Maybe I'll be glad I did it - next year

Spent several hours this evening trying to improve the formulas for calculating past performances of entrants in the Parish Walk for next year when they enter. For the majority, the system works well as I think was demonstrated when I had my analysis complete by 6 am this morning. But its always the same niggles that come   back to haunt me. They frustrated the life out of me tonight with not a lot to show but then I don't suppose I had to show for work spent in previous years that now makes things easy.

I'll be glad when the Parish Walk lists have gone to print and this form of analysis will be over until December - which is why I wanted to work on the formulas now when things were still fresh in my tiring mind.

The birthday card I got so wrong in 2003

Sent to my brother-in-law - one of many Man City fans who didn't expect to see the final league table the way it finished today, especially at the start of time added on!

On the shelf

Earlier in the week I wrote to three of the guys who ran in the first event to finish in the Olympic stadium. I had hoped to do a piece after the event on the Lottery 5 miles but I had sat on the story for so long that in the end I had to ditch the idea. I wonder if anyone other than Keith Green, Kevan Osborn and Alan Sandford ran.

Time seems to be getting shorter than ever. In my case its not helped by continuing to run every morning post London Marathon and having a few changes at work.

I seem to have been writing more emails again lately. I have just updated the Parish Walk blog and Facebook page, followed by a piece about Bridget Kaneen on the MA site so I'm afraid the sports  emails will have to wait as I have a couple to do tonight that might earn some money.

Plenty more stories on the shelf for another day.

Into the picture

I hope to use one of the photos I took this evening to illustrate one of the best stories of the year, I discovered that the top athlete I met for a coffee went to school with my niece.

Its quite an enlightening weekend. So many hours spent banging heads together to no avail and then finally ....an  Isle of Man team competes in the Northern League.

More than 100 to go

I set out tonight to try and clear some of my outstanding emails. At 7.30 pm I said I would get them down to 100 or stop at 10 pm. 10 pm has arrived first so if you are still waiting, well I'm afraid you are still waiting.

I try my best to help on a wide variety of subjects....but there is the forum.

Over 50s outing

Just checked the turnouts in recent years at what is now the Up & Running Ramsey Park Runs and the number of starters is definitely the best since 2009. The last couple of years have been pretty low so maybe having a couple of events on Tuesday has helped.

And there have been good turnouts of youngsters in their race around the Mooragh Park. My part of the race is, unfortunately, dominated  by the older athletes and young Shaun Moore would have been forgiven for thinking he had joined an old age pensioners day out. He started with three over 50s (Kevin Deakes, Andy Gosnell and myself) with Kevin Vondy 40 seconds ahead.

I managed to get the better of my group but Kevin V remained the same distance ahead or maybe slightly further ahead. And some of the people we passed in the handicap race were not so young either. At least those that came through to overtake us were the youthful Ollie Lockley and Andrew  Nash.

I drove past Ramsey Bakery on the way to the run last night. They are a long term sponsor of some of the Northern AC events and also of the IOMVAC's End to End Walk which I have featured on the front page this morning. Normally I enjoy home made bread for breakfast but we're supporting the sponsor this morning as our supply has run out.

MMM

We are in a thick of a congested fixture period with the third event in five days tonight. Take a bit of time to check the list at the top of the home page and let me know if there is any better links to use to make entering an event as easy as possible for someone new to the sport.

I've just added a link to entry forms for the Manx Mountain Marathon - to be held at the end of September for the first time this year.