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President’s Tan Talk – January 2023
(Once again a cuppa may be a good move as you roll through Stride Out this month!)
As 2022 rolled into 2023 we were at the Tan on successive Saturdays for the New Year’s Eve Fun Run and the first Tan Time Trial of 2023. As we look to get more or less back to normal after covid disruptions some important things are re-appearing:
- Sally Browne kindly provided some food for us to enjoy at NYE, to sustain us while we relaxed after the last run for 2023
- Guilt-free chocolate spot prizes were a key feature at NYE, a long-standing VRR tradition.
- We are looking at what is now involved in regularly providing a ‘cuppa’ after TTT’s in 2023
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| (It was also great to see Kenny Carter back running after having to patiently recover from a nagging injury, good work Kenny.) |
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| As usual at the NYE Fun Run we had a number of international visitors participating with Spain, United States, Germany, Finland, Burma, Italy, Hong Kong, France, UK and Japan all represented. Thanks were expressed, they enjoyed running with VRR.
As occasionally happens at this time of year we had a problem with our ‘diversion’ at the King George Memorial with trucks going in and out so after contemplating ‘Plan B’ (diverting at Government House Drive as we used to) we ended up with ‘Plan C’, adding the distance on the front end of the run, all good.
The big milestone achievement (see below) was Rowan Cole achieving 300 Tan Time Trials, great work Rowan.
Both of the two runs were much photographed, many thanks to Helen Myall, with a small sample included in Stride Out, with the full lists accessed via Facebook, see the link at the end of Stride Out.
Running Reflections continues this month with great contributions from Tarquin Oehr (Weather and Running) and Tony Freegard (Life with a Catheter).
A very big thank you to our valued volunteers who help make our Tans and Fun Runs effortless to organise, when it actually involves a lot of work. I include in that thank you those members who have ‘answered the call’ at different times during the year. I know that VRR members appreciate the work that is done to put our events on, because you tell me, but it is very important to acknowledge those efforts.
We look forward to seeing you all again soon and wish you good running (or walking) in 2023.
Michael
VRR President |
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| Rowan Cole reached the 300 TTT mark at the January Tan and VRR President, Michael Kennedy took great pleasure in handing Rowan his award. |
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VRR PHOTOS
VRR photographer, Helen Myall takes many photos at each of our events and the one’s below are just a VERY small sample.
ALL the photos are posted on Facebook.
To access Facebook you can use your internet browser and type in the following address:
www.facebook.com/VicRoadRunners/photos |
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| VRR New Years Eve Fun Run/Walk |
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VRR members Rebecca Rogers and son, Leon Davis enjoying the post NYE event refreshments.
Like all parents, Rebecca has to come to terms with the fact that Leon is now faster around the tan (and he’s got the drink bottle to prove it!) |
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| VRR member, Geoff Wheeler powering along in the 8km NYE event. |
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| VRR member number 1, Greig McEwan enjoyed the 8km NYE run. |
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| James Yatomi-Clarke was proudly displaying his Melb Marathon ‘Spartan’s’ singlet for NYE. |
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Life, as we know it, is slowly starting to come back to normal after three years.
And you couldn’t have a NYE fun run/walk without SPOT PRIZES.
As you can see, there was a great array this year! |
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| And likewise, you couldn’t have a NYE fun run/walk without refreshments and how nice was it to have Sally Browne doing what she does best – hey what about that smile! |
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| ….. And the January TTT is off to a flying start in perfect weather. |
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| Colin Page sporting his Richmond Running Club top. |
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| Elizabeth Mitchell contemplates the climb up to the top of the ‘dog leg’. |
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Stuart Jacobson is a regular TTT’er and always puts in a good effort. And another one sporting his Spartan’s singlet.
VRR has a solid number of ‘Spartan’s’ amongst our membership. |
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| Phillip Urquhart also looks as though he is relishing the ‘dog leg’ climb. |
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| As advised at the January TTT on Saturday, we will be continuing our Running Reflections series of articles into 2023, so please write an article, whether about a single event or a longer-term reflection and send it to Michael Kennedy for publication. Tarquin Oehr (pictured below) promptly answered the call with this “chilling” article about Weather and Running. It’s worth keeping in mind when reading it that Tarquin is a GP, so he has a good understanding of the potential impacts of weather extremes, it’s a good read.
In due course Running Reflections will become an online book. Happy reading |
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| Weather and Running
Living in Melbourne, we are all used to experiencing the vagaries of our weather.
Here are a few of my anecdotes relating to climate vs runner over the years.
Heat
The obvious candidate would be one of the VRR Twilite tans where the temperature registered 42 degrees. Naturally the organisers cancelled the official race but some of us die-hards, not wanting to turn up for nothing, ran our own event. It wasn’t too bad actually, mostly in shade although the heat from the peak hour traffic along the bottom of the tan was oppressive. Anyway, no fatalities.
Cold
Athletics Victoria 16 Km Cross Country. Coldest August day for 24 years, windy and rain. Nasty officials kept us at the start line in the rain making announcements, so everyone started off already chilled. As the race progressed, I chilled further, the colder I became the slower I was able to run thereby entering a vicious circle. I shuffled over the finish line, was handed a warm cup of tea which I proceeded to spill most due to uncontrollable shivering. The end of the junior girls race which preceded ours looked like Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow
Hail
Half marathon at Whittlesea. Five minutes after the start a violent hailstorm hit, head on, seriously chilling everyone. Fortunately, it only lasted about 10 minutes, the rest of the race proceeding uneventfully. Later that evening a friend rang informing me he had come out in an odd rash on his chest. Checked myself finding I was covered in spotted bruises all over the chest- result of the hail
Snow
Several adverse experiences while working in London in 70’s.
Having an entire 8 K CC run over snow posed a dilemma of what footwear to use. Flats would be too slippery, but spikes would accumulate compacted snow. Just had to take it cautiously (and finish before darkness set in around 4 pm)
Ice
My first race in London was a 10-mile CC on Hampstead Heath. Cold and muddy so I elected to wear spikes. Unfortunately, these were track spikes with no heel cushioning and, with much of the mud frozen solid, serious bruising was inflicted on the heels. One learns.
Mud
Following this unpleasant experience, I purchased some Fluoro Nike CC spikes for the next event. Unfortunately, the mud was not frozen and after 50 m my flashy new yellow spikes were now brown. At least once they were dirty, I was happy to run through the deepest puddle s without fear of soiling them (experience has shown the ground is often more solid at the base of a puddle so I don’t avoid them these days)
Wind
Greek Marathon 1979 would have to take the award. At the start, at Marathon the commemorative flags were flattened by the headwind against which we had to bear for the next 42 K, not to mention uphill gradient for the first 30 K. Consolation was having my photo on the front page of the Greek sporting newspaper next day.
Fog
I was hospitalised with a minor ailment while working in London but was allowed to go for a daily run. This particular day there was a freezing fog – don’t quite understand how it works but when I closed my eyes tightly my eyelashes froze together. Maybe wear goggles?
Tempest
Tan time trial in 90’s where a storm caused a tree to fall across the bottom of the Tan. Undeterred, our inventive officials just made us turn around and somehow managed to make exact 4 K laps.
On another occasion we were moved to Fawkner Park.
Needless to say, the weather rarely causes inconvenience on the first Saturday of the month – not sure how our president organises this. And at least we’ve never been stopped by a locust plague! |
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| Regular VRR ‘Stride Out’ contributor, Tony Freegard, this month shares his experience in ‘Life with a Catheter’. |
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Life with a Catheter
The words catheter and running are incompatible. As a runner I speak from experience, a brisk walk yes, but run impossible.
I have been looking over Rod Oppie’s shoulder and note with interest that I dwell in the Tan’s nervous nineties. Imagine an opening batsman on the fifth day of an international away test match, with a deteriorating wicket, fading light, a combination of both spin and pace attack at the other end, with only the shaky tail for support, who is striving for those elusive final runs for a maiden test century. I too need only a few runs to be presented with my 100 Tan T shirt, but frustratingly I can’t run.
OK, I know I can take a pack lunch and perambulate twice round the Tan in my own time, but I’m a runner, it defines who I am, so this is not an option.
One Saturday morning circa 11.00 I received a visitor to my home. He was an extremely polite gentleman unknown to me, and he made the most unusual request, “Would you take down your trousers please.”
At least he said, “Please.”
Let me put this into perspective. I consulted my GP over a condition that had been troubling me for some time, he dutifully sent me off for the appropriate tests, and once completed I should make another appointment. All done, Wednesday I booked a follow up appointment for Friday. Thursday morning, just after 09.00 I received a call from the surgery asking me to come in as soon as possible. This could only mean one of two things, this is serious, or my GP prefers to play golf on Friday.
It was a short consultation as the doctor was busy drafting and printing a sheaf of documents and then instructed me to pack a few things and present at Box Hill Hospital emergency immediately, and I should expect to be admitted for several days. Immediately, should I ring “000” and request an ambulance with all the bells and whistles? Bit too dramatic, so I took the train.
Upon arrival at ED I was greeted with none of the urgency I expected, notwithstanding my impressive folio of medical documents. Finally called 5½ hours later to have a canula fitted so they could swipe some blood. I guess they were busy. Move on another 1½ hours and I was ushered into a cubicle and told to undress and don one of those gowns that are impossible to tie at the back.
I was told I was to have a catheter inserted to drain my bladder. I nodded assent not knowing exactly what the mechanics of this procedure could be. A Urologist came to put the frighteners on me, and I was informed that I should look forward to a 3-month relationship with this device.
Let me put something out there, when it comes to needles and any type of medical procedure, I am a wus. A frightened little boy with eyes the size of the moon. A male nurse appeared at my side and announced he was about to insert the catheter. I will spare you the details, save to say the thought of what he was doing was overwhelming, so I looked away.
With the catheter inserted, bladder draining I was shunted off to Short Stay for a night of intermittent agony, bloody urine and very little sleep. Oh, they did give me something to eat plus medication to ease the pain that put me on a high for whole of Friday when I was discharged, seems they needed the bed for a patient with a badly broken fingernail.
That brings me back to the exceedingly polite gentleman that made that odd request (I hope you’re paying attention). He is an After Care Nurse charged with the responsibility to ensure that I was following the catheter care instructions delivered at the hospital whilst in the medically induced high. Glad he dropped in, because I wasn’t following the instructions even remotely, he righted the situation and explained it all again to my advantage.
That first catheter was a nightmare, standing, sitting and walking around was agony, I thought that was just how life with a catheter was. It was replaced when I presented for a biopsy and what a difference, I hardly knew it was there, a great relief. Although, sleeping remained a problem, as I sleep on my side in the foetal position, but I was too frightened to roll over and accidently detach anything.
Leaky bags, imagine warm urine leaking into your shoe and sock, also staining the bottoms of your trackies. By the time you discover this the urine has cooled and it’s all too late, damage done. And this always seemed to happen away from home. I finally worked out the problem with these bags in the last month of my incarceration.
Remember at primary school we learnt to make new colours out of primary colours, red and blue to make purple, that opened a whole new phantasmagorical kaleidoscope of pigments and hues to decorate our lives. Not so with cars, only available in shades of grey apparently. Red and yellow makes orange, I quite like orange, but difficult to wear, maybe that’s why it is not popular with brides. Urine yellow and diluted blood red in a catheter bag produces a disgusting shade of orange that can only be described as “yuck.”
I am currently recovering from surgery with a 4-6 week ban on strenuous exercise (yep, no running) which has allowed the removal of the catheter and that experience may prove fertile ground for another article, as I had a little fun whilst in hospital. However, I must make mention of the actual removal of the catheter, a monster triple catheter, at midnight? (aren’t nightmares enough). This procedure only lasts a nano second, but I felt like I was being turned inside out. Aaaagh!
Writing this article has been a cathartic experience yet took a great deal of discipline. My legacy of 2022 is lethargy, as an art form I have perfected it, and I have achieved a High Distinction in this field. If I could put off breathing, I think I would. My clinicians tell me that lethargy is part of my condition and part of my therapy, since my treatment is ongoing, I can look forward to making a concerted effort to get nothing done.
Regardless, one doctor told me that I will never run another ½ marathon. Well, let’s see about that.
Thank you for reading.
Tony Freegard
Agent 99 |
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The February TTT will have the usual 7.30am start at the ‘Pillars of Wisdom’ and is on Saturday 4th February 2023.
Refer to the website (vrr.org.au) for more details |
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| MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
Following a two-year hiatus for membership subscriptions, unfortunately we have to remind you that fees are due on 1/1/23.
VRR need to charge a nominal membership fee as it does not receive any sponsorship and has to cover such costs as public liability insurance (~$1,000), 12 TTT tee-shirts, milestone tee-shirts, plaques for milestones and trophies presented at the Annual Dinner.
The membership fee has been REDUCED and is now $20 for individuals, $10 for Juniors, $40 for families (2 adults plus all children) and country members (greater than 100k from the GPO) are half of these fees.
Contact the Treasurer at vrrtreasurer@gmail.com for bank account details or if paying in person at the tan please provide membership number when doing so.
Thanks.
Doug Stokes – VRR treasurer |
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Birthdays
VRR extends birthday greetings to the following members who will celebrate birthdays in January.
Val W, Judy W, John C, Bruce H, Ingrid T, Bill M, Jane S, Christine O, Peter F, Daniel N, Sally C,
Aileen M, Glenys P, Martin W, Glen M, Lucy O, Sarah B, Sophie B, Alan B John G, Patrick H, Suyi O |
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| If we missed your birthday we are very sorry. Please let us know so that we can acknowledge you in the next Stride Out. |
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VRR on HOLIDAYS
Now that the travel restrictions are easing, we’d love to see those holiday snaps with you wearing your VRR clothing whilst on holidays.
It could be at the beach here in Victoria, somewhere interstate or overseas like this old photo from Disneyland – but you have to have your VRR clothing on! |
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VRR LIFE MEMBERS
Stephen Barker, Kevin Browne, Sally Browne, Tony Doran, Graham Edwards, Jenny Field, Peter Field, Vern Gerlach (dec), Peter Gunn (dec.), Don Hampshire, Eileen Helmers (dec), Frank Helmers (dec), Betty Horskins, Graeme Horskins, Mike Kennedy, Lynn Kisler, Greig McEwan, Ross Martin (dec), Vin Martin, John Morris, Helen Myall, Peter Nicoll, Bill Noonan, Brian O’Dea, Rod Opie, Graham Prossor, Melissa Sirianni, Doug Stokes, Brian Toomey (dec.), Stuart White, Robert Wilson, Judy Wines, Tom Worrell (dec) and Val Worrell. |
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Can you ask your running friends if they are receiving their email copy of Stride Out.
If they aren’t, can you get them to send me an email (gprossor@bigpond.net.au) asking to be put on the distribution list. |
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RUN CALENDAR AUSTRALIA
Run Calendar Australia now list VRR runs plus lots of other runs.
Visit their website at runcalendar.com.au
or tweet them – @runcalendarau |
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