The Liz Kershaw Radio Programme

Photograph Quiz:

Photo no. 129ishish:- OK Blog. You are really pathetic at these quizzes … so some help for you with this one. This was taken May 27^th 1950 on a cloudy cold day. It was the start of a marathon. The runner in the centre (small one, black hair) told me yesterday that he finished absolutely knackered as he hadn’t done the mileage and the weather was terrible!! Who is the runner? Who won the race? Which Godiva runner came second (3^rd left, hidden!)? … Not no. 13, that was Fred. Fred who you ask Blog? Oh yes, and while I am at it, who measured the course, the reverse of which incidentally, was used for the Coventry Marathon when it was revived at the time of the first jogging boom … the course which the Godiva club marathon runners used as their traditional ‘22’ on a Sunday morning in the late 60s early 70s when Godiva were unassailable. Now wasn’t that interesting Blog. Wait till “The History of the Coventry Godiva Harriers and Other City Clubs” is published, which will be the week after I win the Lottery as that is the only way I can fund it. Bugger. I don’t do the Lottery. 

Dear Blog,

   With all this snow about, curtailing my trudges here, there and everywhere, I have been listening to the snow line update on the local radio. Now I have to confess that I am not a fan of local media at the best of times, mainly because they can dish out the sludge, but can’t take it. They are immune from criticism because they are self-protective and their defences cannot be breached as they have the power to simply shut up shop or pull the plug out or switch off the electricity. An example, which I happened across while doing a bit of sorting through my history notes during the snowy showers. Two years ago local lad made bad, shock jock Gaunt, left for the big city lights and longer wavelengths and was soon to be followed on one of his spots on local radio by Liz Kershaw. O.K. she comes from across the border from God’s Own County but not all of us can be perfect. I think she had a morning programmes as well as her show on Radio 6. Remember how quiet she became when it was exposed that she was fiddling the ‘phone ins’ to her quiz on the programme on the Radio 6 channel. The contestants were not real listeners but staff working on the production side of the show! I wrote to her to see if there would be any reaction to my comment about her and another presenter falsely claiming to be talking to members of the public who had phoned in. TOTAL SILENCE. That is about par for the media. And the Levitation Enquiry will do nothing to change the situation because that nice Mr Cameroon and his mates have the power to shut us all up, simply shut up shop or pull the plug out or switch off the electricity. So what did I write to Liz Kershaw following her upset with Aunty Beeb, you ask Blog. Read on my son …………….

There was a young girl called Liz,

Who had the BBC in a tiz.

The phone-ins weren’t real,

The show a done deal,

Which meant Liz’s quiz had no fiz.

   ….. which I thought was quite good, even though I thought it myself.

Snowy Training Tip :- Have I mentioned before .. I think not. So the snow is deep and crisp and even not going anywhere soon, so what to do? I mentioned a few days steady trudging did no harm at this time of year, but there can be enough of a good thing. Ab as opposed to adductors can suffer from too much slipping. So what to do next? The all-weather track cannot be used because the weather is bad (THE irony of ironies?? You have to smile Blog). Adapt and survive Darwin told the penguins in the Gallapipidosidoses. For efforts, long short or whatever, for sprints, for warmups => …. Use the local multi storey car parks after the workers have gone home. I always cleared it with the security at the University before I started so they didn’t think I was a yob about to damage what cars remained after the rush hour. They were always understanding and helpful. When the club was based at the Butts in the centre of Coventry (pre 1984, I used the council car parks. The one near the Butts in Queen Victoria Road was always deserted. Eerie at times, especially when I was doing flat out efforts up the stair wells. In years of use, I cannot remember ever meeting anyone on the stairwell. Hardly surprising when you consider the place was so dark and forbidding. Even the local yobs and druggies gave it a miss. Talking of druggies, I may just render a few lines soon about the Armstrong affair and relate my experience with a couple of cyclists …I may. But then again I may not! Watch this space.

                                Colin