Cross Country - A Flying Start at The West Yorkshire Winter League

 

17th November 2002 at Dewsbury was a significant event in Idle AC’s short history - our first ever league cross country race. When we wrote the development plan for the club we hardly dared hope we would get a full team of 7 men and 3 women out for all the 5 League events. Now that is looking a little more attainable.  23 Idle AC members lined up at the start, many having never run a cross country race before. Ian Fisher made his first, and very welcome appearance in his Idle AC vest (which everyone thought suited him much better than his Otley vest) and won the race by a substantial margin. Donna Edmondson was our first woman home in a highly respectable 8th place.  The team results were as follows:

Men

 

 

Vets

 

 

 

 

 

 

LBT

1317

 

LBT

464

Pudsey

1291

 

Dewsbury

462

Skipton

1230

 

Pudsey

461

Dewsbury

1189

 

Skipton

427

Idle A C

1121

 

Stainland

422

Stainland

1080

 

Baildon

379

Baildon

941

 

Idle A C

361

St.Bede's

852

 

 

 

Women

 

 

Overall

 

Dewsbury

295

 

LBT

1594

LBT

277

 

Pudsey

1564

Pudsey

273

 

Skipton

1503

Skipton

273

 

Dewsbury

1484

Idle A C

249

 

Idle A C

1370

Stainland

240

 

Stainland

1320

Baildon

227

 

Baildon

1168

 

 

 

St.Bede's

852

 

All individual results are available at the club or via our website.

 

The second League race is on Sunday 15th December 02 at Pudsey at 11am. Please all meet at Pudsey Leisure centre for the one mile jog to the start which will provide a decent warm up. Alternately meet at the Bankhouse Pub to go to the start at Scholebrook Farm near to Black Carr Woods. This race will be a festive event with prizes for fancy dress and silly hats (prizes available). The course is a one lap 4.5 miler which is generally considered to be easier than Dewsbury was. The facilities at the leisure centre are good, with more than adequate showers and a comfortable bar.  Copies of the course map are available at the club.

 

Message from Andy Barrett  - West Yorkshire Winter League Chairman, and Chairman of Pudsey Pacers.

 

What a great start to the Winter League, 160 runners lining up on a cool November morning at Dewsbury-is this the record? Can the 160 be broken on the 15th December at Pudsey? Was the Dewsbury course the wettest ever? Can anyone remember a wetter course-does Skipton spring to anyone's mind, a few years ago, I seem to remember running sidewards along the woods and hills in the park and not getting anywhere fast, but then again I do not seem to get anywhere fast on a dry course. One or two points I noted from the results were as follows, Stainland had a great turnout of lady runners 13 in total, which was easily the most from one club. Well done to them! It was great to see Pudsey's Colin Armitage back on the cross country trail, after one or two health problems, especially now he his an over 65 vet, is Colin the oldest ever runner in the Winter League? Other points to note, Baildon seem to be coming back in the right direction, after losing a few runners in the past to other clubs, St.Bede’s ladies get over to Pudsey on the 15th December you've some catching up to do and finally, did anyone see Ian Fisher after the first 200yards at Dewsbury? Maybe he should run in Jonathan Addy's Santa Claus outfit in the next event!

Bye for now, Andy Barrett (Pudsey Pacers).

 

Cheaper Cross Country studs -  Steve Bottomley who runs for Pudsey & Bramley, is able to get Walsh Pb (highly recommended fell studs) for a bargain price of £40, plus he has a few pairs of second-hand studs for £5-£10. Please see Chris is you are interested. 

 

Abbey Dash - 1st December - More records broken.

We thought that having 14 members running in the Horsforth 10k in September was a good turnout. However the Abbey Dash 10k produced a total of 16 Idle A C members, plus Ian who was running for his first claim club. In addition to the record turn out for a road race (record stands at 23 for a cross country) FOUR club records were broken and many pb’s were set.

 

The club records were: Chris Stubbs 37.45 (Male record), David Lewis 40.41 (M40), Steve Little 39.45 (M45) Donna Edmondson 44.00. (Female record).

 

Many pbs were set including: Adrian (42.08), John (41.41),  Pete H (43.55) Janet (60.32), Martin (48.45) Joe Marjoram (40.40), Matthew Coles (46.21) and Neil got a pb in his first 10k race running a time of 51.02.  Other members running were Chris, Davina, Peter V. and Alison.

 

Second Open Morning - Advance warning - Sunday 12th January 03 at 10 am.

The Club will host its second ‘Open Morning’ on Sunday 12th January at Hepworth & Idle cricket club. As with the successful November event this will involve Chris offering a coached  speed session to all club members, and to anyone else who wants to attend. Its therefore an ideal opportunity for members to invite any potential new members along. This event will have a ‘Marathon Theme’ and refreshments will once again be available. Chris has promised not to give another lecture about running failures or to even mention jelly babies.

 

The Vets Bill 

Some good solid results from our vets over the last month. In the Guy Fawkes10 we had 5 vets out resulting in a PB for Martin Burnside; also club records to Dave Lewis on his debut race for the club and Steve Little.  At the first cross-country race of the Winter League you couldn’t move for Idle AC vests, with no less than 11 vets enjoying the therapeutic effects of the Batley mud. I have it on good authority that Pudsey mud tastes better. 

 

A milestone was reached with Dave Lewis becoming the first Idle AC runner to compete in a Yorkshire Veterans Athletic Association Grand Prix race at Esholt. This nicely leads me to my intro of this excellent series as mentioned last month.  The “Yorkshire Vets” comprises of 9 Grand Prix events and separate Championship Events covering cross county, fell, road relay, track & field and 5k to 15mile road races. As with the Winter League, in the G.P. events your finishing position scores are added together with the best 7 results out of a possible 9 races entered to count. So maximum attendance and consistent points scoring is the key. All the G.P. races are mixed terrain, localish to us, are relatively low key, very friendly and a £2 entry to boot. In the summer there are a few mid week evening races too. The first 2003 G.P. race starts in January in Leeds, date and time details later.

 

One last thought to ponder…..What’s the definition of a Vet!!!

Answer…..Wise legs on an old head. - Steve Little

 

 New members: More each month!

The membership of the club continues to increase as the year progresses. Idle A C now has 36 members (including 3 second claim members) and  we  welcome Steve Britton, Joanne Belcher and Sue Elliott. Both Steve and Sue made an impressive start at Idle AC by counting towards the success at the first cross country race at Dewsbury. On the same day Joanne (Jo) ran the Roundhay Park 5 mile race, breaking the club’s open female 5 mile record with a time of 43.03. We look forward to having Jo at the next cross country.

 

Christmas Meal - Friday 13th December 02 at 7pm.

A reminder - Please give all meal orders to Davina ASAP and in addition pass all raffle prizes to Kay Gambles.  Please join us for a drink later in the evening if you are not coming for the meal. Remember it’s 7pm sit down, so come earlier if you can!

 

The Sewage Works Surprise, or A Grand Day Out - Sunday 22nd December!!

 

All members, and families are invited to the Symposium on Sunday 22nd December at 12 noon for the presentation of the first annual ‘Sewage Works Surprise Handicap Race’ trophy. The race is open to all members and will be run as a 4 mile Handicap race from the Stansfield Arms Pub at Apperley Bridge at 10am on the morning of the 22nd.  The trophy, plus possible other prizes, will be presented at 12 noon at the Symposium (centre of Idle) where a hot buffet will be available for £4 per head. All members and families are invited so please give your names to Davina if you will be attending the buffet as numbers will need to be confirmed ASAP.  Afterwards (approx. 2m onwards) you are all invited back to Chris and Davina’s for hot mince pies and mulled wine, where you will see the Idle Railway in action, including the Santa Special train (subject to it arriving from America).

 

Coming Events December, January and February:

Events in bold indicate a ‘club’ event which members are encouraged to run.

Date & Event
Sun 8th Dec Wot no races!! - Therefore club run from
Hepworth & Idle at 9.30 am.
Sun 15th Dec 2nd Cross Country at Pudsey, 11 am start-
Festive event- Optional fancy dress/silly hats
Sun 22nd Dec Sewage Works Surprise 4 mile festive club handicap race. 10 am at Apperley Bridge. See above details.
Thurs 26th Dec Chevin Chase 7 mile off road race, 11am. Closing date 14th December 02. Entry forms at club or via www.airecentre-pacers.co.uk. Long-sleeved T-shirt to finishers.
Sun 29th Dec Jolly Holly Jog 10k, Ripon cricket club, 11 am start. Closing date 16/12/02. A mixed terrain course, ideal cross country training!
19th Jan 03 3rd Cross Country at Stainland, 10.30 am start. Again we need a full turn out!!
26th Jan 03 Brass Monkey Half Marathon, York, 10 am start. This event is now full.

2nd Feb 03 Roundhay Romp 10k and 5k - Idle AC members needed to help the RNLI with this event (marshalling etc). Please give your names to Chris if you'd like to help.
9th Feb 03 4th Cross Country at St. Bede's (Esholt), 11 am start. Please all support this event.
16th Feb 03 Liversedge Half Marathon, 12.00 noon start. Entry forms at the club.

23rd Feb 03 Final Cross Country at Skipton, 11am start. Lets pull out all the stops for the final event.



The WYWL Presentation Night will be on Friday 14th March at Skipton and we will be either booking transport or arranging to travel with another club (probably Pudsey Pacers).  This is a major social event and is generally a brilliant night out.

 

Club Kit

We now have a further supply of  vests (£14 each) so we’ll look even better for the Pudsey X Country. The Idle AC fleeces (£23) should arrive by early December. We also have a further supply of Idle AC T-shirts at £6.50 each and can now offer long sleeved T Shirts at £7.50 each which can be ordered from Kay Gambles.

 

 

 

How would you like to win a trophy at the end of the year??

You will have two chances.  One is for the person who gains the most “attendance points” in the year, another trophy will be awarded to the winner of the club races, which will be handicapped.

 

OK – So how will this all work.  Just a few simple rules will be applied and the scheme will commence in January 03.

 

To be eligible for the club’s Annual “Handicap Championships” members must accumulate 30 points during the year.  Each attendance at a training session is worth 1 point.  Participating in a “Club” designated race will earn you 5 points (these will be announced in January 2003 but one will definitely be Blackpool Marathon/Half).  50% of the required points must be achieved by attendance at training sessions.

 

The handicaps will be determined by calculations based on completed speed sessions & current performance in races.  These calculations can be made available for scrutiny if required - Martin.

 

November Competition: 

The November Competition was won by Janet Burnside who wins a bottle of champagne - well done!.

 

Events at Hepworth and Idle Cricket Club:

 The next event will be the Christmas choir service on Wednesday 4th December at Idle Baptist church at 7.30 pm. Please all give your plastic film tubs -filled with money, back to Davina by Tuesday 10th December as the draw for the whisky is at the cricket club’s Christmas party on Saturday 14th Dec. All money raised goes to the Pavilion fund so please give generously.

 

Club Coaches:

 Congratulations to Kay Gambles and Martin Burnside who are now qualified Level 1 Coaches. This means we have 4 coaches. In time it is hoped that Idle AC will continue to offer further coaching opportunities.

 

Blackpool Marathon: Idle A C Club race for 2003.

 We hope to get as many members as possible for the Blackpool marathon and half marathon on Sunday 22nd June 2003. Whilst this may seem along way off it would be good to know that we all had entries. During 2002  five Idle A C members ran this event, 3 in the full and 2 in the half - if possible it would be great to get the majority of the club running. This is as flat a course as you can get and is generally a well organised and  supported race. If there’s enough interest in going for the weekend we will find out about camping/ caravan sites and about B & B accommodation (in Lytham/St Anne’s). Entry forms are available at the club.


Marathon and Half Marathon Training:

Whether members are planning to run London or Blackpool the emphases within the Club over Winter will be clear, since so many intend to run longer distances in 2003. This will be reflected in the Club’s training, and as individuals we should begin to consider Spring/Summer now, rather than later. For those running at London, it will not be sufficient to begin training on the second of January, if we are really to do ourselves justice.  More effective is a gradual build up from now over the months remaining.

 

The goals of a marathon runner can seem selfish ones, but the club member can integrate personal goals and the goals of the Club. Whilst one may think for instance that the cross country races will interfere with marathon running, this is not so. They are ideal marathon training - as part of schedule they provide vital strength and speed, and there are usually at least one or two members who run home after running in the cross country events in order to get the mileage in!.  The effective marathon runner, regardless of pace,  is one who has varied training methods, not just relying on the ‘Long Sunday Plod.’ Indeed that very variety can help you through the long months. To allow for races, consider the ‘Hard Week/Easy Week’ training method. It speaks for itself. In mileage terms it could be 60 miles one week followed by a 40 mile week with a rest on Saturday and a race on Sunday. With this model you even get recovery and rest. So too the long run doesn’t have to be 20 - 25 miles every Sunday. It could be 17 miles on a Wednesday evening in the week before a cross country race. Arguably a very long run every single week will just wear you down.  Try every 2 weeks during Winter, or even every 3. The important thing is though to build up to a good total weekly mileage (not increasing by more than 5% total mileage a week.) comprising of  shorter runs.

 

Once you are into a marathon schedule, it may seem that coming to the Club can seem incompatible, yet we are in a unique position to provide the varied training discussed above.

 

As the weeks pass both steady runs and speedwork should be gradually increased.  Where two weeks contain consecutive races the easy week should simply be repeated. Both rest days and shorter races are vital components of an effective training schedule, as is the element of gradual progression. For those members training for London then weekly mileage should increase to a peak in January and February, with an attempt at a quick half time and the Spen 20 Miler in March. On all this though, more later! (come to the Open Morning on 12th Jan).  In the meantime do contact me if I can offer any assistance - after fifty marathons I’ve done most things wrong at least once! I wish you all a successful Winter’s training. - Chris.

 

‘Brid Half’

 Back in October I enjoyed my first ‘half’ experience at Bridlington. As an additional incentive I decided to collect sponsorship, mainly to deter me from chickening out at the last minute. I needn’t have bothered. Despite dismal rainy weather and the chilly East Yorks coastal winds it was a very satisfying and enjoyable experience. Not only were there other Idle A.C. folks there to give me encouragement and support, but a surprising number of familiar faces from neighbouring clubs. I ran my first ten miles with a chap who happens to go to the same gym as me and I’ve never seen before, or since. The irony of ‘Idle A.C.’ seemed certainly to attract plenty of interest and thankfully encouragement and the £260 ish pounds I raised for Cancer Research turned out to be an added bonus - Alison Garlick..

 

Help Needed - Roundhay Romp 10k on 2nd February 2003.

Peter Vickers has been approached by the RNLI who are organising this event in Leeds to try and get help with marshalling, handing out leaflets etc. Idle AC have offered our assistance and we’d be grateful if members give their names to Chris if they who want to help on the day. This will, of course, be particularly good experience for members, especially as we hope to organise our own event in the future.

 

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

 I would like to draw the editor’s attention to an article in the last edition of the Idle Gossip called the Vets Bill that has caused me considerable expense and personal embarrassment.  Although the article was very good and well written I feel that I should warn people to be cautious in taking advice on face value.

 

Being now just over 40 (although I don’t look it) and new to running I decided to look into Vets running and ordered some appropriate magazines. With great anticipation I waited for the first of several magazines to arrive on my doorstep.  Imagine my surprise when all of the sixteen magazines were delivered and with relish I opened the pages expecting to be imparted with the finer points of speed sessions, aerobic thresholds or even what shoes to wear.  Can you explain page two of the first magazine titled…Bovine Mastitis a guide to Teat Dipping and Spraying.  Is this referring to runner’s nipple?

 

On the inside cover of the second magazine…Equine Colic, first check the colour of the gums, kick the flanks then perform a rectal examination.  Are they talking about getting the runners stitch? And should then treatment be done whilst on the move or at the side of the road.

 

Although in the last magazine titled Vets Monthly I did try the cure titled “Alopecia in the Ferret” to which I am seeing some good results to date. My point to other readers is please ensure you understand the context first before you act.

PS would anybody like to trade some magazines?

Yours,

ELVIS TETTLE

 

 

Christmas at Idle AC

 December is a busy month for us all running wise with the Meal on the 13th, the second cross country fixture on 15th, and the fun packed day organised for the 22nd.  With Christmas Eve being on a Tuesday there will be no training on that evening, however if there is enough interest we will go for a shortish festive run in the afternoon at 2.30pm. Please let Chris know if anyone is interested in this. There will no club on Boxing day as we believe that the majority of the club will either be recovering from Christmas Day or  will be running the Chevin Chase race  at 11am. The 29th sees the Jolly Holly Jog race from Ripon, where there will be Idle AC runners.  Finally New Years Eve is on a Tuesday and therefore there will be no club that evening.  However for those of you who are looking for something to do you could run the Auld Lang Syne Fell race!!. This is a ‘B’ Medium fell race which starts from Penistone Hill Country Park at Haworth at 11.30 am. The race is 6 miles with 900’ of climbing (speak to Chris if you want to know more details about the course) its only £3 to enter (on the day only) and all finishers receive a bottle of Briscoe’s Brewery ‘Auld Lang Syne’ beer. All prizes are beers, ales, ciders etc.

 

The club is open as normal on Thursday 2nd January 2003.

 

This year has seen a wonderful start for the new club. However as we promised previously this is only the start. Thanks to all the members we really have achieved a great deal during 2002. Next year will be even better.

Merry Christmas and a happy

new year.

 

 

Website:         Visit us at www.idleac.co.uk