When we wrote the Development Plan our aim was to have a full team in a least 3 out of the five West Yorkshire Winter League events. This is what we actually achieved:

First event at Dewsbury on 17^th November 02: Our first ever cross-country race and we had 23 runners, many of whom had never run a cross-country race before. Ian made his first appearance for the club and claimed his first win in an Idle vest. Donna finished in an impressive 8^th place. We finished 5^th in both the men’s and women’s events, 7^th in the vets and 5^th overall.

Second event at Pudsey on 15^th December 02: This festive event had 24 of us at the start line, many of us in fancy dress and wearing silly hats, including Ian who, dressed as a Scouser, provided us with our second win. In addition we had Steve Bottomley in second place and Stefan Macina in sixth. Donna improved her previous position by finishing in 5^th place. On the day the men’s team finished in 3^rd position and in 3^rd overall with the women in 5^th position. We finished 5^th overall over two events.

Third event at Stainland on 19^th January 03: This race showed that despite having a few members missing we were still able to field a strong team of 24 members, including 6 women. Ian Fisher provided us with our third consecutive with Steve Bottomley finishing fourth. In the women’s race Donna Edmondson again finished in the highly respectable 5^th place. On the day the men’s team finished in 4^th position and in 3^rd overall with the women in 5^th Position and the vets in 6^th. After three events we were still in overall 5^th position.

Fourth event at Esholt on 9^th February 03: We had a record turn out for the ‘local’ event with 26 of us on the start line although sadly Neil was forced to pull out due to injury. Once again Ian won the race and many Idle members improved their individual positions considerably including Peter Vickers, Steve Britton, John Nellist, Tony Blythe and Dave Currie who all had good runs. Despite a few of the field going the wrong way Donna still finished in 9^th position and Jo Belcher substantially improved her previous position. On the day the men’s team finished in 4^th, the women in 5^th, vets in 7^th and 4^th position overall. After four events we were in overall 5^th position.

Final event at Skipton on 23^rd February 03: This final event saw 22 of us line up in the spring like weather to run a final race in which we improved both as a team and in many cases individually. We were firstly delighted when Ian came back from the National Cross Country in London, where he finished 25^th,ⁱⁿ order to run the final event. Ian once again won and is now overall male winner for the 2002/3 season. There were great runs from a number of members including Chris Smith, Richard Raistrick, Tony Blythe, Dave Lewis, and Martin Burnside. However the most improved runner at Idle AC ended up being the most improved runner of the WYWL and we were thrilled and proud that Peter Vickers achieved the Dave Turpin Memorial Trophy for the most improved male runner. Through this and the Paul Dowson trophy, we remember two well known league competitors who both died suddenly, indeed within days of each other, during the 1999 -2000 season.

The women’s team all ran well finishing in 5^th position on the day and only one point behind Pudsey Pacers. The vets team also ran well, finishing 5^th on the day, our best position to date. On the day the men finished in 4^th position and as a team we were 4^th overall.

The final overall results after 5 events were as follows:

Men		Vets
LBT	6567	Dewsbury	2375
Pudsey	6412	Pudsey	2301
Dewsbury	6063	LBT	2296
Idle A C	5960 (4^th)	Skipton	2144
Skipton	5802	Baildon	2008
Stainland	5364	Stainland	1941
Baildon	4774	Idle A C	1840 (7^th)
St.Bede's	4298	St.Bede's	1759
Women		Overall
Dewsbury	1466	LBT	7965
Skipton	1396	Pudsey	7756
LBT	1392	Dewsbury	7529
Pudsey	1344	Idle A C	7221 (4^th)
Idle A C	1261 (5^th)	Skipton	7198
Stainland	1160	Stainland	6524
Baildon	1157	Baildon	5455
St.Bede's	259	St.Bede's	5033

All individual results are available at the club or via our website. Our individual trophy winners are: Ian Fisher (1^st male), Peter Vickers (Winner of Dave Turpin Memorial trophy), Steve Little (3^rd M45) and Donna Edmondson (5^th Female).

When we started the season we hoped to field a team, in fact we showed the League that despite our small size we are capable of achieving a great deal, and finishing 4^th overall is a brilliant achievement for the whole club.

NB: Many thanks to Suzanne Vickers for assisting with the finishing tags at all five events.

West Yorkshire Winter League Presentation Night – Friday 14^th March.

After all the hard work of running in our first cross-country season what better than a night out to celebrate our first season. In addition to the 24 seater mini bus which sets off at 6.45 pm from the Green in Idle there will be other members coming via their own transport to the Presentation evening at Skipton (Rugby Club). Tickets cost £5 each, which includes presentation of club and individual awards, buffet, disco and late bar until 1pm. The coach is £5 per person and will be returning from Skipton at approx 1.15 am. It will be a good Club night out and an opportunity to support individual trophy winners from Idle AC and from other clubs within the League.

Club Kit - As modelled on Idle AC website!

We still have a limited number of small Idle AC fleeces at the original price of £23 and a further supply of medium fleeces will soon be available. All new fleeces will be £25 each. We also have a further supply of Idle AC T-shirts at £6.50 or long sleeved T Shirts at £7.50 each. There are also some vests still available at £14 each - vests should be worn at all races.

London Marathon – Men’s Team.

The 13^th April 2003 will see our first men’s team in a marathon as Chris Smith, Peter Vickers and Peter Helliwell all run at London. They hope to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Infact the photo on the front of this edition of Idle Gossip shows the start of their fund raising campaign which we hope will hot up in the coming weeks!!. In addition Joanne Belcher is running her first marathon and is also running for a charity. Please speak to them individually if you would like to sponsor them. Ian Fisher will be on the elite start running for his first claim club, Otley AC. We wish them all every success.

Coming Events March, April and May 03:

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

Date	Event
8^th March 03	Dent 14.3, 1pm, Saturday race. Or: Vets Race - Causeway Foot (see Vets Bill or Steve Little for details).
16th March 03	Spen 20, 10am If you can do this you can run a marathon!
22^nd March 03	Coniston 14 (Saturday), 11am.
23rd March 03	Ackworth Half marathon, 10.30 am.
1^st April 03	Bunny Run1, 3mile ‘Fell’ race, 7.00 pm. Tues.
6^thApril 03	Wakefield 10k, 10am.
6^thApril 03	Baildon Boundary Way Half, 10.30am.
8^th April 03	Bunny Run 2, 3 mile Fell Race, 7.15 pm. Tues.
12^th April 03	Meanwood Valley Trail 8, 10.30am. Saturday.
15^th April 03	Bunny Run 3, 3 mile Fell Race, 7.30 pm. Tues.
20^th April 03	Guiseley Gallop 10k, 10.30am.
22^nd April 03	Bunny Run 4, 3 mile Fell Race, 7.30 pm. Tues.
4^th May 03	Keswick Half Marathon, 11.30 am.
7^th May 03	Hare & Hounds Fell Race, 7.30, Wed. Lothersdale (Skipton)
11^th May 03	Leeds Full & Half Marathon, 10 am.
11^th May 03	Fountains 10 mile Race (Black Sheep Series).
14^th May 03	John Carr 5k race, Race 1, Esholt, 7.30 pm.
21^st May 03	John Carr 5k race, Race 2, Esholt, 7.30 pm
25^th May 03	Melmerby 10k, (Black Sheep Series).
28^th May 03	John Carr 5k race, Race 3, Esholt, 7.30 pm.

Attendance Scheme - Updated

Top Fifteen Club Races for 2003: Handicap/ Attendance Scheme -6 out of 15 possible races to count. Please don’t forget to sign in the book each time you attend a club session (but only pay once per week) as each attendance at a club training session is worth 1 point and to be eligible for a trophy members must accumulate at least 30 attendance points during the year. Each attendance at a “Club” designated race earns you 5 points (see below). 50% of the required points must be achieved by attendance at training sessions.

The Febuary standings are as follows:

	Att	Race	Att	Race	Total	Att: Race	To Qualify
Name	February		Totals		Grand	%	>50%
Kay Gambles	8	9	16	11	27	59.3%	J
Davina Smith	5	9	14	11	25	56.0%	J
Donna Edmonson	5	9	12	11	23	52.2%	J
Martin Burnside	6	9	14	9	23	60.9%	J
Chris Smith	6	4	14	6	20	70.0%	J
David Lewis	5	9	11	9	20	55.0%	J
Joanne Belcher	7	4	14	6	20	70.0%	J
Peter Vickers	7	4	13	6	19	68.4%	J
Simon Bellwood	6	9	8	11	19	42.1%	L
Amnuay Scott	8	4	12	6	18	66.7%	J
John Nellist	2	9	7	11	18	38.9%	L
Steve Little	5	4	12	6	18	66.7%	J
Chris Stubbs	1	9	5	11	16	31.3%	L
Tony Blythe	7	4	10	6	16	62.5%	J
Adrian Trevelyan	2	4	6	6	12	50.0%	J
Brian Heaton	4	0	11	0	11	100.0%	J
Dave Currie	2	4	4	6	10	40.0%	L
Ian Fisher	2	4	4	6	10	40.0%	L
Matthew Coles	2	2	5	4	9	55.6%	J
Neil Jackson	2	0	7	2	9	77.8%	J
Richard Raistrick	2	4	3	6	9	33.3%	L
Edward East	2	2	4	4	8	50.0%	J
Trevor Hooley	3	2	6	2	8	75.0%	J
Peter Helliwell	0	4	0	6	6	0.0%	L
Steve Britton	0	4	0	6	6	0.0%	L
Steve Bottomley	0	2	1	4	5	20.0%	L
Glen Pinkney	1	2	2	2	4	50.0%	J
Janet Burnside	0	2	0	4	4	0.0%	L
Joseph Marjoram	0	2	1	2	3	33.3%	L
Sue Elliott	0	0	0	2	2	0.0%	L
Susie Jollie	0	0	0	2	2	0.0%	L
John Cummings	0	0	1	0	1	100.0%	J
Michael Masleczko	0	0	1	0	1	100.0%	J

The Club races, where points can be earned, are as follows:

Date	Race Details	Comments.
February - Sun 16^th	Liversedge Half Marathon, 12.00 noon.	8 members ran. 3 club records broken: Male, Female & M40. 5 pb’s.
March - Sat 22^nd	Coniston 14, 11am.
April - Sun 6^th	Wakefield 10k, 10am.
*April - Sun 6^th**	Baildon Boundary Way Half, 10.30am.
*April - Sat 12^th**	Meanwood Valley Trail 8, 10.30am.
*April - Sun 20^th**	Guiseley Gallop 10k, 10.30am.

NB: the above 3* races are part of Triple Challenge - 5 points for any individual race but extra 2 points if all three are completed. Therefore a total of 17 points available from the Triple Challenge Series.

Continued:

Date	Race Details	Comments.
April- Tues 1st	Bunny Run1, 3mile ‘Fell’ race, 7.00 pm.
May - Sun 11	Leeds Half or Full Marathon, 10am.
May - Wed 14th	John Carr 5k, Esholt, first race.
June - Sun 22nd	Blackpool Half or Full Marathon, 9am.
Aug -Sat 9th	Arncliffe Gala Road and/or Fell race.
Aug - Sat 23rd	Burnsall Classic 10 mile road race.
Sept- Sun (DNK)	Horsforth 10k.
Nov- Sun (DNK)	Guy Fawkes 10mile.
Dec- Sun (DNK)	Abbey Dash 10k.

Next chance to get points is by running the Coniston 14 on 22^nd March.

Fell Race Achievement Certificates- 1^st Race Bunny Run One - 1^st April 03.

Remember that Chris has timetabled a selected list of 5 fell races during 2003, which gradually increase in difficulty and then, if there is enough interest, we will offer ‘achievement certificates’ to any members who compete in these races. This will be kept fairly informal, and as a taster to fell running the club will take part in the Bunny Run series of races on Tuesday evening’s during April.

As a ‘gentle intro’ to fell running we recommend that everyone takes part in the first of the ‘Bunny Run’ races held on Tuesday 1^st April 03, 7.00 am from the Guide Inn, Harden Moor (£2). This is a 3 mile race with 300’ feet of climbing and is easily accessible to all Idle AC members, being similar to or less difficult than the Winter League races. All runners receive a cream egg, and in addition a special bottle of beer to commemorate the silver wedding anniversary of the organisers. There will be no club on this night as this race replaces the usual Tuesday speed/Hill session. We will then decide about the remaining Tuesday’s during April as to whether we offer a choice of the Bunny Runs in addition to a club session.

Members who take part in the first Bunny Run Race on 1^st April will be eligible for a ‘Level 1’ fell race certificate. Chris is recommending the following ‘course’ of fell races, which, gradually increase in difficulty. If there is enough interest he will present awards to those who progress on the course.

The Fell course will be as follows:

1. TUE APRIL 1st SILVER WEDDING BUNNY RUN 1. CS. 7.00 pm. 3 miles/300’ from the Guide Inn, Harden Moor. £2 on night. All finishers receive Cadbury’s Cream egg plus a special bottle of beer.

2. WED MAY 7th HARE & HOUNDS FELL RACE. BS. 7.30 pm 4.5 miles/600’ from the Hare & Hounds, Lothersdale near Skipton. £3 on night.

3. WED JUNE 4th CHEVIN FELL RACE. AS. 7.30 pm. 3.5 miles/900’ from Otley Town Centre. £2.50 on night. Bottle/can beer to all finishers.

4. WED JULY 23rd WIDDOP FELL RACE. BM. 7.15 pm. 7miles/1200’ from the Pack Horse Inn (The Ridge) Widdop, Hebden Bridge. £3 on night.

5. SAT AUG 9th ARNCLIFFE GALA FELL RACES. AS. 3pm. 1.8 miles/443’ from Arncliffe Village Green, near Skipton. £2.50 on day. Also Gala road race (see list above).

Please see Chris if you are interested.

Black Sheep Brewery Race Series 2003- Closing date 14^th April:

Black Sheep Brewery Race Series is a series of 6 separate running events organised in towns & villages in scenic North Yorkshire. The first race is on 11^th May 03 (full fixture list is available in February’s Gossip or via the website). The objective is to complete 4 of the 6 races, 3 x 10k’s plus either the ½ marathon or the 10mile. If 4 races are completed you get a personalised silver race series plaque. If all 6 races are completed you get a personalised gold race series plaque. All runners entering the series receive a quality commemorative plaque. Category winners are determined by points gained in each race, and are based on your best 3 10k races, plus your best long race. Points are awarded to the first 10 in each age category.

All races can be entered individually as well as part of the series. Entry forms available at the club but closing date (series) is 14^th April 03.

Races in February: Liversedge Half Marathon

Idle AC fielded 8 runners for the Liversedge Half Marathon on 16^th February, where 5 members achieved personal best times and three club records were broken. Despite the testing course and very cold conditions Chris Stubbs smashed the Club’s only recently set record with 1:22, his best time for 2 years. Donna Edmondson improved the women’s Club record by a full 16 minutes with an impressive 1:38. The V40 Club record went to David Lewis with a personal best 1:34. John Nellist, Simon Bellwood and Martin Burnside all achieved personal best times by several minutes whilst Kay and Davina didn’t achieve pb’s both felt that they had run reasonably well given the conditions.

28^th March 2003 – Idle AC’s First Anniversary Party.

When Idle AC was formed in 2002 we had no base (we met in a bus shelter in Morrisons car park), we were unaffiliated, we had no money and no kit. We did however have a belief in what Idle AC could aspire to be. On the meeting held on 22^nd March 2002 at the Symposium we started our journey and Idle AC was born. Whilst we still have a long way to go we have all achieved a great deal in these first 12 months. We now have 43 members who train hard, and many of who race on a regular basis. We have completed and finished 4^th in our first cross-country season and we have shown that even in our first season we can field a strong team at each event. We’ve found an ideal base at Hepworth & Idle Cricket Club and we hope to build on this relationship in the future. Idle AC now has a distinctive club kit and an acclaimed website that are both the envy of many local clubs. In recognition of our achievements over the past year and by way of a celebration we will host our first anniversary party on Friday 28^th March from 8pm in the back room of the Symposium, Idle, for members and partners. A buffet will be available at a cost of £4 per person (served at 9pm). We hope to provide members (on that night) with a unique memento to commorate our first anniversary and whilst there will be a cost per member we hope to keep this to approx £6 each (price to be confirmed). Please put your name on the list at the club if you will be attending.

Relay Races - Teams needed

West Yorkshire Winter League Canal Relay – Saturday 31^st May 2003 approx 5pm start.

A date for the West York’s Winter League Canal Relay (Leeds to Riddlesden approx 19 miles in total) has been agreed for Saturday 31^st May 2003. We will therefore be hoping to select runners to run in pairs over this 5-leg event. The team has to include at least 2 vets and 2 women. If we have enough interest we will submit more than one team. Please let Chris know if you are available to run so we can match runners of a similar speed. The presentation of the canal relay trophy will be awarded in the Marquis of Granby pub at Riddlesden.

Millennium Way Relay, hosted by St.Bede’s AC - Sunday 15^th June 03. 8am start.

This is also run in pairs over 5 legs with 10 runners per team and is limited to a maximum of 50 clubs. Due to the category requirements we have decided to only enter a men’s team. This will cost £6 per runner but that includes a T-shirt to all runners and refreshments at the finish. We hope, if possible, to select as fast a men’s team as we can and that all members who are unable to run will support the team members who are running. Please let Chris know if you are available to run so we can match runners of a similar speed. In addition the legs will need to be recced beforehand.

The relay race uses the route of the Bradford Millennium Way as described in the booklet available from Bracken Hall Baildon and is run in pairs. It will be 5 legs with two runners per leg. The race will be based at Bradford and Bingley Cricket and Rugby club with the start being on Beckfoot Lane, Bingley at 8.00am with the finish being at the sports club.

The legs are as follows:

LEG 1	Beckfoot Lane, Bingley to Marsh Lane Oxenhope. Estimated 1500 foot of climbing in 10.5 miles.
LEG 2	Marsh Lane Oxenhope to Laycock. Estimated 1200 feet of climbing in 9 miles.
LEG 3	Laycock to Silsden. Estimated 700 feet of climbing in 8.5 miles.
LEG 4	Silsden to Ilkley. A leg of two parts. The first half meanders around from Silsden over to Addingham mainly over farmland. The second part climbs from Addingham onto the top of the moor and then parallels the valley to Ilkley. Estimated about 1300 feet of climbing and 8.5 miles.
LEG 5	Ilkley to Wagon Lane, Bingley. Estimated 800 feet of climbing in about 10.5 miles.

The finish is on Wagon Lane to finish at Bradford and Bingley Sports Club.

Website Update!

For our 12 month anniversary there will be some minor changes to the way the website looks. Unfortunately you will all have to wait until our "Birthday" to view these changes. Keep your eyes peeled.

There is something emerging on the internet called "Net-etiquette" as an etiquette on the internet & one of the unwritten rules of a good website design is the "3 click rule". The gist is you should be able to get to any page you like within 3 clicks of the mouse. I am trying to achieve this on our website. If it takes you more than 3 mouse clicks to find a particular page please let me know.

The photo album is currently being worked on. I am adding photos to any race or event as & when available. All photos on the pages will be a low quality "thumbnail" image with a link to the high quality photo when you click on the picture. I am only putting low quality images on the main pages so that they load quickly. Also I am changing all the current pictures to open in a new window so that you can carry on browsing the website while your desired photo loads in the background. Hopefully you'll find it a little more user friendly.

What's coming next:

Club milestones section: This is still work in progress & I hope to finish this by the end of March.

The XML conversion is back under way as Microsoft have issued a patch for earlier operating systems to be able to display XML type files in their browsers. Chris Smith has downloaded this small patch & after a simple & quick install he could see files with XML content. It will take a few months now to get the site up to speed, but the benefits will be even faster page loading, along with my work updating files being made a lot easier. I will add a link to the patch so that anyone can easily obtain the file.

Hits to date - End February 2003:

The hit counter is now at an amazing 4600, yes I can't believe it either. Nearly 2000 hits in a month. This must be another record for Idle AC. After all records are there for breaking aren't they ???

Last month I said that we were getting a significant number of hits from non-club members which was very encouraging. This month Idle AC has really gone international with 3 hits each from Japan, Italy & Australia.

5 from Finland & a staggering 12 from France. I wonder if we'll get some new foreign members joining us - I guess not as it's a long way to come for a training session, especially from Australia.

Top search string believe it or not was "Donna Edmonson". - She must have quite a following in the running fraternity !!!!

Most visited page this month has been the Cross country photos. This is very surprising as they were only posted after the 4th Cross country race in mid Feb.

Most hits in one day was 24th Feb with 138 hits.

Don't forget if you have anything you think relevant to the website do let me know either by email or have a word with me at the club on training nights & I'll be more than happy to add it. Martin

Blackpool Marathon: Idle A C Club race for 2003.

Please get your entries in for the Blackpool marathon and half marathon on Sunday 22^nd June 2003 if you’re coming on the big trip! Entry forms are available at the club. Chris and Davina went to reccy the area during February Half Term so that everyone has the opportunity to consider the best options for themselves.

For those of you with caravans or tents Martin has recommended the Gillett Farm Caravan Park, Peel Road, Nr Blackpool that is set in 12 acres and has 76 pitches. Tel: 01253 761676. Many of those with caravans and tents have already booked their pitches. The caravan park is 6.7 miles from St.Annes. Chris and Davina, plus anyone who wants to join them, will be booking into a hotel in St Anne’s for the Saturday night and can now offer the following information:

St.Annes -on-Sea offers a gentler and more peaceful location than Blackpool yet its only 3.5 miles to the Pleasure Beach and 6.2 miles to the marathon start (Hilton Hotel). There is a variety of hotel and B & B Accommodation in St.Annes and Davina has a supply of accommodation guides if anyone wants one. However Chris and Davina are likely to stay at The Lindum Hotel, which is on St.Annes sea front, opposite St.Annes pier. This two star hotel has 80 en-suite rooms, including a number of family rooms. Prices start from £32 pppn for a double room on a bed & breakfast basis and from £37 pppn for a single room. There is also an option of Dinner, bed & breakfast from £47 pppn (£52 single). In addition the hotel has special family rates for 2 adults and children sharing a room for £75 pn. For details about the hotel log onto their website at: www.lindumhotel.co.uk.

The hotel seemed quite amenable to providing an early breakfast on the Sunday morning. If there are a large party wanting accommodation then we may be able to get some discount. Please see Davina or Chris if you are interested in this option. Alternatively there are a number of both cheaper and more expensive options within the Lytham/St.Annes area, or there are a variety of accommodation options in Blackpool itself. However, it would be good if we can all meet up either in St.Annes or at the campsite on the Saturday evening for those who are making a weekend of it.

Blackpool Marathon: Training Schedules.

A marathon training Schedule is currently being worked up which will be based on three levels: First timer, Intermediate and Advanced. We hope to be able to provide this both via the website (excel spreadsheet) or to provide it as a ‘paper copy’ available at the club. The Schedules will cover from March until 22^nd June and will include all club races and training sessions.

Annual General Meeting – Thursday 10^th April 03.

Idle AC’s first AGM will be held on Thursday 10^th April at 7.15pm (venue to be confirmed). This is your big chance to air your views on the club’s present and future policy and activities. Please note that there will be no club training on this date. An agenda will be available to all members in early April and members are now invited to submit any agenda items to any committee member no later than 23^rd March 2003. Members are also reminded that subs will be collected at the AGM when a membership form will need to be completed.

It would be appreciated if all subs could be paid by the end April as the North of England subriptions are due to be paid in May 2003.

Carbohydrates – Rice Pudding Recipe.

Eating well will not only benefit your general health, but can also significantly improve your running performance. The type of food you eat can actually affect your stamina and ability to cope with the stresses and strains of regular training.

Continued:

Before a long run and especially before a marathon it is really important to increase your intake of carbohydrates. In addition to the usual pasta you might consider following rice pudding recipe, which serves 4.

Ingredients: Preparation:

4 oz short-grain rice (110g) Pre-heat oven to gas mark 2, 300F (150C).

1 ½ pints of milk (845ml) Butter a 2pint (1 Litre) baking dish.

2oz butter/marg.

3oz caster sugar.

3 eggs

grated rind of half a lemon.

Nutmeg.

Continued:

Put rice into a saucepan, add the milk and bring slowly to almost simmering point, then let it cook very gently until the rice is almost tender (approx 10 mins)
Add the sugar, butter and stir until they have dissolved and melted.
Take the saucepan off the heat and let the mixture cool a bit, then stir in the well-beaten eggs. Stir in the lemon peel.
Pour the mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake for approx 40 mins, or longer if a thicker consistency is preferred.

Vets Bill

The Liversedge ½ marathon on the 16^th of February was the first club race of the 2003 season. Here our Vet’s kicked off with a bevy of PB’s and a club record. Leading our senior’s home was Dave Lewis in 1:34:41, a PB and V40 club record to boot. Next came Simon Bellwood (1:46:40) followed by Martin Burnside (1:49:04) both recording PB’s. Representing our senior ladies were Davina Smith (1:52:28) and Kay Gambles (1:55:37). On the same day Steve Little flew the Idle AC flag at the 1^st Yorkshire Vets grand prix race at Horsforth finishing 33^rd in 36:39.

On the 23^rd of February the final whistle was blown at the 2002/2003 WY winter league at Skipton. In near perfect conditions we had a colossal turn out of 11 Vets running on the day. Idle AC had 15 Vets scoring over the whole of this series amounting some 1840 points and gaining 7th place overall in the team results…. Well done to you all.

If you have started to get withdrawal symptoms from the end of this year’s winter league then read on. As mentioned earlier, the Yorkshire Vets GP races have just started and are of a similar format to the winter league. About 60 clubs throughout the Yorkshire region are affiliated to the YVAA, each GP event fields about 100 – 130 runners. All the GP races are entered on the day, some are mid week. If you like small friendly race fields, interesting scenery and a cheap entry fees (£2) then this may be the one for you. There are ten GP races run throughout the year, all on mixed terrain, are within a 30 mile radius of Idle To qualify you have to complete a minimum of 6 races with your best 7 scores to count. The next GP event is on Saturday 8^th March at Causeway Foot (Ogden Moor near Denholme) this one is a Fell/Multi-Terrain race. If you wanted to know about Fell racing but never dared ask then give this race a try. Let me know if you require more details of this or any of the other races.

Here’s my Vet’s tip of the month. Have you ever been surrounded by cows? Or found your route blocked by our bovine friends? Well read on. You should slow down to walking pace immediately; raise your arms into a semi crucifix position. With a firm loud voice, do not shout, say CUSH CUSH…CUSH CUSH repeatedly. If you find this doesn’t work then retrace your steps and find another route home.

From the Coach…

Missing out at the Liversedge half marathon through illness proved quite a bonus really from a coaching point of view. I didn’t have to worry about myself, and could focus on the club members and their immediate pre race preparation. Martin’s was certainly questionable – he had Janet’s vest on.

A long race on a cold day is a difficult one. The need to warm up and stay warm must be balanced against the need not to expend too much energy too early. At least I was able to act as bag lady so the fleeces could be taken off at the very last minute. My principal thoughts since have been for those people not so experienced at such a distance, with whom I have failed to discuss race strategy. I explained to Donna on the start line that I don’t like to lecture too much for fear of sounding patronising. Yet she said she wasn’t really sure what to do. Without advice she might well have set off hard and then “hung on” for a grim five miles or so, having gone significantly beyond her previous race distance. This method will usually produce pain and disappointment, which increases exponentially the longer the race distance attempted. It’s often said that you “hit the wall” at 20 miles in a full marathon. In the 1991 London Marathon, having decided I was going to win the race, I contrived to hit the wall at 14 miles. I was overtaken by a pink fairy as I shuffled miserably over the finish line.

However, long experience since then has taught me the wisdom of a disciplined steady start. It can easily be adapted for any distance – in a 10k cross-country race I decided to “forget the first 10 minutes”, refusing to be caught up in the initial stampede. I then began gradually to overtake those who had charged off and got into serious oxygen debt, and who then had a painful experience, failing to recover really for the rest of the race. I was able to finish strongly, having made the best of what training I had done. Similarly in the “Round Rotherham” 50-mile race, having never run more than 30 miles at once in my life, I “forgot the first 20 miles”, choosing to talk to a very steady runner for 3 hours. I can only say that I completed the course!

Donna was lucky in that there were two experienced campaigners, Kay and Davina, alongside her at the start. Davina had her reckless period – I did not catch up with her at the 1997 Potteries marathon until the first mile marker – but fortunately has calmed down.

Therefore I could simply ask Donna to forget the first three miles – run them steadily at Kay and Davina’s pace. I knew this would mean that she was far more likely to have something left at the end, because taking off at a silly speed after having run for three miles simply is not possible – the body has established its rhythm and regular requirement for oxygen and can less easily be misused. In addition I gave her an energy gel, suggesting she took it on at 8 miles before the drink station. The result was that she picked up the pace gradually, gaining the psychological boost of overtaking consistently throughout the race. The gel kicked in at 10 miles, and she came in feeling strong and positive, having established a highly respectable women’s club record.

Chris.

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