Ed Leafe wrote:

> As many of you know, I have another life away from the keyboard as a

> soccer referee.

You mean a Football referee?

> For the basic grade (i.e., you aren't working

> professional games) there is no actual fitness test requirement, but

> the tests are offered to everyone. The targets are based on your age

> and on your grade, so for a 45+ guy who wants to move up to the next

> level, I have to do the following things one after the other:

>

> • Run 1800m in 12 minutes. That's 4.5 times around a standard track.

> • Then run a 50m dash in 9.5 seconds

> • Then run a 200m dash in 40 seconds.

>

> You get about a 3 minute break between each event while they

> organize everyone, but that's about it. I timed myself well, and made

> the 1800m with about 15 seconds to spare, and then did the 50m in

> 9.0, followed by the 200m in 38 sec. In other words, I made it!

>

> It's humbling to watch the younger guys breeze through these tests,

> but for an older guy like me with 3 knee operations, it's not easy at

> all. But even though I probably won't be upgrading to the next level

> any time soon, I've set passing this test as my goal to make sure

> that I keep myself fit enough to stay healthy. Now that I'm back home

> and showered, it's time to get some food and enjoy a nice cold

> beverage to celebrate!

Congratulations! I wouldn't be able to do it (shit, I must begin

training again).

>

> -- Ed Leafe

> -- http://leafe.com

> -- http://dabodev.com

>