2007 - June

[stillwaddler]

You had me going there for a minute Andy, thought I was too old to join or something:o

[El Gordo]

Don't worry SW, I'm rapidly catching you up.

[Antonio247]

Congratulations on that PB, Andy. It´s great to be escorted by such wonderful people. I expect you do the 10 km under 50 minutes for your sixtieth birthday.

I´m glad you had a great time after the race.


Liz, sorry about your disappointment in the race you took part at. It´s a pity you couldn´t do the whole distance. If you go on training, you will manage to do Dublin marathon.

Best of luck, everybody.

[Sweder]

Hello Lizzie. Again apologies for not commenting directly on your blog but there's this ruddy Google sign-in thing and I refuse to join another online group. It's all this running with cantankerous Fifty-somethings, it's turned me into an old curmudgeon

I read what you posted on RW and the response, which was pretty poor. The inference that you were 'walking' the 10k was insulting. One of our regular contributors here deploys a walk/ run strategy to great effect, finishing way up the field in many of her races. 1:30 is not an outrageous imposition for marshals at a 10k. The long and short of it is if there's a cut-off then publish it ahead of time so everyone knows how the land lies; don't wait until someone is obviously struggling and start hassling them about getting a move-on or being left high and dry (or as is more likely, high and soaked).

Blow that rotten race off next year and join us for the Dorney Dash (last recorded finisher 1:29:41, Cynthia Dee from Henfield Joggers). I'm not sure Andy's planning on splashing the bubbly after every event, but you'll be made most welcome all the same.

[El Gordo]

I read what you posted on RW and the response, which was pretty poor. The inference that you were 'walking' the 10k was insulting. One of our regular contributors here deploys a walk/ run strategy to great effect, finishing way up the field in many of her races. 1:30 is not an outrageous imposition for marshals at a 10k. The long and short of it is if there's a cut-off then publish it ahead of time so everyone knows how the land lies; don't wait until someone is obviously struggling and start hassling them about getting a move-on or being left high and dry (or as is more likely, high and soaked).

Blow that rotten race off next year and join us for the Dorney Dash (last recorded finisher 1:29:41, Cynthia Dee from Henfield Joggers). I'm not sure Andy's planning on splashing the bubbly after every event, but you'll be made most welcome all the same.

Yep, Suzie from Canada run-walks, and has beaten me handosmely at both Almeria Half Marathons we've done together.

Talking of which, come to Almeria (Spain) with us at the end of January. you know it makes sense. Very cheap weekend, and a fantastic group of hunky guys to hang out with.

Er, but I think my wife is coming this time...

It's OK. I'm 50,and actually still quite like the old gal.

[lizoconnortalk21]

Thank you for your support. Next on the list is the Bluewater 10k on the 12th-which I only noticed yesterday has an 8am start time!
I notice that so far, no one has responded to the comment I fired back yesterday on the TCC thread, reiterating that I had never intended to walk it in its entirety and that bascially if I had wanted to sign up for the 5 k i would have signed up for the 5K. If it wasnt for Dublin, I'd probably give up now.....
But on the other hand, theres a part of me that wants to do it next year, when ive knocked half an hour off my time, and then tell them "up yours".....
LOL

[Sweder]

Yep, Suzie from Canada run-walks, and has beaten me handosmely at both Almeria Half Marathons we've done together.

That's definitely Freudian mate . . . shows you're not entirely comfortable gettin' whooped by a run-walker That or you're really enjoying those smoke-free pubs . . .

[stillwaddler]

Take no notice of the poisonous RW comments, run walk is a legitimate method of covering any distance - lots of people recommend that you walk through all water stations in a marathon, Hal Higdon for example. If you haven't got a training plan so far I could personally recommmend his
http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Mar00index.htm
I think Andy has used it too. Good Luck

Incidentally Andy et al, am thinking about Almeria for 2008 if that would be OK?

[El Gordo]

Incidentally Andy et al, am thinking about Almeria for 2008 if that would be OK?

There may just be room for one more.....

It would be great to have you along, SW.

I've got a feeling Almeria 08 is going to be quite a corker.

[lizoconnortalk21]

Hi All!
I cant believe that in 24 hrs of absence from the internet (connection is down at my mums, where i normally log on, so ive had to come over to uni campus) ive been lynch mobbed on RW!!
Trying not to take any of it personally, but it is hard, knowing that my comments on my blog were taken out of context.
I feel insulted actually, by the assumption that i just put a pin in a map and picked a race without properly looking into it. But there we go....
and i dont know about you lot, but i dont think 103 minutes is excessive since ive been to races with the other half where people who were run/walking (not walking as is the elitist assumption on RW) have taken longer than 103 minutes.
Ho hum.

[Sweder]

I stopped using RW forums because of elitist nonsense :mad:
I mean . . . me . . . an international athlete (I have the badge to prove it!) . . . it's outrageous!!! I'm off to my trailer . . .

A few of those people are so far up their own digestive tracts its a wonder they don't trip up during their lung-bursting, record-breaking runs and cause themselves serious ego-damage.

Happily no such bunkum here in the warm and fuzzy world of RC, as you can hopefully see by the responses here to your earlier post. Remember the mantra - 'run-walk to victory!' Please bring your excellent strategy to Almería in January - oops, there's the 'A' word again . . .

BTW a very good friend of mine/ ours dwelling in Tazmania deployed and excellent fast-walk strategy to overcome any number of supposedly insurmountable challenges. He's an inspiration to many on here so you're in excellent company.

[lizoconnortalk21]

Thank you once again for your kind comments xx

I dont know about the "A" word at the moment (like to see if i can survive dublin first ) ; other half trying to get me to sign up for the Norway Midnight Marathon
I think i like to sleep too much!

ive had much nicer comments from one of the threads on RW that is aimed at the newbies like me...think i'll have to be more carefull with whom i socialise in future

[Sweder]

Sorry to hear you've been hounded by yet another of the seemingly endless 'customer-service-of-a-rusty-nail' companies. I'm all for drawing up a blacklist - and not just any old gripe gets you on it, either, but a sustained period of awfulness, such as your experience with this lot.

Why should they get away with it?
It's a numbers game for them. If 5% of their customers receive no service whatsoever that's inconsequential against the tide of advertising and resultant new business. I wept blood over the fact that some of my customers in Turkey had to wait 24 hours for their cargo - and it was entirely out of my control. Even my experience with Dell - which I've mentioned briefly in the past - whilst not entirely satisfactory was a lesson to me in constant customer contact. OK, the calls were from darkest Delhi, but they came regularly and enquired as to my satisfaction or otherwise with their efforts to resolve it. They appeared to give a monkey's, which is the least one should expect when parting with large amounts of one's hard-earned. In the end the company resolved the issues; Dell and I are once more sickeningly in love and I’d recommend them to anyone. Why? Because things go wrong – it’s an unavoidable part of life. It's how you handle those moments that reveals your true business ethos. Companies who cut their losses (and their affected customers adrift) should be named, shamed and hung out to dry.

Come on, all together, in your best Peter Finch:
[SIZE="2"][SIZE="3"]We’re mad as hell and we’re not gonna take it anymore!!![/SIZE][/SIZE]

[Bierzo Baggie]

A belated happy 50th Andy! (just back from holidays so I'm catching up on the posts). Liked the Abe Lincoln quotation at the end of your post.

And well done lizoconnortalk21 for finishing your first 10k.

On the "run-walk strategy"....
Some people think that you should always avoid walking in races but it's all very relative isn't it? I walk when my run slows to a walking pace (on steep hills or in the second half of marathons) and a walk is more comfortable and energy-efficient and perhaps even faster than a run. In fact in mountain/fell races a good walking technique is really important and it's not unusual to see walkers overtaking runners. I've come to the conclusion that walking is just another form of running...

[El Gordo]

Thanks re the birthday, BB.

Different people run for different reasons, and I guess we all have to do what seems right. I've determinedly done no walking in two marathons (Zurich and Chicago, I think), though as you rightly say there were times when you wonder what the difference is between the two states. Towards the end of a marathon, that 'survival shuffle' that some of us fall back into does seem to be some sort of hybrid. In road races, running all the way is a good enough target on its own for me, but you're right about hilly races where some judicious walking seems to be accepted by all. I did once try to run-walk a race from the start as a strategy. The Bramley 20 in Feb 2006. I walked one minute every mile. If I'm honest, I didn't really notice a difference. I ended up in a lot of pain, though that may have been becasue I spent the last half of the race listening to some Rickie Gervais podcasts. Laughing can hurt a lot.

Sweder - thanks re CPW. I agree that it's how problems are dealt with that's important. These people have been truly terrible. I've decided I'm going to go all the way with it. If they take me to court, I'll go and contest it.

[Sweder]

Bowls is the way forward . . . as is the strat.
The two are not mutually exclusive. I've tried bowls - my late father-in-law took me for a hurl on Exmouth's top greens a few years back - and reckon it's a lot tougher than it looks, at least to master. If Alice Cooper can embrace golf then Andy can give bowls a go.

I've always lusted after a Rickenbacker bass guitar. I can't play a note - that didn't stop me forming The Gremolos (with Nick Bartam Garrett and his sister Greta - 'Ash Fat and Nick Bones') in late 1977, the ultimate garage band. Our entire set consisted of a 24-minute version of Road Runner by Jonathan Richmond and the Modern Lovers. It was my Dire Straits moment; we were dire and we went straight into obscurity. C'est la vie. I will get that bass, and I will learn to play more than the Beeb's Forumla One bit from Chain. One day.

[El Gordo]

Bowls is the way forward . . . as is the strat.
The two are not mutually exclusive. I've tried bowls - my late father-in-law took me for a hurl on Exmouth's top greens a few years back - and reckon it's a lot tougher than it looks, at least to master. If Alice Cooper can embrace golf then Andy can give bowls a go.

I've always lusted after a Rickenbacker bass guitar. I can't play a note - that didn't stop me forming The Gremolos (with Nick Bartam Garrett and his sister Greta - 'Ash Fat and Nick Bones') in late 1977, the ultimate garage band. Our entire set consisted of a 24-minute version of Road Runner by Jonathan Richmond and the Modern Lovers. It was my Dire Straits moment; we were dire and we went straight into obscurity. C'est la vie. I will get that bass, and I will learn to play more than the Beeb's Forumla One bit from Chain. One day.

Thanks for the reassurance re bowls. M's dad is a keen club player. I might give it a go.

Re the Rickenbacker, go for it. Russ, they guy you met the other week, had a lifelong hankering for some flavour of Gibson SG (can't recall the exact detail). He finally treated himself as a 50th birthday present last year and is apparently making up for lost time on it.

Is this the start of the RC band? I may be looking for a bass player. And a drummer. And a vocalist. Antonio looks like a drummer. I'd better sign him up before he's talent-spotted by someone else. And I bet Nigel could give Bono a run for his money in the vocals department. Or perhaps SP? After his glowing tribute to the Drifters, he appears to be hankering after the chance to display his own vocal abilities.

Given our collective.... talents, this could be the start of a new genre. Crusty punk.

[El Gordo]

Check out the vocals of Gareth Ainsworth, QPR's outside left:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EppsItHJ0tA

While we're at it, here are a couple of his goals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLYZg834d40&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDVGnkZJn_8&NR=1

[lizoconnortalk21]

Hi all!
Sorry for absence-internet been down because BT refused to believe my mum had a fault on her line and ive been unable to get to uni to use PC until now Grrr
Andy- I too had a bad run on Sunday having gone out about 10- Seemed warmer than it usually is at that time of day, but I dont think that was all of my problem. You managed more miles that me tho, since I only clocked up 3!
Trying to maintain optimism tho and not let the negative left brain tell me i cant do it.
Finally got pics emailed to me by BF (hes wonderful in so many ways, but useless at remembering to email anything i need!lol) so when i get a chance I will upload them to my blog-theres a nice one of me and BF that i want to upload.
He sent me a little rhyme too:
Run, Run, as fast as you can,
You may be slow, but im your no1 fan
aww....