Strides – and One Huge Step Backwards by Athletics Canada

Two items of interest and I’ll begin with the one of most import or possibly, absurdity, take your pick.

Athletics Canada announced today the selection criteria for the 2007 IAAF World Championships taking place in Osaka, Japan August 25 to September 2. What they were thinking is still a mystery, something along the lines of the Da Vinci Code perhaps?

Of interest to me are the new standards for the men’s marathon:

• A 2:11:34,


• B+ 2:13:03; and


• B 2:14.13.

To put it in context for those (myself included) where achieving those times might best be done on a bike, going downhill, with a slight tailwind… to attain the Canadian men's A standard one would have to run the fifth fastest time in Canadian marathon history and when compared to past world championship results would have guaranteed an individual winning seven of the ten world championship marathons.

Yeah… that's what I thought.

On a more unsurprising topic, I ran this morning. Seamus saved me from what would have been a mindless effort, following what is now a worn path, a large rectangle around the neighborhood. Rather, we set out on the grass along Dallas Road, hooked through Beacon Hill Park to the cricket pitch where I stretched the legs (4x strides) in anticipation of tomorrows Bear Moutnain10-k. I’m uncertain about the race as Seamus was told it would be challenging and should he not partake he would wake Monday morning the fastest harrier in Victoria as all the other top dogs would be injured.

The statistics - 33:10, AHR 138, MAX 158 apparently I also burned 380 calories. Coincidently a pint of Guinness has 190 calories, therefore I ran two Guinness today (in some circles known as a Bird). Let me anticipate your next question, “isn’t Guinness is high in vitamin G?” Unfortunately, there is no vitamin G! However, the folklore surrounding Guinness has often lead to it being called vitamin G.

Recommended Daily Allowance: 3 pints a day.