HOTY ergs 5K 1 & 2

SUMMARY 

10/8 Sunday 22:09

8/8 FRIDAY 21:18

7/8 Thursday. 22:07

6/8 Wednesday 23:20

SUNDAY 10 AUG

Started too hard and faded.

110 drag factor @ Centenary 

 Obviously hit the end of the easy improvements.  Need mental and physical impairment. 

THURSDAY 7 AUG

This is my second 5k erg.

This time my focus was on trying to be consistent for the whole 5k.

Shaved a minute off my 5k erg

Today 22:07

Yesterday 23:20

Today's approach was to try and keep a consistent split and rating. Not race pace. Just going for control. Pacing myself. (As distinct from yesterday where the objective was to finish without stopping) stopping is bad.

WEDNESDAY 6 AUG

First 5k in forever.  Motivated because the grammarians have asked for 5k erg times for yarra selection. I actually doubt if I'll be in a decent crew and to a degree feel somewhat off to the side.  It feels like we actually are not one club but a thing called the F8 and separately to that there's the haves and then the leftovers and I'm in that leftovers grouping.  None the less, a good motivator.

Wednesdays Facebook post:

Had to do a 5k erg. 

Got the erg from under the house. It was dirty and in two bits. Looking for excuses: Maybe today's job could be just to clean it and get it ready. After all, I'd done my first weights session on Tuesday morning and the ache was setting in. Excuses Excuses....

Sat on the seat. We are committed. Certifiable. Set Spotify. Selected 5k. I wanna live in a dream seemed somewhat appropriate. 

And we were away. 

Today's objective is to do the whole thing without stopping. 

 Two dangers identified: Firstly if too light, might give up from boredom and secondly if going too hard, might crash and burn gasping for air. 

Got on a roll with 100 metres on 100m off. Kicked it along nicely. 

After it was over, showered and hopped in the car. The play list was still running and serendipitously, the song playing was Divinyls "pleasure and pain". A notable line:

It's a fine line between pleasure and pain

You've done it once, you could do it again

Whatever you done, don't try to explain

Ha ha

Madness takes it's toll.

SKI#2 Planning

 

PRICE OF SKI HIRE (6 days)	Beginner	Intermediate
ALPINE SPORTS (Upstairs at nuggets) 7am-7pm	$ 140.00	$ 169.00
Skis Boots Poles	$ 115.00	$ 144.00
Helmet	$ 25.00	25
The Chalet Jindabyne (accomodation)	120	156
Ski Boots Poles	90	126
Helmet	30	30
RHYTHM COOMA 24hrs	205	230
Ski Boots Poles	155	180
Helmet	50	50
The Base (Old Jindabyne)	170	170
Ski Boots Poles	135	135
Helmet	35	35
PERISHER with 20% epic pass discount	$ 199.20	199.2
Perisher	$ 249.00	249
Ski Boots Poles	$ 179.00	179
Helmet	$ 70.00	70
Adler	$ 245.00	$ 325.00
Skis & Poles	$ 167.00	247
Boots	$ 28.00	28
Helmet	$ 50.00	50

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Picnic at Toowong cemetery

Packed cucumber, tomato & lettuce.

Phoebe and I and mags set off. A lot of traffic.  Took ages to get across indooroopilly bridge.  First stop was "my car " garage at toowong on the road to the uni. Phoebe paid her bill and got her car keys. Left the car there. 

Continued to toowong cemetery. Found a nice place in the sun.

 

 

Phoebe's Russian relatives graves

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Park Run

Rocks Riverside parkrun results for event #576. Your time was 00:39:36.

Congratulations on completing your 49th parkrun and your 35th at Rocks Riverside parkrun today. You finished in 313th place out of a field of 381 parkrunners. You were the 171st male and came 10th in your age category VM60-64. Take a look at this week's full set of results on our website. Your PB at Rocks Riverside parkrun remains 00:36:07. Congratulations on your fastest time this year.

About 10 minutes before the start, Phoebe kindly took Mags and began to walk.  

I walked through the crowd to the back. On 7 the run started.  I began to jog. 

Around the 2k mark I caught up with her. We ran together for a bit then I took mags and jogged ahead.

Park Run

Rocks Riverside parkrun results for event #575. Your time was 00:41:08.

Phoebe was away, Mags being looked after by Fletch and the Tesla abandoned at Coinda railway station so I figured I'd take Phoebe's 'cruiser for a spin. 

At the end,  saw this sign. 

I'm thinking.....

Wow. These guys are good....

Housing crisis;

Gaza genocide;

Trump;

Russia & Ukraine;

Basically world fighting;

Global warming;

Electricity prices;

Raise speed limits;

More trains;

Population decline;

The deficit;

People who disagree with me;

Unplanned

A couple of days of silly unthought hiccups. 

Thursday I arrived home from work and brought my back pack containing my computer upstairs and put it down in the lounge room.  Remember this for later. 

Thursday night I got a call offering me a row and I said 'yes'. So far so good. 

Packed my sports bag and my  rowing shoes, hat, hankie and water bottle into the car. Laid out my rowing clothes in my room. 

4am and I'm not really awake.  Put on rowing gear. No thinking required as everything prepared the night before.   Into the car and away. 

Arrived west end and put my sports bag in RQ in readiness for the post row shower.  

A very nice row. 

Post row and there's a big queue for the shower. I remembered I had forgotten my suit jacket. I grab my sports bag, think I'll go home and shower and get my jacket. At the car, I rethink this. I figure I can live without my jacket and it'll be a hour round trip as my next appointment is at Bond uni in Boundary Street.  Re queue for the shower.

In the car and realise I've left the aforementioned back pack and computer at home.  OK so it's drive home anyway. 

Pick up Jacket and back pack.  Decide to take the train to avoid traffic. Drive to Corinda and park. 

On the train and I realise I could have called Dan and asked him to pick up both the jacket and the back pack on his way in. 

A nice walk from Central.  Bought a coffee from a chemist that has a robot picker.  Walk onto Bond. 

The lift doors opened and there's strange signage and no people. A staff member confirms no Coraggio.  

Phone seems to not be connecting to the internet.  Placed a call to Dan but it did not go through. Gave up.  Rebooted phone. 

With the clock ticking, back in the elevator. Phone working again and searching emails results in new info. Down town at BDO at 10 Creek Street. Call Dan and establish he's in an Uber nearby. By this time, another member has joined me having made the same mistake. We all pile into Dan's uber.  On the way, he tries to extend the ride but his phones now giving grief.  So we pool cash and give the driver $15.

As we enter the building,  I realise this is where I usually park. Imagine in a parallel universe, I could have driven 10 minutes from west end. 

Sitting in our meeting and several others trickle in having made the same error. 

After the meeting,  we are travelling to the Polish club for dinner.  Dan and I team up with two ladies to share an uber. Dan ducks off the uber loo and then off couse the uber arrives and departs with just the ladies. Dan and I subsequently take a taxi. 

Later that night Dan and I take a uber. As it drops me, I realise my car is at the railway station.  

Gave up and went to bed. 

19/7 Dinner at Henry's

1 Henry

2 James

3 Kay

4 Andrew

5 Lara

6 Frank

7 Phoebe

8 James

9 Sally

10 Tristan Amelia

19/7 Henrys Canberra

8:00 am Park Run
Breakfast
Dinner with family

PARK RUN
rose early at around 7am to the sound of James fluffing in the kitchen.  Made a instant decaf because that was all I could find.  at 7:20, left Phoebe warm in bed and James and I headed out to park run. I was concerned about the cold as I did not have clothes for running in the cold.  In the end two thermal tops and a beanie, a pair of tradie disposable gloves and pair of shorts.  This was a good choice as it was not too hot to run in.  Just after the start Young James powered past.  At the end, took a photo of us

James had to scrape the snow off the windscreen.
 

 

Frost on everything

 

Gungahlin parkrun results for event #572. Your time was 00:41:33.

Congratulations on completing your 47th parkrun and your 1st at Gungahlin parkrun today. You finished in 248th place out of a field of 308 parkrunners. You were the 147th male and came 6th in your age category VM60-64. Take a look at this week's full set of results on our website. Well done on your first result at Gungahlin parkrun. We have set this as your PB.

You achieved an age-graded score of 39.27%.

 

 

 

 Frank, James and James

 

18/7 FRI - Last Day

FRIDAY

Set the alarm for 5:30am - half an hour earlier than normal to allow us to pack up.  

Phoebe scrambled 3 eggs for me.  She prefers breakfast later when she is more awake.

Packing up went remarkably smoothly and by 7:20, we were heading down the driveway.  At the bottom of the driveway, stopped to put the rubbish in the wheelie bin.  On to the Old Jindabyne shops to return the keys.  Shoved them in the letter box as the real estate was closed.  No queue at the nearby coffee shop so purchased two long blacks.

Jindabyne was very foggy but the fog gave way to blue skies as we headed to Bullocks flat.    

THREE MINUTES OF PHOEBE SKIING

 

https://youtu.be/g1tXP5_AJTw?si=TflkU_6cTM1okm8u

https://youtu.be/g1tXP5_AJTw?si=TflkU_6cTM1okm8u

We spent the entire day at Smiggins so that Phoebe could practice.  She's getting much better quickly.  

Sat up the top while Phoebe went off to explore and take photos.  Walking in the snow was hard as my boots would sink up to about a foot.  After trudging around, I returned to the skies.  Noted Phoebe was still trudging.  I put on my skies and picked up hers and skied them over to her.

 We left Bullocks flat and drove to Jindabyne and onto Cooma.  It was horizon to horizon traffic but it all moved along at a pretty good clip close to the speed limit.  At Cooma, we returned the ski gear and bought special fried rice and a few other dishes from a caravan at Rhythm.

Onto Canberra and arrived just after 7pm.  Quite drained.  We set up a mattress in the lounge and slept waking in the night to watch the flames flickering in Henry's fireplace.

 

 

 

2025 Ski notes

PACK LIST

Ski socks

1 sports socks

2 long sleeve thermal tops

2 long leg thermal bottoms

8 hankies (more is better)

Snow boots waterproof 

Black Asics Running shoes.

2m extension lead

1 x 6 way Power board. 

Puffer jacket.

Thin Niko pen

2 plastic pegs

4 metal pegs

1 USB battery

FORGOT

Torch

New yellow lens. 

Umbrella 

NEXT TIME

Thin vest (phoebe)

Keeps curry powder instead of paste.

Baking makes more cleaning than stove top. 

APARTMENT

Washer dryer 

Fridge, stove, oven, microwave. 

lots of useful left overs like salt and pepper and tomato sauce.

Double bed

Sofa bed. 

Dimplex heater in bedroom.

Fan heater in lounge. 

Not used verandah with chairs and BBQ.

2025 Boots

FIRST PAIR 

From Rhythm Cooma.

Way too much heel room. 

Too skinny.

SECOND PAIR

From Rhythm Smiggins.

I think Salamon brand. 

Marked

XPro90

Energyzer (note spelling)

Wide

28.5 326

Oversized

PIVOT

Last 102mm

These are better but I think half a size too one size too small.   

 

 

 

WHAT NOT TO GET

ATOMIC - These had way too much room in the heel. Both side to side and up and down. Also the sides of my feet hurt interestingly just to the heel side of the widest part of my foot. 

16/7 Wed - Spag Bog Dinner

MORNING

 Phoebe's last lesson.
Frank, James & Henry did Mount P
(Lewis and Clare drove home)
AFTERNOON
Frank, Phoebe and Jeff went to Smiggns
Spag Bog 

MORNING

As we walked across the ramp from the station to Perisher, we saw the dawn sun illuminating the Perisher centre. The sky was blue with wispy clouds. The moon was visible. 

Phoebe and I shared a coffee in Jax. I was on the optus chat trying to reactivate Jemma's Sim card. Phoebe went off to her lesson. 

James and Henry met me in Jax and luckily Optus was able to complete my request. 

The three of us were on our way. We headed for Mt Perisher.  Several runs on both the new 6 seat chair and a the Eyre T Bar.

Back and met Phoebe in Jax. She had brought a Taiwanese fellow - Jeff - from her lesson. 

we'd run out of Wraps so I had a very expensive Kabab. Phoebe had a home made sandwich. 

The three of us took the bus to Smiggns. First go on the Pomma and Phoebe fell off.  This knocked her.  I went to the top and met Jeff.

not long after Phoebe arrived up. James and Henry arrived. Phoebe was running low on energy. 

EVENING

James, Henry and Morgan came for dinner. 

Frank made spag bog.

Morgan arrived with a apple crumble along with a packet of corn flour and a bottle of wine. 

Phoebe made a salad and a egg custard using the aforementioned corn flour.

We began with schnapps followed by hot chocolate for J & H.

Main course was the spag bog, garlic bread and Phoebe's salad. 

Desert was Morgan's apple crumble, Phoebe's egg custard and ice cream. 

we chatted about all sorts of stuff:

B24, spooky men's chorale, skiing, dinner,