Lost In the Stars..... One Javelin!

........ "On your mark!"

1500m, AIS Track ACTVAC, 30th November, 2006!

...but before that race, I made a truly spectacular first appearance in my very first & last field event ....the javelin!

How I got to be lined up for it was after being asked to "have a go" by one of the club members....anyhow, someone was calling my name, so off I went having only a vague idea (very vague idea) of what I was about to do.

I can remember someone (probably Ewen) placing a very long stick with a pointy end into my hand & another very thoughtful person, who then very quickly got out of the way, showing me where to stand. Thankfully, just before 'blast off', Ewen saw that I had the pointy end facing the wrong way & that explained why everyone else had fled the scene! From then on, each time I was called, I couldn't help but notice that everyone 'cleared the decks'...so to speak.

It was one of the saddest sights I'd ever wish to see ....instead of the thing soaring out into space where I had visions of it circling the globe ad infinitum, it fell flat on the ground just a couple of metres in front of me! End of promising career in field events even though someone else threw less distance than I ...hard to believe!

Further humiliation was to follow: being so engrossed in this new event, I just about missed the start of the 1500m race that I'd especially come to Canberra for. I heard my name called from close by (thanks Speedygeoff) & there, right beside me, were about 20 faces of about 20 runners lined up waiting to start the 1500m event!

I wore the Nike 'Free' for the first time in a synthetic track race & prefer it to the Asics 'Magic Racer' that I've worn previously. The night was very warm, in contrast to others when I've sat huddled in a blanket between events.

That was Thursday night. For the next 2 nights & 2 days I had a

of a time!

Friday....took the bus into Civic & spent a couple of hours browsing in 'Borders' book shop & bought a new running log book.

Friday night, after a meal at Belluci's & 1 or 2 (& that's all!) glasses of very good red wine, I was given according to Aki's Blog, another nom de plume: Luckylegless! Great company to go with the wine....Mr & Mrs Speedygeoff, Aki, Ewen & PPRP....a great night!

....Aki, Speedygeoff, Ewen, Luckylegs enjoying Belluci's Italian resraurant!

Saturday (morning) ...with Ewen : National Art Gallery; (an exhibition of more than 200 objects that relate the story of the soul on its journey from earth into eternity)... "Egyptian Antiquities" from the Louvre. A blockbuster! Lunch at the Art Gallery then across to the National Library where there was an exhibition by an Australian artist, "Donald Friend: A Charmed Life". As well as his art work & sculptures, most interesting were thick volumes of his hand written diaries which he'd illustrated with ink drawings & water colours.

Saturday (afternoon). : watched events at "Interclub"; very interesting to see how "the kids" do it! I'll always remember a tiny girl of about 10 I suppose, doing the ?km Steeple Chase...straight up onto the jump, down into the water, racing on without faltering one single step! Ah, for the days of youth!

Saturday night : don't ever let anyone tell you Saturday night is 'the lonliest night of the week', even if there is a song that says so!

With Aki, PPRP & Ewen, we had the best Chinese meal and another 1 or 2 glasses of red wine. I was already on a natural high after Thursday night's 1500m PB & I know I couldn't stop laughing during the 5 to 10 minutes walk back to the motel.... I might be run out of town next time! I'll see what the photos show & include them later!

The funniest part of Saturday night, but equally the most profitable for me anyhow was, after putting on warm tops back at the motel...it was freezing by 9:00 p.m., we crossed the road to an oval where, because I was leaving next morning, Ewen put me through about 45 minutes of drills to make sure I would do them with 'goof' form when I returned to Mittagong! I learned a lot about my not-so-good form while Aki & PPRP - standing in the freezing night air - threw in the occasional pointer as well!

My previous 1500m race 2 weeks earlier, 16th November AIS track, Canberra was 8:24.65 - a PB & new ACT W75 record for 1500m.

Program : Thursday, 30th November - ACTVAC 1500m Race, AIS track, Canberra.

Time : 8:15.43 (PB by 9.? seconds & new ACT W75 1500m record).

I had a very good time!

......about to call it a night :PRP, Ewen, LL, Mrs Speedygeoff & Speedygeoff