Date	Event
3^rd August 03	Harrogate Town Centre 10k. 10.30 am. Free T- shirt.
Wed 6^th Aug 03	Hyde Park (Leeds) 5k series. Wed 2^nd July, Wed 6^th Aug & Wed 3^rd Sept at 7.30pm. Final race incorporates Yorks vets 5km championships.
Sat 9^th Aug 03	ARNCLIFFE GALA FELL RACES. AS. 3pm. 1.8 miles/443’ from Arncliffe Village Green, near Skipton. £2.50 on day. Points race.
Sun 10^th Aug 03	Isle of Man Marathon. Peter Vickers represented Idle AC.
Sun 17^th Aug 03	‘Away run’ from Shipley Station at 9.30
Sat 23^rd Aug.	Burnsall Classic, 10 mile road race (plus Fell race). Details to follow. Club race. Points race.
Sun 7^th Sept 03	Bingley Relief Road 10k, 11am. One and only chance to run this race. We hope to have a large club turn out.
Sun 7^th Sept 03	Great Langdale marathon & half.
Sun 14^th Sept 03	Robin Hood Marathon & Half. There will be a few Idle vests at this popular event (flat course)
Sun 14^th Sept 03	Yorkshireman Off road marathon & Half. 10am, Oxenhope. Recommended event.
Sat 20th Sept 03	Idle Tide: ALL members required to run/assist.
Sun 21^st Sept 03	Ilkley Tri. Swim 500m, Cycle 9 miles, run, 3 miles. 12 noon.
Sun 5^th Oct 03	Horsforth 10k. 10am. Good to see a full club turn out for this race (points race).
Sun 12^th Oct 03 Sun 12^th Oct 03	Harewood House 10 mile Trail race. 10.30am. Scenic off road event with free bottle of beer to all finishers. Bridlington Half marathon 12 noon, Yorks Vets Champs. Seafront start, fairly flat.
Sun 12^th Oct 03	Temple Newsam 5 mile road race 11.05 am and 5k fun run 10am.

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.

Well done to July’s Attendance winner who because of holidays will be announced in the September edition.

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.	Sue Elliott flew the Idle AC flag.
April - Sun 6^th	Wakefield 10k, 10am.	Chris Smith, Martin and Jo Belcher ran. Jo set a new pb in a time of 46.01.
*April - Sun 6^th**	Baildon Boundary Way Half, 10.30am.	6 runners at the Baildon BW: Joe Marjoram 1.41, Dave Lewis 1.42, Adrian 1.43, Donna 1.45, Edward 1.46 and Simon 1.50.
*April - Sat 12^th**	Meanwood Valley Trail 8, 10.30am.	Two club records were set at this 8 mile race: Simon set an M40 record in a time of 60.38 and Richard set a Male record in 61.03.
*April - Sun 20^th**	Guiseley Gallop 10k, 10.30am.	6 runners in this local event: Richard 46.25, Dave Lewis 46.30, Donna 48.03, Tony 48.46, Edward 49.17 and Pete Helliwell 51.00.
April- Tues 1st	Bunny Run1, 3mile ‘Fell’ race, 7.00 pm.	9 runners at the first Bunny run: Kay, Jo, Amnuay, Chris, Tony, Donna, John, Richard & Simon.
May - Sun 11	Leeds Half or Full Marathon, 10am.	6 runners in the Half, many of whom obtained pb times, including Pete V who took 8 minutes off his previous best.
May - Wed 14^th	John Carr 5k, Esholt, first race.	16 runners at this first of the John Carr 5k series with Dave Lewis, Donna Edmondson & Kay Gambles all breaking club records.
June - Sun 22^nd	Blackpool Half or Full Marathon, 9am.	16 runners at this race and despite the hot weather pb’s were broken and Kay Gambles set a new F45 club record.
Aug -Sat 9th	Arncliffe Gala 4 mile Road and/or Fell race.	8 Idle AC members in the road race and three in the Fell race, including Jo Belcher was 2^nd female.
Aug - Sat 23^rd	Burnsall Classic 10 mile road race.	Next points race.
Oct – Sun 5^th.	Horsforth 10k, 10am.
Nov- Sun 2nd	Guy Fawkes 10mile.
Dec- Sun (DNK)	Abbey Dash 10k.

Next chance to get points is by running at the Burnsall Classic 10 mile road race.

Black Sheep Series.

The final Black sheep race took place on Sunday 27^th July with the Burton Leonard (off road) 10k. We had 8.2 runners taking part: the results were as follows: 24^th Steve Little 42.59, 29^th Chris Smith 43.35, 40^th Dave Lewis 44.41, 67^th Simon Bellwood 48.33, 95^th Amnuay Scott 51.08(2^nd F35), 129^th Kay Gambles 55.17, 165^th /166^th Davina Smith and Sue Little 65.03.

We had a good club turn out for all the Black Sheep Series and although the final race times and series positions have still be to confirmed we are confident that at least Amnuay Scott will have won a series prize (3^rd F35 in the series). We hope to run a minibus to the presentation at the Black Sheep Brewery in Masham, which will be on Sunday 5^th October at 4pm. This could involve a run too – more later…

First Overseas Marathon!

10^th August saw Peter become Idle AC’s first “overseas” marathon competitor. He ran a sprightly 4:00:26 at the Isle of Man Marathon. Races on the Island (including many fell races) tend to have tiny fields, this being no exception, with 70 runners completing the 2 lap course.

Christmas Do - Friday 12^th December.

Remember to keep the evening of Friday 12^th December free as we have again booked the Symposium (Idle) for the club’s second Christmas celebration. Whilst we don’t have a definite price as yet we hope by giving advance notice of the date that all the club, partners and friends will attend. As with last year we plan to provide a little gentle entertainment.

Harrogate 10k results.

We had four Idle AC members running at this race which had a field of 770 runners. The results were: Matthew Coles 44.17 (231^st), Michael Masleczko 49.18 (416^th), Jo Belcher 49.18 (417^th) and new member Vicki Hawker 54.10 (542^nd). Ian Fisher, running for his first claim club, Otley AC, finished in 3^rd place in a time of 32.14.

Nike Bowerman Van – Tuesday 9^th September

We have invited Steve Millward from Nike to a Tuesday night speed session on 9^th September. Steve has a motion analysis system complete with treadmill onboard the Nike Trial van. The machine biomechanically assesses runners and recommends the correct type of running shoe to be worn and only takes 5/10 minutes per person. Steve will be at the club from 6.30pm so runners can start to try the system and we will offer this facility along side the speed session. Nike also offers runners the opportunity to try road and off road shoes free on the night. Afterwards we will put on a few snacks and drinks in the clubhouse. In addition we were considering inviting one of the other local clubs to join us.

What is Hashing?

Booze and Shoes Basically hashing is a form of non-competitive cross-country running with the main objective of working up a decent thirst. Great emphasis is placed on the social aspects - particularly the communal boozing session at the après-hash. It's a fun activity and not to be taken at all seriously.

How It All Started...

A brief look at the origins of this worldwide organisation.

Hashing . . . it's a mixture of athleticism and sociability, hedonism and hard work; a refreshing break from the nine-to-five routine. Hashing is an exhilaratingly fun combination of running, orienteering, and partying, where bands of harriers and Harriett’s chase hares on eight-to-ten kilometre-long trails through town, country, jungle, and desert, all in search of exercise, camaraderie, and good times.

Hashing, as we know it today, began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1938, when a group of restive British company men started a hare & hounds running group. They named the group after their meeting place, the Selangor Club, aka the "Hash House." Hash House Harrier runs were patterned after the traditional British public school paper chase. A "hare" would be given a short head start to blaze a trail, marking his devious way with shreds of paper, soon to be pursued by a shouting pack of "harriers." Only the hare knew where he was going . . . the harriers followed his marks to stay on trail. Apart from the excitement of chasing down the wily hare, solving the hare's marks and reaching the end was its own reward, for there, thirsty harriers would find a tub of iced-down beer.

Hashing died during World War II (Japanese occupying forces being notoriously opposed to civilian fun), but came back to life in the post-war years, spreading slowly through Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand, then exploding in popularity in the late 70s and early 80s. Today there are thousands of Hash House Harrier clubs in all parts of the world, complete with newsletters, directories, and regional and world hashing conventions.

Despite its growth, hashing hasn't strayed far from its British and Malaysian roots. A typical hash "kennel" is a loosely organized group of 20-40 men and women who meet weekly or biweekly to chase the hare. We follow chalk, flour, or paper, and the trails are never boring. When forced to, we'll run the occasional street or alley, but in general we prefer shiggy . . . fields, forests, jungles, swamps, streams, fences, storm drains, and cliffs. And although some of today's health-conscious hashers may shun a cold beer in favour of water or a diet soda, trail's end is still a party. Perhaps that's why they call us the "drinking club with a running problem!"

So . . . if you'd like to spice up your running program with fun, good company, new surroundings, and physical challenge, try hashing. Just remember one thing . . . never wear new shoes to the hash!

A Guide for New Feet

If you have half a mind to join the Hash, that's all it takes. If you have hashed before you will know the format but for the newcomers here's a quick rundown on what happens.

The Hash generally meets at a pub chosen by the HARES and the HOUNDS set off at the appointed hour along a clearly defined trail (blobs of chalk or sawdust) with the front runners calling "ON, ON" for the benefit of the slower runners and latecomers catching up.

Every 500 metres or so the trail will end signified by a check mark which may be in the form of a line or a circle - ask the hare before you set out. The frontrunners on reaching the check start searching for the new trail. This can start up to 50 metres from the check in any direction. The time taken by the frontrunners to find the new trail allows the runners at the back (the "social or chat-pack") to catch up thus increasing the chances of everyone reaching the pub at the end at roughly the same time. The frontrunners will usually find that the cunning hares have laid some FALSE TRAILS in addition to the real trail - these falsies usually consist of up to 3 blobs followed by an X or a T (again ask!). This ensures that the really fit types, known as FRBs (Front Running Bastards) will become exhausted more quickly and be forced to join the social pack. Another device used by Hares to achieve the same objective is the LOOP whereby the trail might go round 3 sides of a field allowing the back markers to run across the fourth. Hash runs are usually 4 - 7 miles long and are designed to last 1 - 1½ hours. Revelries in the pub after the run are up to the individual but it has been known for some muddy sweaty hashers to be turned out of the pub at closing time......

Hash Hints

A few words of advice before you begin...

Here are a few suggestions and explanations which may help a newcomer to enjoy the Hash but first and foremost please bear in mind that hashing is supposed to be fun and don't ever take it seriously:

1 Hashing is totally non-competitive although someone has to be first. If by some fluke you manage to find yourself in this unfortunate position (or anywhere near it ), yell "ON, ON" until you are exhausted enough to fall back to your rightful place in the pack. These calls are not designed to help you but the poor unfortunate at the rear who can then shortcut (HASH TACTICAL) back to the pack. The sounding of the HASH HORN achieves the same aim for all but the stone deaf.

2 If it is your misfortune to arrive first at a check, don't sit down and rest, or stand about like a wet weed, but look for the new trail and shout "CHECKING" loud and often. If you find an X or a T, announce "FALSE TRAIL" equally loudly.

3 The "social pack" retains its superiority by the deployment of its greater intelligence. Short cutting from the rear (HASH TACTICALS) is to be positively encouraged and a united pack is far better for warding off homicidal landowners and rabid Rottweilers as well as forcing the publican's arm if you arrive back at the pub early.

4 Short cutting from the front is NOT ALLOWED (one of the very few firm rules of hashing - actually there are no rules!). Anyway this practice could result in the whole Hash straying on to uncleared land.

5 Move at your own pace. Ignore the FRBs and Jockstraps who urge you to go faster. If you should fall behind, try a HASH TACTICAL. If your tactic is successful you may be accused by a jealous FRB of being an SCB - a SHORT CUTTING BASTARD. If so, just ignore it; such accusations merely confirm your superior abilities.

6 Always try to keep at least one hasher between you and anything which looks at all fierce such as bulls, pitbull terriers, landed gentry, geese and pigs.

7 If you hear the cry "LOOKING" it means that the trail has disappeared into thin air. This could be due to several reasons: the Hares playing silly Bs or simply running out of chalk, the trail being washed out by rain or an attack of chalk blindness by the front runners. Usually in this event the pack will spread out and the trail is soon located.

8 If you wish to know what the hell is going on up front, call "HOW ARE YOU?" which should evoke the response "CHECKING", "FALSE TRAIL", "OFF CHALK" or even "LOST".

9 Please don't shout too loud near animals. They don't like it. If cows, horses or sheep appear to about to stampede, WALK, don't run. An insurance claim for an animal like Desert Orchid could bankrupt the Hash insurance company let alone the Hash. Yes, your Hash may carry insurance but remember it's for third party damages, not a personal accident policy for you.

10 If you damage fences or gates, try to affect some sort of repair before running on and, most important of all, NEVER LEAVE GATES OPEN.

Transgressions of this and any other "crime" committed during the hash will be drawn to the attention of the Hash RELIGIOUS ADVISOR who will mete out some dire punishment at the Après-Hash. You may also be asked to do a WRITE UP of the run (for publication in the Hash Trash). If so, please oblige - it helps everyone to remember where they've been and what they did but it doesn't have to be accurate - let your creative imagination roam free!

We will be trying to find a local hash for anyone who wants to have a go. Watch this space.

Fell Races

Chris’s ‘course’ of fell races, which, gradually increased in difficulty proved to be a great success. The course consisted of the following fell races:

Level One: Single Bunny

Level Two: Multiple Bunny

Level Three: Bunny plus Hare and Hounds.

Level Four: Bunny, Hounds, Chevin

Level Five: Bunny, Hounds, Chevin, Widdop, Arncliffe

The following members will be awarded certificates as follows:

LEVEL 2: Trevor Hooley, Donna Edmondson, John Nellist

LEVEL 3: Simon Bellwood

LEVEL 4: Amnuay Scott, Kay Gambles, David Lewis

LEVEL 5: Joanne Belcher

Note: A list of local fell races in 2003 is available at the club or on the website.

Fell Race Results

Chris was busy representing Idle AC during a recent holiday to the Lake District. The week started with the Latrigg fell race, Keswick, on Sunday 3^rd Aug an A short fell race of 3 miles with 950’ of climbing – 34^th in 26.23. This was followed on Wednesday with the Steel Fell race, Thirlmere, a nasty A Short race again of 3 miles but with 1150’ feet ascent in a time of 31.10 (20^th) On the way home from holiday on Saturday, Chris joined the club for the Arncliffe Gala 4 mile road race and the A short fell race of 1.8 miles 443’. Chris is now exhausted and injured.

Navigation Course For Off Road Runners

After our progress in fell and off road running this year, and after conversations with members, I am offering a navigation course on two Wednesdays from the clubhouse. It’s meant as a basic introduction to map and compass work, and is fine for any level of runner. The dates are Wednesday 3^rd September and 10^th September, at 7pm.

Questions worked on will include:

What is North? - Finding it with (and without) a compass

Which way round is the map? – orientating a map and keeping it there

What does the map tell me? – recognising map symbols and keys

Where am I? – Locating position and beginning to use grid references

Where am I going? – Finding a checkpoint and choosing a route

How far am I going? – understanding map scales and distances.

I will provide maps, but you should bring £7 which will buy you a “Silva” type compass, which I can sell to you on the night. Please note that any old compass will not do, but if you already have a Silva compass the course is free! Do let me know though as I will be buying compasses on a sale or return basis. There will be up to 10 places on the course – first come first served! We’ll do some work in the clubhouse, and some practical work on both nights, so I suggest warm running gear – navigation sometimes involves standing still, while others are charging off in the wrong direction! - Chris.

Summer Track Night

A further track session has been arranged for Tuesday 19^th August 03 at 7pm, at Horsfall Track, Odsal, Bradford. The track is signposted to the left shortly after joining Halifax road from Odsal roundabout. Please contact Chris if directions or lifts are required. Although members will need to pay for the track night (£2.05) the Thursday night will then be free.

Arncliffe Gala, 9^th August. What an outing!

This came highly recommended after Kay and John visited last year. This year we had 8 Idle AC vests in the 4 mile road race and 4 in the fell race on what was the hottest day of the year!

As yet the fell race results have not been confirmed but the road race results were as follows: 16^th Chris Smith 26.35, 18^th Richard Raistrick 27.35, 20^th Edward East 28.15, 31^st Trevor Hooley 30.57, 32^nd Michael Masleczko 31.04, 34^th Jo Belcher 31.09, 39^th Kay Gambles 32.30 and 45^th Davina Smith 39.01. Idle AC got noticed at this event for a number of reasons – firstly we were the biggest club, secondly Davina got mentioned as being the only runner who was 5months pregnant with twins, and thirdly the women were first women’s team home: Jo, Kay and Davina. The men’s team finished in third position.

In addition to the race and gala it was great to see Alison Garlick with baby Thomas, who is now 6 weeks old, and who was proudly wearing his Idle AC vest! Alison passed on her best wishes to all at the club and asked us to thank members for the recent presents.

Idle Tide: Saturday 20^th September 03.

Idle AC hope to be one of the main attractions at Idle Tide on Saturday 20^th September. As a club we hope to set a world marathon record at the Tide (central village fun day). This will involve club members running in relay over a short distance of approx 21 metres on the Tide site (Thorpe School grounds) until we have run the marathon distance, hopefully in a time of sub 2 hours. As some of you are aware training has already commenced for this intense and challenging experience during which we hope to break records i.e. world mile time, 10 k etc during the event. As with last year’s event we hope to gain a lot of publicity for the club in addition to raising funds for a charity. In addition we will have a publicity stall at the Tide and hope to promote Idle AC and Hepworth & Idle Cricket Club. We therefore need a commitment from all available members to make this a success.

Club ‘Away’ Runs during summer 03.

Here’s the next one! After several conversations and suggestions, the plan is as follows:

Sunday 17^th August, 9.30am: Shipley Station (Free Parking)

I intend to lead a run of around 2 hours to Ilkley via Baildon Moor and the Cow and Calf, and take the train back to Shipley Station. It may interest runners to call for a drink or maybe even something to eat at the “Baht’at” public house in the centre of Ilkley before returning. I will be carrying a rucksack with a light change of clothing, money etc. A bumbag might be enough for those returning directly, or it might be possible to send relatives on a trip to Ilkley with a change of gear. Alternatively if you want to travel light, you might be able to borrow some space in my rucksack. It’s worth remembering if the heatwave persists that there’s an open air pool at Ilkley. Please note that the train return times from Ilkley are 11:54 and 13:54. The journey takes 25 minutes and costs around £1.20.

New Members

This month as our 48^thand 49^th members we welcome Vicky Hawker and Vivien Wriglesworth. Vicky joined us after running the Bradford Race for life 5k, finishing 12^th in a time of 22 minutes. Vicky is keen to improve (she’s in the right club!) and also ran her first 10k at Harrogate in a time of 54 minutes.

Our 49^th member is Vivien who has moved to Idle and who previously ran with Pudsey Pacers. Vivien seemed really pleased to have ‘found’ Idle AC, as a friend from Pudsey recommended us. Unfortunately due to a mix up she visited another local running club by mistake, after they misleadingly described themselves on the telephone as “Idle Runners.” She quickly realised her mistake and joined Idle AC.

London Marathon 2004.

The 2004 London Marathon will be held on Sunday 18^th April. The closing date for entries is 24^th October 2003 so if you are wanting to take part then please get your entries sent in. Successful and unsuccessful applicants will receive a reply in early December 03. Anyone who is unsuccessful in their entry will be eligible for the draw for the club entry which normally takes place at the Christmas Do. In addition members gain an automatic place under the ‘good for your age system’ NB: if you have run between 2.45 and 3.15 (men) or 3.15 and 3.45 (women) in 2002 or 2003.

Hydration

Recent extreme weather conditions have caused members to discuss the dangers of dehydration, and the importance of taking in drinks that contain sodium rather than merely drinking water, particularly when training /racing in long distance events. Runners need to be aware of a potentially serious condition called Hyponatremia, which can occur when salt levels in the blood stream become excessively low. The early signs of Hyponatremia can include muscle fatigue and nausea. Moderate symptoms may include headaches, short –term memory loss, disorientation, poor co-ordination and slurred speech. Hyponatremia in long distance endurance runners appears to be due to a combination of excessive salt loss in sweat, drinking fluids with too small amounts of sodium or by simply drinking too much plain water. Runners with a smaller body mass who drink too much water, can dilute their sodium levels more quickly than runners with a larger body mass.

The best way to avoid the problem is, particularly during hot weather, to consume sports drinks that contain sodium. As the drinks contain less sodium than found in sweat, drinking them can’t cause sodium overload. Additionally to aiding fluid absorption during exercise, the sodium in sports drinks encourages fluid intake as it makes the drink taste better. It also helps to maintain the thirst and keeps runners drinking while it delays urine production. This combination promotes rapid rehydration and so aids recovery. Drinking plain water eliminates thirst so that you stop drinking and urine production is stimulated, a sequence which delays rehyration and hinders recovery.

Sports drinks, which contain carbohydrate and sodium help increase fluid uptake in the small intestine and the carbohydrate improves performance during, exercise lasting longer than an hour.

The best way to avoid heat cramps, exhaustion or Hyponatremia is to drink 200-300 mls of sports drink 15 –20 minutes before running and then 2mls of fluid per kilo of body mass every 15 minutes during the run.

Another useful tip is to add Glycerol/Glycerin, to fluid. This increases the body’s ability to store fluid when taken in the correct dose. It’s cheap and effective to use and useful to add to drinks during training in heat. Add 5ml or one teaspoon per 750ml bottle.

The above information has been taken from the 2003 summer newsletter of ‘The Trail Runner’. For more information about the Trail Runners Association visit their website: www.tra-uk.org

From the Coach…

Well when I was on holiday in Cumbria I knew I just had to go back to Ulverston and find the answer. I knew my readers would demand nothing less! Just how did the ‘Flan Sports’ get their name? Why was that fell race called the “Flan Fell Race?” The lady in the Tourist Information Centre said “I know just the person! Go to the newspaper office opposite and ask for Jenny. She’s a well known local historian.” I went, and she told me. Apparently the sports are always held on land between two farms - Upper Flan Farm and Lower Flan Farm. ‘Flan’ is probably Old Norse for an area of ground. “You look disappointed,” Jenny said. I was, I suppose.

So I moved on, and Davina reminded me that it’s time to organise the meeting of the Cross Country League. For those who don’t know, I’m also secretary of the West Yorkshire Winter League, of which Idle AC is a member. This reminder troubled me, as it means we’re heading for the end of summer, and the league clubs have to decide when the five winter cross country races will be. The icy chill of a January morning at Tong Park seems a little remote to me as I look out of the window at basking cats and butterflies. Yet I was reminded of the importance of forward planning in a ‘periodised’ training year. I discussed this further when I met Donna on a rare night out in the Symposium. She’s been very busy (and successful) on the triathlon circuit, but with the end of summer this tends to quieten off. I suggested to her that she might consider a specific training period through autumn and winter that would culminate in a spring competition period of say a month, picking an event like the Spen 20 before she went back to triathlons. A high place in this Yorkshire Championship event would certainly be something to be proud of.

We’ve talked about this before, of course, with regard to spring marathons, but it holds true for any level of runner in any chosen event. I’m as guilty as many of just blasting away at races month in and month out because I enjoy it, but anyone wanting to make a leap say in their half marathon performance should consider breaking their training year into periods of effort. The winter months are traditionally the time for building an endurance base with plenty of mileage, which is built up gradually week by week, and the cross country races assist this, whilst building in strength. Runners on ‘periodised’ schedules, though, will simply ‘train through’ them, that is not taper, probably training the day before or training again on the same day. Always they will be mindful of an overall weekly training requirement in terms of mileage and the right level of quality work. We try to reflect this broadly at the Club, but cannot meet everyone’s individual requirements. So if you have a specific goal, choose your event and then plan backwards with the appropriate type of training. This could be done even now with the Leeds Abbey Dash 10k as the goal, so your months might look something like this:

September: Higher mileage, say 45-60 miles per week (depending on starting level) often running over distance (more than 10k) and including a weekly quick 8-10 miler.

October: Maintain the mileage but include one speedwork (e.g. 6 x 800m, or 4-5 x 1 mile with 1 – 1½ mins recovery) and one hillwork (more than 3 min efforts for endurance, less than 3 min efforts for strength). Don’t forget the weekly quick run.

November: As October for 2 weeks, then drop the mileage right back. Maintain a high quality of speedwork, with two speed sessions rather than one speed and one hill. Throughout all quality efforts warm up, stretch, work, warm down, stretch. The final week should be 20-25 miles with two high quality speed sessions.

December: The week before the event should contain one quality speed session over 400m or less, at least four days before the event, and some easy recovery runs, totalling no more than around 15 miles. Rest completely for two days before the event.

If you follow this kind of training model you will be in a strong position to perform

well. A major benefit for me of course will be that you will then fly round all the

cross country races and score loads of points for Idle AC!

Chris.

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