a good run. The conditions were certainly crappy. Lots of low cloud, fog, cold rain, and the temperature hovering around eight. But I soon got warm working my way up the trail to the top of Mt Taylor. And it was a sloshly trail too...I was was going up one way, and gravity was doing its trick with little rivers of water going down the other. Unlike the last time I did this trip, there was not a soul to be seen. That added another dimension to the run; a little eerie though with heavy fog covering the top.

It's a reasonably steep run to the summit but worth the effort. It was magic up there. The rain was more like sleet and stung my face. There was a strong breeze up there too, bringing with it more of that low fog and cloud swirling through Woden Valley. I felt like I was on top of the world watching Lady Nature mix her basic elements. Euphoria kicked in after that struggle to get to the top and I stood there admiring the view. God it felt great to be alive.

I didn't stay too long. My waterproof New Balance running jacket proved to be not so waterproof and I was soaked to the bone and cold. By the time I got back to where I had parked my car I looked like something the cat had dragged in. If it wasn't for those nice Brooks Adrenaline running shoes I was wearing, I probably would have been mistaken for an amoeba washed up from a prehistoric swamp. Perhaps Fred and Wilma may have found me of some use (see my post on them of 4 June).

I really missed my running friends too. They're more wiser than me. The conditions and common sense suggested I probably should have given this run a miss, and that was certainly what I was telling myself before I started the run sitting in my nice warm car.

Yet to make it to the top of Mt Taylor in those conditions was something special, a little tonic for the spirit. And I couldn't afford to miss a run with the City to Surf only a few weeks away. I felt I just had to do the run.

"The Rocks"

A few of us from my Saturday running group set off this morning to tackle Cooleman Ridge, on Canberra's south western outskirts (see Google Earth image at left below). It's a nice run along tracks and trails. It's not especially hilly but does have scenic views across the Murrumbidgee corridor to the Brindabellas to the west or, looking east, to the Woden Valley seen here covered in fog this morning at right.

That's us at the start (L-R), Ben, Kevin, Maria, Bernie, Michelle, Natasha and Leah. It was a fairly typical Canberra morning for this time of year, foggy, frosty, and cold. Temperature minus 2.

Like all of our group outings, it was a very pleasant run with ample opportunity to chat and take in the scenery. The only moment of controversy came when the group split. Michelle and I, the hill hounds, took a slightly different and hillier diversion at one point. The others chose to take a more direct and lower path.

We believed we had taken the authentic route; the others begged to differ.

The key sticking point had been the location of some “rocks”. Just turn right at “the rocks”, we had been told. Michelle and I thought we had found the correct rocks and turned right accordingly, believing the rest of the group to be not far behind. But we were shocked to soon see our other friends low and to the right ahead of us. They had found “their” own different rocks and taken the shorter and easier route.

There’s a word to describe what some might say our friends had done – it has two syllables with the first syllable sounding like meat and the second sounding like ring. If you can work out what that word is you can get an idea of what they had achieved (Of course, I would never use such a word myself!). Anyway, adjudication at the post-run coffee sorted differences of interpretation when it came to the signage for this run. Personally, I would have liked a little more clarity at just which rocks the turn should have been made. Either that or we undertake geology lessons before the next run here. That's Maria our dear leader at left. Is she pretending to be an out-of-season Easter Bunny....or a kangaroo? Maria, please explain!

Father's pride!

Fathers' can be foregiven for showing off their pride and joy in their children every now and again. I'm always sensitive to their privacy and I don't talk about them too much. But I do have to say something today.

One other member of the family is showing an aptitude and interest in running and that is my daugther, Alana. She's not necessarily the quickest runner in her group, nor the one with the greatest endurance. She is, however, improving all the time and is developing a beautiful, coordinated running style. She looks the real thing, even if the results might not show it - yet.

She won the mini-jog section of the ACT Cross Country Club's monthly Women's and Girls' Jogalong today for the little ones over 1.5 km. This may not be the Olympics or the national titles, or even state or school titles.

But in her own way, it was her own little triumph.

The joy on her face today was matched only by the joy I have seen on her face when she is out there every Saturday with her Little Athletics club, when she gets beaten by others but smiles anyway, because - well - that Alana's nature and she loves being with her friends.

Well done my little darling, well done.

'Tour de Mountain'

I've mentioned my Saturday running group many times and there they are (I took two shots from different directions to try and get everyone in). They're not phantoms they really do exist.

Friendships exist for many reasons but the friendships that take shape out of a common passion or cause I think are something particularly special. While the rest of the world is asleep there is my group up and adam on a Saturday morning in the cold and dark doing battle with the elements. It's maybe a little hard to begin with but then there are wonderful views to be had from those hills around Canberra, the carpets of mist lying dormant across the lower ground, the sun rising over it all and then us, out of breath, panting hard to get to the top of the peak. I wouldn't miss it for the world.

I am not critical of the media focus on elite sport. They have to talk about something. But beyond the headlines there are ordinary people like those in my Saturday group who perhaps won't make the headlines and don't want to. Yet when it comes to their approach to running and fitness many of them have their own stories to tell; stories of overcoming adversity and difficulty; stories of personal triumph and victory. Why doesn't the world hear these stories? They are my heroes.

When I took these photos we had just finished an especially challenging course called 'Tour de Mountain'. The run starts at Canberra's Southlands shopping centre, takes in the peaks of Isaacs ridge, followed by the Wanniassa hills then, just when our glutes, quads (just ask Natasha's!) and brains are crying murder, we finish off with the grand finale of up and over Mt Taylor before arriving back at the shops. It's about a 19k, two hour effort in all and its tough not matter what the calibre of the runner. It's also great fun and I enjoyed it enormously.

Climb every mountain, search high and low
Follow every by way, every path you know
Climb every mountain, ford every stream
Follow every rainbow, till you find your dream

(Lyrics from the song, Climb every Mountain, "The Sound of Music")

Get well Peter

Peter, one of the much loved members of our Saturday running group, recently found himself in a spot of bother with a serious illness requiring urgent surgery. That's him, at left, when a few of us dropped in on him in Canberra's National Capital Private Hospital over the weekend. Unfortunately, the battle is not over for him and he will need to undergo a second round of surgery in coming weeks.

But it was just fantastic for us to see Peter looking so well. The consensus is that hospital food or an enforced lay off from running is doing him much good.

Peter, and others like him, are the heart and soul of various running groups in Canberra. He gives much and expects little in return. He makes others feel special. For me personally, it's the spirit in people like Peter that make participation in our wonderful sport such a gift.

Peter our thoughts and prayers are with you. The running calendar ahead is a busy one and you will be part of it before you know it. We love you. We want to see you back with us soon on the road, track, or trail.

"Utter, utter bastards"

Our Saturday running group set off to tackle the delights of the "Two Mountains" run on Saturday. It's a long undulating run up and over Isaacs ridge then across to the Wanniassa hills area for a few more 'up and overs' before finishing at the Athllon Drive start - about 16k in all. The higher parts of the run took place in reasonably heavy fog - a bit like a gallop across brooke and dale in 'ole England' - except this was along the tracks and trails in the southern suburbs of Canberra early one June Saturday morning. That's Michelle, at left, a member of our group, coming down off one of the peaks and about to head off into the gloop again.

It was a fabulous run and we all came back on a typical high. It was short lived, however, when we discovered that four of our cars had been burgled while we were out on the run. In all cases, side windows had been obliterated and wallets, bags, etc, stolen. As several of my posts have highlighted, my Saturday running group is something special. After such a beaut run it was very dispiriting to see the faces of each member of the 'family' as they came in feeling great but then having to see what had happened to their cars. Referring to the perpetrators, one member of our group said it best: "what utter, utter bastards".

European dream

Is this a dream....certainly feels like a dream? I should be in Canberra doing routine things, heading off to work, dealing with family duties and all the rough and tumble of the daily grind.

But here I was sitting in a great little cafe beside Lake Geneva sipping a very nice Swiss beer enjoying the delights of a long twilight under this very warm European summer. There was sound of the birds and the bees, the smell of freshly cut lawns, and fragrances from gardens in bloom. This was bliss! Santa didn't give me that exta day in Vienna but he gave it to me in Geneva instead.

I'm back home now, still a little jet lagged and reminiscing about my great few days in Europe last week. (That's me at left at the Heldenplatz in Vienna. The Heldenplatz is famous for many things, although infamous too for an address that Hitler gave to sychophantic masses from that balcony behind me in 1938.)

I had my last run in Europe last Friday in Geneva from my hotel down to Lake Geneva, along its edge to the historic old section of the city. It was just on sunrise and I took the snap below to make a great shot of the sun coming up over the lake. One of the problems I faced in running in these places was having to stop every ten minutes to take a photo, given the wonderful scenery.


Not for one minute do I forget the many blessings I have had in my life. I have travelled a great deal over the years (this is my third trip to Europe) have met many, many wonderful people and seen some fantastic things from Africa, to the Middle East, to Europe, to North America, to Asia. Not least there has been my running, which I have been fortunate enough to do in most of these places.

I have got much reading of blogs to catch up on and my apologies for taking so long to get organised.