Feral Postcards

Date: Sunday, 8 November 2009

From: Helen

Update from Helen ...

Just a quick note to let you know I backed up from the Olympic Distance Worlds on the Gold Coast by heading over to Perth for the Long Distance Worlds 5 weeks later. I was probably looking forward to this race more, because the distances suited me better – 3km swim, 80km bike, 20km run.

When race day dawned I knew it was going to be a tough one – it was blowing a gale, and the river looked like Bass Strait (but browner). We swam 2km straight into the chop and it was a real struggle, but then coming back with the wind behind us didn’t seem any easier – it was just plain hard. Swallowed a fair bit of water. Anyway, I came out of the water in 3^rd place in y age group and jumped on the bike. I had decided not to use the disk because of the wind and I think that was a good decision, there were parts of the course where I was battling to keep the bike on the road anyway. I had caught the two in front by the 15km mark, and was still in the lead at the end of the bike. Averaged 35.6km/h which is pretty good for me, especially in those conditions.

Started the run with a 4 minute lead and still held that after the first 5km. I was starting to think maybe I could do this. Then things started to turn a little bit ugly – the soles of my feet started burning, then my knee and hip were giving me grief. I kept going, trying to ignore the pain and even saw 180 on the heart rate monitor, which I don’t do very often. It was also quite a hot day, well over 30 degrees. I was still in the lead with 5km to go, when alas, my main rival caught me and ran past me like a gazelle. Bugger! Still, I held on for 2^nd and certainly can’t complain about another silver medal! Finished in 4.45 which I was pretty pleased with.

Of course, the day after the race was cool and cloudy, not a breath of wind and the river was like a millpond. Perfect for wine tasting ;-)

Bit of R&R now, then heading to Adelaide in January to see Cadel and the boys at the Tour Down Under.

Date: Wednesday, 28 October 2009

From: Chris

Anyone remember the president of the Melbourne chapter of the Ferals?? This postcard is from Chris.

Hi All - Johanna and Neil first?

I thought that it would be appropriate to provide a quick update - now that we've been gone since April 2007!

Melbourne is going well, albeit with a gaping hole in my Saturday afternoons now that i dont have the feral runs to go to on the hill. Kate is still working the Police (much to my dismay) and i am still with the eng. consulting firm so i guess on that front we have been doing well. We are playing touch once a week down here which is great fun. Problem is, the temperature doesn't get above 35 degrees, so you don't get that dry - roasted feeling we onced cherised in Griffith. I am running a fair bit and swimming. they have these new inventions called a 50m pool down here, so that has been fun doing laps in.

I've even got Kate into adventure racing - when hansie and i raced our team name was 'BFAM: brothers from another mother'. Kate and i race under the name 'Lovers from another mother' but it doesn't get the same laughs.

I was busted doing the melbourne marathon again by Theresa, Arun and i heard Glenys was out there also. It was great to see some familiar faces out there on the war path. i ran in 3:35:06 this year which is 7 minutes quicker than last year and the conditions were pretty bad (hot) so i am really happy with my time.

We keep in regular contact with Hansie - He is in PNG and working as a coffee trader. He comes back to Austrlia every couple of months and we make him bring duty free grog and free coffee, so it's a relationship i'm keen to keep going. Rumor has it that he is meeting up with some girl he knew at Uni in South Africa when he comes back to Australia - i'm sure he's happy that i am telling everyone about it.

I have attached some pics from Melbourne Marathon and one of kate and myself overseas in June/July.

speak soon & keep running

Date: Saturday, 17 October 2009

From: Paul

27th SRI CHINMOY TRIATHLON FESTIVAL SAT & SUN 17 & 18TH OCTOBER 2009

At 8:30 am and after a minute’s silence in typical Sri Chinmoy style(peace) we were off in the Classic distance Tri. The initial shudder of very cold water entering my

wetsuit made me think “can I do this”. Then after treading water to empty my goggles I noticed the rest of the field 75 metres in front. I commenced swimming again, firstly breast stroke, then sidestroke and lastly backstroke until I reached the first buoy(300m).

On the next leg the water in my wetsuit had reached a comfortable temp and I started freestyle. Incredibly, I was catching up to the other stragglers behind Spinnaker Is. My arrival time was 31 plus minutes, 1 minute slower than last year.

The bike leg was a relaxing experience after the horrid swim but at 8 mins slower than last year, not very rewarding. I apparently was using too low a gear (big cog on the back wheel). I was reminded of the danger Tri’s can be when approaching the Molonglo River I noticed some people & cars on the bridge. A rider had crashed into the bridge railing and was laying on the road clearly unconscious and was being comforted by another competitor who told us that an ambulance had been called and to keep going. He guy is back at work a bit sore but OK. One mishap I had was whilst riding out of the Molonglo River I jammed the chain between the cluster and the rear axle. I must commend the volunteer marshalls on the bike leg . They were fantastic giving directions & replenishing water bottles. In Canberra they stop the traffic to let us though.

At the bike transition onto the run I took a little time to massage my thigh muscles which cramped in each of the previous 3 Sri Chinmoys. It slowed me down in the pits but worked well (probably the lower gears on the bike helped plus the magnesium tablets) no cramps at the 3 k mark. I stretched out after 3 ks and passed a young runner who had zoomed past me at 2 ks. I set my goal to stray in front of him and to catch what looked to me to be a fellow over 50’s runner about 750mts in front of me.

I accomplished both goals easing past the Master competitor with 150 mts to run. The young runner was catching but I was safe. That was satisfying and my time of 48 mins was 3 mins faster than last year.

In summary another great Tri, well organised, great course (especially the “Peace Mile” on the run). A bit cool at this time of year but a nice start to the Triathlon season. Next year it will be held 30/31^st October ……lets hope that some of the Virtual Feral Tri’s will give it a go.

Date: Saturday, 8 August 2009

From: Gerald

From Gerald on his odyssey:

Hi to all you ferals,

Hope all is well. Have been keenly following the progress on the website. Well done! Been gone 4 months now travelling and working around Oz. I am now in the small town of Pingelly WA, 90mins from Perth for my last stop before coming home. Started off at Easter on the Central Coast which was a nice stop, kept the running going up there. Then headed down to Tasmania and spent 5 weeks working in Hobart. A bit chilly but managed to run along the beach (Picture1)and swim at the pool. Fantastic scenery and food, had a little too much of both, but at least we saw most of the island. We then headed for warmer weather in Tennant Creek. Kylie got work in Alice Springs in the swine flu clinic, while I spent 3 weeks in Tennant. Beautiful scenery out of town but the town itself is falling down. Aboriginals here wonderful, shy and polite, but when they touch alcohol, very different. Very busy at the hospital here, even had to treat a dog on my last day. At least kept up the running out to the local dam, 5km. After this stint we had 3 weeks off and so we travelled through central Oz, Darwin, Litchfield, Kakadu (Picture2) then to Broome and the Kimberley. Hope to see you all on the hill soon.

Gerald

Date: Sunday, 26 July 2009

From: Sarah

From Sarah…………..at the Gold Coast Marathon (I only did the 10 km race)

My morning jog on Sunday the 5^th of July was somewhat different in contrast to a leisurely run along one of the rocky and dusty tracks on Scenic Hill. Firstly my jog was alongside five-and-a-half thousand other people, and secondly it was through the streets of Surfers Paradise. Despite the coastal location, I had to brave the crisp 10 degree conditions that the Gold Coast put on for the kick-off of the 10 km run at 6.45 am. The gun sounded and all of a sudden Surfers Paradise became ‘Runners Paradise’ with a sea of keen joggers flooding the streets. Highlights of the run included the unique beach views, running on a totally flat track and crossing the line in approx. 44 mins for my first competitive 10 km run. It was also fantastic cheering for the leading marathon runners as they passed once I had finished my race. Here are some embarrassing finish line shots of me on the run.

(editor: Sarah did ask that I not put up all the photos, but I think they are great. As for embarrassing, I think the guy in the yellow shirt has more to be worried about than our Sarah). and, is that Chris O'Neill behind Sarah in the third photo?