Wednesday 31 January 2007

All My Friends Are Turning Sixty

Posted by speedygeoff on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 with
Newspaper headline of the day: Grandmother Of Eight Makes Hole In One

On grandparenthood: Have you noticed how condescending young journalists can be? A "grandmother" is a curiosity, and accompanying pictures often show someone wrinkled and frail enough to be a great-great-grandmother! Enough! In the 21st century, grandparents are still young and active and don't just sit around marking time!

Thursday night preview
6.00pm 3000m
Will Paul Considine run away with the men's division of the "Moore Series"? In the women's section, will anyone get their eight races up? Yes, it looks as if Margaret may win it for the second time. She who is about to turn 60.

7.00 4x1500m Relay
There are still some records up for grabs, eg W35. I am in the record books in the old 55s and will only run if needed, to defend my record! Is that cheating I wonder?

7.30 400m
Possibly the only sensible race on a hot night?

8.00 4x200m Relay
Yet another relay! This one for those who are too bored to be sitting around for another 15 minutes.

8.15 3000/5000m
A 5k might be the go if the weather is kind.

9.15 I am off to Taj Agra for some real food.

The fun run boom
My peers and I were in our mid twenties when the Fun Run boom hit Australia. We were just the right age to take the lead in participation, organisation and promotion of same. Now we are on the verge of turning sixty; some are already there, some have a little way to go. But it is noticeable as this generation starts to turn sixty, there is an enormous gulf between that segment of the population who got hooked on fun running, and that segment who never got interested in maintaining their health and fitness in that way. For instance; at reunions, the inactive set look terrible. For instance; when one of us falls ill, needs an operation, whatever, the active ones recover very quickly. Time and tide happens to all; but those who have practised a health and fitness lifestyle seem to have far better coping mechanisms than those who have not.

I was "shocked" when I saw in the ACT triathlon results in the 60-64 category Bob Harlow, Peter Clarke and Margaret McSpadden. Then I realised that Triathlon Australia calculates age groups from age at the end of the year. But it does mean that three super-fit athletes will be having their 60th birthdays this year. The sixties have never looked better!

Fly goose fly!

Last year's Terry Fox Fun Run