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Wednesday 22 June 2011

Last minute hitch

Murray's photos

After I posted earlier I discovered some empty folders where I had not uploaded files so I had more work to do. Then, when I linked the photo site to the manxathletics.com site through an "inline frame" (the thing that allows you to display one website inside another that I have been using quite a bit this week) it was directing the whole page away from the manxathletics.com page. So I settled for a photo of the new site with a link. Good night.

Stopping at 67,431

I've got cause to stop and celebrate as I have just completed the upload of 67,431 photos to my new website. That's all until I start a separate exercise with the family archives. Oh, apart from the few thousand I upload at the Parish Walk at the weekend!

Just a couple of hours more with some formatting and design and I'm going live. If I hadn't been tea total since the night of the London Marathon I might have had a drink.  

Tuesday 21 June 2011

64,000 dollar question

I'm still uploading photos to my new website virtually 24 hours a day and the number has passed 64,000. I wonder if it will be worthwhile?

Monday 20 June 2011

Robbie Lambie's tribute to Albert Johnson on Sheffield news website

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/tributes_to_legendary_olympic_racewalker_1_3497393

Hope that you enjoyed the rave

I accidentally named my video files "Bradda Fell Rave" yesterday. They would have been more interesting than the film I took from the pocket of my coat on the return journey to Douglas when I left the camera recording!

Getting me down

Its almost two years since I invested a lot of time (and some money too) on setting up the forum. I insisted upon people registering in their real names no matter how many people contact me to tell me that they have not been approved when they do not use their real name.

Unfortunately I receive about 10 emails a day, largely from Russia and other Eastern European countries, who must generate applications to join the forum for devious reasons and they continually clutter up my mailbox.

The image below lists the people who have tried to register since Saturday afternoon - excluding the two that have just arrived whilst typing this. I set (son) Ben up as my joint administrator and he is hacked off at receiving an email application every couple of hours. He has tried to increase the security settings without success.

I'm not sure whether this will be sustainable in the long term but if you don't yet use the forum and your want to, please make it easy for me by using YOUR REAL NAME.

Sunday 19 June 2011

Seeing only parts of the race

I planed to go to the top of South Barrule this morning but it was too misty to make it worthwhile. So the views were a bit restricted.

The views of the video are also a bit restricted. I came back with loads of footage but decided to deviate slightly from my usual format of trying to include everyone. I have gone for a few longer sequences. It is uploading now and shows you some top quality running.

Saturday 18 June 2011

Ending soon

I've been uploading loads more photos to my new photo website and its a never ending job. It has to end soon but some of the other things I was going to do before the Parish Walk and going to get knocked on the head.

Quiet Saturday

I've had a quieter Saturday than normal with only a short stint at our cottage and garden - although the long training session I did at 7 am today seems a long time ago. It was probably my best long one since I got injured last September.

I'm not doing much on the website today either.  I've finished off the video from last night's run and uploaded it and have a small change to do on the Parish Walk website.

I heard the train going pat the cottage today so why not include a photo from a previous Saturday? I know that some of our guests read this and like to hear about the cottage.

Friday 17 June 2011

From under Vera's umbrella

I have to admit that had it not been for Robbie's desire not to miss a round of the Dave Philips road races I would not have been standing in the rain at St Johns tonight.

You can tell that I was not that keen (and that there was a small field) when I only took 22 photos, mainly from under Vera Jones' umbrella.

I've also got some video but the software package keeps crashing at the moment. I have just re-booted my laptop and if it doesn't work this time I shall give up until later tomorrow as I don't want to be late tonight.

Thursday 16 June 2011

Self publicist


Media interviews; smiling. Maybe he is standing for the House of Keys (see earlier blog).

Elton's hole

Just back from one of THE events on the Isle of Man. I've been to better concerts but this was our event right here in Douglas and Elton really seemed to put everything into it.

They even created a hole in the wall for him to drive through after the concert to get him to the airport.

Piano at Nobles

3FM have been backstage as the Elton John gig gets closer....... on Twitpic

More than £200 for young athletes

Chris Quine has confirmed that entry fees and donations raised more than £200 last night for young athletes from the Steve Jacobs Memorial one mile race.

Chris organised the event for many years but Andy Fox has now taken over. Thanks to both of them for continuing the memory of Steve.

No wonder Michael didn't stand for the House of Keys

I'm referring to the April Fool on the manxathletics website. But you need to smile all the time (don't you?) but Michael George was in the process of throwing up when Kerry Mackey took this photo:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150204448157600&set=a.10150204447927600.318287.758567599&type=1&l=82afda44dc&theater

See her whole collection from the Welbeck Hotel sponsored 10,000 metres walk.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150204447927600.318287.758567599&l=82afda44dc

Snap


I am well rehearsed at one handed photography, still in one hand and the video in the other, but it was purely by chance that I managed to get two almost identical photos of the Steve Jacobs Memorial Mile on the front page last night.

I chose the still from more than a hundred that I took because it was a group with plenty more runners going on in the background. When you upload a video to YouTube it chooses a random clip to be displayed (and does also offer a couple of alternatives but I rarely change them) and it was from the same spot as the still photo (as you can see above).

I wonder where everyone is going to park for the Elton John concert tonight? All the no parking signs are in place alongside Nobles Park this morning and I would imagine that the parking at the park will only accommodate about 1% of those attending. We are smug being just a 10 minute walk away. But if it rains we will be nice and dry inside but in the clothes that will get soaked as we walk there!

I'll be at St Johns tomorrow night for the next event on the calender and at the Bradda Fell run on Sunday. I planned a quieter week next week to allow me time to get fully focused on the Parish Walk website so having an extra event before that does not fit in at all well.

Tuesday 14 June 2011

Another night of blogging

Over here:

http://parishwalk2011.blogspot.com/

It doesn't get much better than this


I set off just before 6 am today to run around Kewaigue, around the Marine Drive, along the promenade and Onchan.

We are only a week from the longest day and there was hardly a breathe of wind. The photo above was taken last Easter and the view was even better than this today.

I've never seen so many rabbits though. And how do people get away with parking mobile homes along there.  I know there were only two but suppose others did it too? The view would soon  be gone. It is certainly not permitted to park on coastal beauty spots around the UK.

For those that have not seen it, the marquee for the Elton John concert is well on its way. Its on the side of Nobles Park closest to St Ninians Church. Like many I am sure, we received an email yesterday telling us that the seating arrangements had been changed for the concert - strange that if the tent had always been booked and was claimed.

If you are not working today (I wish I wasn't) get yourself out in the countryside - the Manx views won't get any better than this.

Monday 13 June 2011

As TT memories fade


The Isle of Man very quickly gets back to normal after the TT and it will soon be just a memory. Normal? Well maybe not for athletes as even by our hectic standards the next couple of months are going to be exceptional.

We are just 12 days away from the biggest mass participation event for adults that I can ever recall - the Scottish Widows Parish Walk. On the same day we have a large Isle of Man team at the opening ceremony for the Island Games. And as you will see from the front page we have six road races, three fell races, the Isle of Man track and field championships before....we embark on five events in six days.

I've been digging deep into my memory (and Wikipeadia and Google) to try and remember when I last saw Steve Baker (pictured above on Bray Hill) racing. I'm fairly sure that it was in 1977 when I travelled overnight from Stoke to Brands Hatch by train (and walked the last few miles) to watch the British round of the World Formula 750 Championships but I can't find the date. Certainly that was the year that Baker won the championship (and in the days of multi-tasking before it became a word or two) he finished runner up to Barry Sheene in the 500 cc world championship.

I recall that "Rocket" Ron Haslam tried to keep up with Baker at Brands and went as high into the air as any rider I have ever seen when he crashed.. If only I could find the date to ensure that it was not the following year that I made my only trip to Brands Hatch.

If my memory is not playing tricks, didn't some athletes used to train as well as race. My memory is not what it used to be.

Sunday 12 June 2011

What a marathon

4 hours of Formula 1 coverage and not even half the race held yet!


Richard Radcliffe (above) was one of the hundreds of marshals who knows all about marathon hanging around sessions waiting for motor sports to start. He is a long serving TT marshal.

He was pictured at the start of the Virgin London 8 weeks ago. Today I have watched the TV coverage of that - an 8 week marathon.

It was more than 20C when the London Marathon finished. 8 weeks later it was only 11C when the Moto GP started at Silverstone.

London was amazing - 22 women under 2 hours 30 minutes. The answer was obviously to finish quickly before it got too hot.

I think we've had a record number of laps behind the safety car in F1 today. Anyone want to bet when it will end  - at last at lap 34 its coming in.  

Wednesday 8 June 2011

Remembered how to smile

I wasn't smiling much tonight either in the race or after taking Robbie home.

Its taken me a while to publish a photo of the top three in a very good quality race. Its not often that we get found under 34 minutes these days.

And then I looked towards the bottom of the result and saw that I was listed as an over 55. Not quite there yet!  

Reliable timing


My Garmin packed up the other day and I was lost without it (thankfully it is working again).

I'm lost if I don't know the time too and these days nearly everyone has reliable watches whether they cost thousands of pounds to reflect somebody's status or, like me, use one that is just as accurate for less than a tenner.

In the old days, however, public clocks were much more important and the Jubilee Clock (above) was a feature of Douglas. Everyone knew the Jubilee Clock in Douglas especially if you were learning to drive (or taking your test) when you used to drive down Victoria Street, round the clock and back the other side (don't try it now).

I had forgotten what a fine feature it is. And at least the photo was easy to take and catch the mixture of architecture in the background. Not like the photos I took of the Red Arrows from the balcony of La Piazza where we had just eaten last night. I just couldn't  get any decent shots of my compact camera (I didn't have my SLR because I was late from work).

Its back to athletics tonight though with the 10,000 metres on the track for both walkers and runners. We can be sure of some reliable timekeeping there from the skilled timekeepers - even though I doubt if I will the time they tell me I have recorded.

Monday 6 June 2011

Eyes open

When I'm competing I always get teased about the fact I look as if I am running with my eyes closed.

I don't realise I am doing it unlike some of my work on the website, such as  a feature I have just finished tonight and will publish in the morning, when I have had to prop my eyes open to stay awake.

Its certainly been yet another day when our eyes are opened to the dangers of racing around the Isle of Man at nearly 200 miles per hour in places.

I watched the postponed race from my usual spot on Bray Hill tonight with the usual mix of delight and shame.






I'm off for a couple of cups of what made Guy Martin famous. Was he really talking about Marxism in his post race interview tonight?

Thursday 2 June 2011

Perfect morning

If ever there was a day and get out and train early it was today. Perfect day and I managed one of my best  sessions at the NSC for a while. Bikers flooding off the ferry when I came back home.

The NSC is in good shape now and will be well used over the next couple of weeks. Follow the links which I have highlighted at the top of the home page.

Wednesday 1 June 2011

The Steam Packet and Bushy's tent

The two most talked about things in TT week? Well the races get a good look in but I don't think there are many who don't find something to complain about with regard to the Steam Packet and have a story about Bushy's beer tent.

They were both getting up to full speed when we went for a mid evening walk about rather than sitting down in front of the computer as planned.


Where's Ago?



I've continued my renewed interest in the TT with a visit to Braddan Bridge tonight. The last time I watched here was the famous 1967 senior when Hailwood set the lap record at 108 something and Agostini went missing with a broken chain. Where's Ago was the question that Friday. You can hardly say that the visitors get ripped off everywhere they go - 50p for a bench seat for Braddan Church.

Parish walk info

After spending a huge amount of time on the Parish Walk website a few weeks ago (around the time that the entries closed) I have moved away from it for a while.

I have just published the programme here:

http://www.parishwalk.com/2011/PW11prog.pdf

Family/work/tt/training/this website permitting, I hope to be spending more time back at www.parishwalk.com and the supporting blog in the weeks ahead.