Contents
Coming Events: February, March & April. 2
Attendance Scheme/ Club races – 2006 details: 2
Race results: Various races. 6
Fell Races: Feb to end April 06. 8
West Yorkshire Winter League 2005/6 season. 10
WYWL Presentation Night: Fri 10th March 06. 11
Annual General Meeting – Thursday 6th
April 06. 12
Black Sheep Brewery Race Series 2006. 12
Keswick to Barrow event: Saturday 6th May 06. 13
Events in bold indicate a ‘club’ event which members are encouraged to run.
|
Date |
Event |
|
Sun 26th Feb 06 |
Huddersfield
10k 11.15 am. |
|
Fri 10th March 06 |
WYWL
Presentation Night, hosted by Stainland Lions. |
|
Sat 11th March 06 |
Dentdale
Run, 14.3 miles, Dent, Cumbria. 1pm. |
|
Sun 12th March 06 |
Spen
20. 10am. A must for those running Spring marathons!! |
|
Sun 19th March 06 |
South
Leeds Stadium 5 mile.10.30am. |
|
Sun 19th March 06 |
East Hull
20. 10am. Fast flat course. |
|
Sun 1st April 06 |
Coniston
14. 11am. Scenic route around the lake. |
|
Sun 2nd April 06 |
Baildon
Boundary Way. Race full. Great local event. |
|
Sun 2nd April 06 |
Ackworth
Half, 10.30am. Yorks Half marathon Champs. |
|
Sat 8th April 06 |
Meanwood
Valley trail, 10.30am. Approx 7.5miles. |
|
Sun 16th April 06 |
Guiseley
Gallop, multi terrain, approx 10k, 10.30am. |
|
Sun 30th April 06 |
Rothwell
10k, 10am start. Yorks vets champs event. |
Top 25 Club Races for 2005: Handicap/ Attendance Scheme - 10 out of 25 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.
|
Name |
January |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan |
|
|
3 |
5 |
10 |
12 |
17 |
19 |
24 |
26 |
31 |
Totals |
|
Adrian
Trevelyan |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
|
Alison
Garlick |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
4 |
|
Amnuay
Scott |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
Amy
Wright |
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
4 |
|
Andrew
Moakler |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
2 |
|
Anna
Lincoln |
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
4 |
|
Chris
Booker |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
Chris
Smith |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
|
Chris
Stubbs |
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
5 |
|
David
Lewis |
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
|
4 |
|
Davina
Smith |
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
5 |
|
Dominic
Hopson |
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
Gary
Naylor |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
6 |
|
Hayley
Atkinson-Windsor |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
|
Ian
Fisher |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
Joanne
Belcher |
|
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
|
|
1 |
5 |
|
Judith
Metcalf |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
2 |
|
Julie
Parker |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
|
Kay
Gambles |
|
|
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
|
Lisa
Hall |
|
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
6 |
|
Martin
Burnside |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
|
Michael
Masleczko |
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
Peter
Hilliard |
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
4 |
|
Peter
Vickers |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
2 |
|
Phil
Routh |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
|
Richard
Lyons |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
|
Simon
Bellwood |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
|
Simon
Blackburn |
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
|
Stephen
Wolstenhulme |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
3 |
|
Steve
Little |
|
|
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
5 |
|
Tony
Blythe |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
|
Warren
Fletcher |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
|
|
18 |
15 |
16 |
13 |
18 |
16 |
17 |
15 |
23 |
151 |
We have 4 Attendance winners for
January: Chris Smith, Tony, Hayley &
Martin.
The Club races for 2006, where points can be earned, are as
follows:
|
Date |
Race Details |
Comments. |
|
February 12th Sun |
Liversedge Half Marathon, 12.00 noon. |
5 Idle vests at the
Liversedge Half. Jo was 5th woman, Laura 2nd F45 and
Jo, Laura & Lisa got the team prize. |
|
March 12th – Sun |
Spen 20mile, 10am. |
|
|
April- Sun 2nd |
Baildon Boundary Way Half, 10.30am. |
|
|
May – Wed 3rd |
John Carr 5k, Esholt, 7.30pm.
Fast, flat course. |
Club race 2006 |
|
May 3rd - Wed |
Hare & Hounds Fell
Race, Lothersdale. 3.6m/690’. BS. |
|
|
May – Sun 7th
|
Leeds Half Marathon,
10am. |
Entry forms available at the club. |
|
May -Sun 14th |
Ripon 10m. Part of Black
Sheep series. |
|
|
May – Sun 28th
|
Melmerby 10k. Part of
Black sheep series. |
|
|
June- Sat 3rd |
Kirkby Malzeard 10k. Part of Black sheep series. |
|
|
June 8th – Thurs |
Bronte 5, 7.30pm. Hilly
two lap course. |
|
|
June- TBA Thurs |
Apperley Bridge Canter
race. 7.30pm. Approx 10k. |
|
|
June TBA –Sun |
Harewood House 10k |
|
|
June
– Sat 24th |
Eldwick Gala Fell Race.3m/300’ |
|
|
July 1st –
Sat |
Burn Valley Half. Part
of Black Sheep series. 2pm. |
|
|
July 1st –
Sat |
Carr Lane Challenge. 5
mile trail race. |
|
|
July 12th –
Wed |
Stirton Fell race. BS,
7.30pm. 5.5 miles/1200’. |
|
|
Aug 12th –
Sat |
Arncliffe 4 mile Road
race at 1.30pm and/or 1.8m fell race (443’) AS, 3pm. |
|
|
Aug 28th –Mon |
Spofforth 10k Trail.
1.30pm. |
|
|
Aug TBA- Sat |
Burnsall 10m road race
and/or 1.5 m fell race. |
|
|
Sept 10th- Sun |
Robin Hood Full & Half
marathons, Nottingham 10.05am |
|
|
Oct TBA– Sun |
Horsforth 10k, 10am. |
|
|
Oct 15th -Sun |
Bridlington Half marathon, 12 Noon. |
|
|
Oct – Sun 29th |
Holmfirth 15mile. 10.30am. |
|
|
Nov TBA– Sun |
Guy Fawkes 10mile 10.30am. |
|
|
Nov TBA Sun |
Abbey Dash 10k, 9.30am. |
|
We had 15 runners at the Brass Monkey Half marathon at York on Sunday
22nd January 06. Congratulations to Ian Fisher who won the race and set a new
course record with his time of 1.06.09. Simon Bellwood set a new M45
club record with his PB time of 1.22.48, whilst Laura Brook smashed the F45
record with her time of 1.41.39. There were also pb's for Simon Blackburn
and Alison Garlick. Many others were close to their PB times. The results
were:
93 Simon Bellwood 1.22.48 PB
M45 club record
145 Chris
Smith 1.26.54
173 Adrian Trevelyan 1.28.21
241 Simon Blackburn 1.32.18 PB
246 Steve
Little 1.32.34
264 Richard
Lyons 1.33.23
281 Dominic Hopson 1.34.08
286 Jo
Belcher 1.34.25
452 Laura
Brook 1.41.39 F45 Club record.
477 Gary
Naylor 1.42.54
595 Davina
Smith 1.47.24
602 Alison
Garlick 1.48.22
PB
606 Lisa
Hall
1.48.48
701 Kay
Gambles 1.53.32
760 Anna
Lincoln 1.57.01
There were 980 runners.
Stanbury
Splash Fell race, 22nd Jan 06: 7miles, 1200ft.
61 Chris Stubbs 52.44
155 Dave Lewis
61.11
166 Phil Routh
62.08
188 Tony Blythe 63.51
There were 290 runners.
Dewsbury
10k 5/2/06
522 Martin Burnside 48.21
pb
615 Amy
Wright 51.06
648 Tracey Stoneman 51.44 pb
755 David Dewhirst
54.42
853 Janet Burnside 58.57
There were 955 runners
Yorks
Vets Cross Country Championships - Bramley.
Women - Approx 5k
41 Laura Brook 22.59
47 Kay Gambles 23.20
72 Anna Lincoln 30.05 There
were 73 runners
Men - Approx 10k
91 Pete
Helliwell 40.12
100 Steve Little 42.09
103 Richard Raistrick 42.48
113 Peter Vickers 47.07 There
were 118 runners
Rombalds
Stride 25 mile Challenge race Sat 6th Feb
Chris Smith 3hr 20mins
Laura Brook & Jo Belcher 5hr 20mins.
Liversedge Half Marathon: 12th
Feb 06.
Simon
Bellwood 1.26.35
Jo
Belcher
1.38.17 5th woman
Laura
Brook 1.46.46 2nd
F45
Lisa
Hall
1.46.47 pb
Martin
Burnside 1.51.45
Please
note that many races require that competitors carry waterproof clothing, map
and compass for the competitor’s safety. Failure to comply with a race
organiser's requirements will mean that you will be barred from taking part in
the race. Competitors should arrive at races prepared to carry any or all of
the following equipment: Windproof whole body cover, other body cover
appropriate to the conditions, map and compass suitable for navigating the
course, whistle, emergency food (long races). This equipment is mandatory at
all Cat A Long and Medium races.
If this
is the first time you have considered fell racing select a race distance well
under the distance you normally run on the road.
If you
retire during a race you MUST notify the officials at the finish.
If
you like the idea of fell running and would like to have a go please speak to
Chris.
All fell
races are given a grade indicating length and difficulty. Difficulty is
indicated by:
A, no less than 250 feet climb per
mile, not more than 20% on roads, at least 1 mile in length (NASTY);
B, not less than 125 feet climb
per mile, not more than 30% on roads (FAIRLY NASTY);
C, not less than 100 feet of climb
per mile, not more than 40% on roads and contain genuine fell terrain (NOT VERY
NASTY).
Length
is indicated by: L,
12 miles or more; M, 6 miles and over but less than 12 miles; S, under 6 miles.
SUN
FEB 26th ILKLEY MOOR FELL RACE. AS. 11.30am. 5m/1260’ from Wells
Road, Ilkley. £3 on day. Website: www.ilkleyharriers.co.uk
SAT
MARCH 4th NOON STONE FELL RACE. AM. 12 noon. 9m/2300’ from Brisk Inn,
Lumbutts, Todmorden. £3.50 on day. Website: www.todharriers.co.uk
SAT
MARCH 11th. HALF TOUR OF PENDLE. AM. 11am. 9m/2250’ from Barley
Village, near Burnley. £2.50 to organiser by 4th March. Website: www.clayton-le-moors-harriers.co.uk
SUN
MARCH 12th. IAN ROBERTS
FELL RACE. BM. 11.00pm
7m from Marsden Cricket Club. £3 on day. Website: www.holmfirthharriers.com
SAT
MARCH 11th. WUTHERING HIKE (Haworth Hobble). BL. 8am. 31m/4400’ from Westfield
Lodge, Moorside Lane, Oxenhope. £18 teams of 2 or £10 solo. Entry on official
entry form. Full kit to be carried. Bring mug for drinks en route. Hot meal at
finish, showers/changing. Website: www.kcac.co.uk
SAT
MARCH 11th TINA HORN MEMORIAL “WINDMILL WIZZ” BM. 11.30 am. 6 miles/800’ from Ogden Reservoir,
Causeway Foot, off A629 Halifax-Keighley Road. £4 on day. Website: www.halifaxharriers.co.uk
SAT
MARCH 25th MIDGLEY MOOR FELL RACE. AS. 11am. 5m/1250’ from Booth
Cricket Club, Booth, Halifax. £3.50 on day. Website: www.cvfr.co.uk
SAT
APRIL 1st PENDLE FELL
RACE. AS. 2pm.
4.5m/1500’ from Barley Village Hall, Barley, near Bunley, Lancs. £3 on
day. Refreshments in village hall.
Website: www.clayton-le-moors-harriers.co.uk
SAT
APRIL 8th FLOWER SCAR. AS. 11am 4m/1400’ from Hare & Hounds pub, Burney Road,
Todmorden, Lancs. £3 on day. Website: www.todharriers.co.uk
SAT
APRIL 8th WARDLE SKYLINE. BM. 2pm. 7m/1000’ from Wardle Square, Ramsden Rd,
Wardle, Rochdale, off A58 Rochdale-Halifax Rd. £3 on day. Details: Nigel Allen,
01706 371373.
SUN
APRIL 9th GISBOROUGH MOORS RACE. BL. 11am. 12.5m/2600’from Guisborough
Rugby Club. £8.50 to organiser or £9.50 on day. Website: www.nym.ac
SUN
APRIL 30th 52nd THREE PEAKS RACE. AL.10am. 24m/4500’ from the Playing
fields, Horton in Ribblesdale. £8.Must pre-enter. Visit website for details: www.threepeaksrace.org.uk
The fourth event at Baildon saw 29 runners from Idle AC. Ian Fisher won the race, Donna
Edmondson-Booker claimed third for the women, while new girl Hayley was 7th. At
the final event at Stainland, Idle hung on to 4th place, even with a
depleted team and the challenge of a deep and fast flowing river to
overcome. Ian won his fifth event
in a row. There were notable
performances from Adrian and Richard Lyons, both with hugely improved
positions. Donna Edmondson-Booker takes league 3rd, and Simon
Bellwood league 3rd M40.
So that’s it for another year! Well done to everyone who took part and had a go. I’ve done seventy in a row now –
I think I’ll retire at 100! – Chris.
|
Overall
Team Results after 5th Event at Stainland 19.2.06 |
||||
|
Men |
|
|
Vets |
|
|
Pudsey |
6549 |
|
Dewsbury |
2375 |
|
LBT |
6402 |
|
LBT |
2318 |
|
Dewsbury |
6228 |
|
Pudsey |
2268 |
|
Idle
A C |
5908 |
|
Idle
A C |
2075 |
|
Stainland |
5833 |
|
Stainland |
2041 |
|
St.Bede's |
5221 |
|
St.Bede's |
2017 |
|
Baildon |
5168 |
|
Baildon |
1669 |
|
Skipton |
3170 |
|
Skipton |
1556 |
|
Women |
|
|
Overall |
|
|
Dewsbury |
1477 |
|
Pudsey |
7812 |
|
LBT |
1395 |
|
LBT |
7801 |
|
Stainland |
1349 |
|
Dewsbury |
7705 |
|
Idle
A C |
1330 |
|
Idle
A C |
7238 |
|
Pudsey |
1263 |
|
Stainland |
7182 |
|
Baildon |
1214 |
|
Baildon |
6382 |
|
St.Bede's |
994 |
|
St.Bede's |
6215 |
|
Skipton |
628 |
|
Skipton |
3798 |
The 2006 WYWL presentation night, hosted by Stainland
Lions, takes place on Friday 10th March at Old Brodleians Rugby
Club.
Directions: M62, Junction 26, follow A58 to Halifax.
After 6k turn right at Hipperholme traffic lights. Continue up the hill for
800m. Old Brodleians is on the left after the Shell petrol station.
The fun starts at 8pm and includes the presentation of
all the team & individual trophies, curry buffet, raffle and disco for £7
per person (cash or cheques payable to West Yorkshire Winter League). See
poster on the club notice board. Write your name on the list at the club by end
Feb if you are
going or let Chris & Davina know.
Firstly congratulations to Lisa Flesher and Peter Helliwell for
winning trophies for 3rd F35 at the Yorkshire Vets 5K championship
race and 2nd M40 at the 15 mile Yorkshire Vets championship race in
2005. Club records have continued to fall in this year’s Brass Monkey for Laura
Brook and Simon Bellwood in the O/45 categories and Simon Blackburn with a PB.
The Yorkshire Vets races kick off this year on the 5th of
February with the Cross Country Championships in Leeds where Idle AC will be
fielding a team of 8 runners.
The 12th of February sees the start of the Grand Prix
races at Esholt, the GP are a series of 10 races throughout the year, mostly
off road about 5 - 6 miles long where your best six results are recorded. I
recommend people try some of these events, as they are low key, mostly local
and very friendly. You don't need to be a superstar to be competitive as there
are different age categories and the key is to compete in as many as possible
to gain your maximum points.
For this year the Men's age to be eligible for a Vet has been lowered
to 35 from 40, the Women age will remain at 35. This was brought about at the 45th IAAF Congress held in Helsinki in August
2005, here they voted that the Male Vet's (master) age limit be moved to 35
from 40. There was some discussion and a vote taken with many arguing that a
number of male athletes are still in their “active” career at that age (35).
However the motion was carried and now our national and local organisations
have to follow suit.
When I started running in the early 80's my
impression of Vet runners were wizened, bandy legged old guys who before
starting their run always used an elixir like muscle rub, the recipe a Colonel
Saunders like secret, which had been handed down through the male generations
for the last 200 years.
However after speaking about the Vets age
reduction to Ian Fisher, who is now a Vet, before the start of the Brass
Monkey. I've come to the
conclusion that much like teachers and policemen the Vet runners are now
definitely looking younger.
Finally, I think you should take your
inspiration where you can find it. Listening recently to Madonna's latest
release half way through the song the lyrics say, " Those who run have the
most fun". Who am I to contradict a superstar. - Steve
Idle AC’s fourth AGM will be held on Thursday 6th April at 7.15pm at the Cricket Club. 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 by late March and members are now invited to submit any agenda items to any committee member no later than Monday 13th March. Members are also reminded that subs will be collected (£15) at the AGM when a membership form will need to be completed.
It would be appreciated if all subs could be paid by the beginning of May.
This month we welcome 1 new member - Carmel Beswick– Carmel is a regular to Wednesday nights and is a friend of Diana and Wilma.
The Black Sheep
Brewery Race Series is 6 separate running events organised by towns and
villages in scenic North Yorkshire. The objective is to complete 5 out of 6
races, 3 x 10k's plus the 10 mile and 1/2 marathon. Runners who complete the
required races will be awarded with a personalised plaque including their name,
total time and position.
Category winners will be presented with Age Group Plaques plus prize vouchers.
Prizes and plaques will be awarded to
the first five Male/Female runners overall, plus the first 3 in the following
age groups:- MO/40, MO/45, MO/50, MO/55, MO/60, MO/65, - FO/35,
FO/40, FO/45, FO/50, FO/55, FO/60,
FO/65.
THE RACES
Ripon 10 mile: On Sunday May 14th, from Ripon Cricket Club.
Melmerby 10k: On Sunday May 28th, from the village of Melmerby.
Kirkby Malzeard: On Saturday June 3rd, from the village of Kirkby Malzeard.
Rainton 10k: On Sunday June 25th, from the village of Rainton.
Burn Valley Run: On Saturday July 1st, from the market town of Masham.
Burton Leonard 10k: On Sunday July 23rd, from the village of Burton Leonard.
All races can be entered
individually as well as part of the series. Entry forms available at the club but closing date (series)
is 14th April 06 or when the series limit of 220 is reached. For
news and results visit: www.blacksheeprunners.co.uk
The Black Sheep series is highly recommended by members of Idle AC. Lots of
the events involve fun runs for the children and are generally good days out.
The Keswick to Barrow Walk is a 40 mile sponsored stroll
through some of the country’s finest landscapes. The route starts on the
southern side of the Lake District town of Keswick and winds its way through
some of the most beautiful scenery to the Victorian town of Barrow in Furness
on the coast of the Irish Sea. Some of my work colleagues did it last
year & thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it is something that could be
done by members of Idle AC as a change from runs like the Blackpool
event. It’s a long way I know but you do not have to run it all, after
all it’s classed as a “walk”.
It is essentially a “sponsored walk” but there is no
minimum amount of sponsorship demanded & there is no entry fee! The
idea is that you get a team together of up to 10 people & between you raise
some money for a given charity. The size of the team isn’t important nor
is the amount of cash raised. There are checkpoints along the way with
food & drinks available (at a small cost). Alternatively we can have
someone with a “support vehicle” with sandwiches & energy drinks etc if there’s
interest & a willing driver amongst us.
As a guide, last year there were 1008 entries with the
slowest time being 16hrs 40mins. If you do manage to run it all you will
get inside the top 50 with a time of around 6hrs 45mins. The winning male
last year did it in a time of 4hrs 42mins & the winning lady’s time was
5hrs 50mins. I believe that Idle AC could attain some very good results
& end up with a good team prize to boot.
For further info look at their excellent website at: http://www.keswick2barrow.co.uk/home.asp
As the race is on the Saturday you will need to be there
very early or better still stay overnight in or near Keswick. There’s a
good camp site called Castlerigg Farm that charges £12 per night. Their details
can be found on http://www.castleriggfarm.com/
I’m just trying to establish whether there’s any interest
at this point so if anyone is remotely interested in “having a go” then drop an
email to:- martin@idleac.co.uk
This is not a commitment to go but I would like a rough
idea of numbers at this stage.
If anyone wants any further info & can’t find it on
the website, then again drop me an email & I’ll find out for you – Martin.
There is definite interest in this event from club
members. Please write your name on the notice board at the club if you are
interested.
Congratulations to old friends of Idle AC (they were
there at the formation of the club), Claire & Stefan Macina who have just
become proud parents to Charlotte on 9th Feb, weighing 8lb 10oz. A
baby sister for Isabel.
I write this in celebration of
the miracle that, for the first time, I have stuck to my marathon training plan
almost exactly for a whole two weeks and two days! Admittedly I started it at
week four instead of week one and I switched to a lower mileage one at the last
minute and I’ve been going to the Tuesday sessions and just adding a bit on to
make them longer rather than doing the recommended ‘lactate threshold 9 miles
with 4 miles 15k to half marathon race pace’ (?) - I just look at that and it
doesn’t mean anything (the rest of the book makes even less thrilling reading
so I will never find out what joy that session may bring). But no doubt
whatever training I do it won’t make the slightest difference in twelve weeks
time when the sun is beating down and I’ll be irritable as hell and I’ll
probably get that sore knee which is annoyingly not quite bad enough to warrant
dropping out even though I really want to. Although it may not sound like it, this is in fact a time
for dual celebration as this month marks the anniversary of me starting running
and so I would now like to reflect on one misty February morning five years
ago…..
……One misty February morning five
years ago, my so-called friend Miriam and I got up early to have a go at running. If you care to picture the scene: 7am,
coldest place on Earth (Newcastle), the lofty stands of St James’ Park (we
lived next door) glimpsed through the haze, bandstand in the park, cow field
all frosty. I had never been running before, or even actually considered taking
any exercise ever, and was (and still am) completely lacking in any natural
sporting ability. Miriam hadn’t
done any in ages so, for demonstration purposes, we were accompanied by another
friend Jamie who spent all his time running, masturbating and photocopying my
lecture notes. Really we were
going because Miriam and Jamie fancied each other and I was just there as some
kind of decoy. After much persuasion, and given a good shove by the recent
revelation that I was about twelve and a half stone, I had decided it was
probably worth a try.
Our route that morning became the
one Miriam and I would do every weekday morning for the next couple of
months. We were rubbish. It involved trying to run as far as we
could (hey, we could do at least one or two hundred metres in one go), walking
a while and repeating this over and over. Jamie gave up coming with us after a
couple of days after complaining that we weren’t trying hard enough or getting
a sweat on. The whole thing took us about twenty minutes and as each week
passed we could make it a bit further before we had to take a break. Then one day something amazing
happened. Miriam went home for the
Easter holidays and I went out and managed to run the whole way round. I then secretly started taking a
slightly longer route and when Miriam returned she could no longer keep up with
me and she didn’t ever really talk to me again after that.
Five marathons later I’m still
pretty slow despite my attempts at training which seem depressingly futile at
times. However, at least I can run
for miles and miles which I guess is a potentially useful attribute if all
forms of regular transport are rendered useless in some kind of apocalyptic
situation, assuming it is safe to go outside. Maybe by trying to be consistent with my running I will get
faster eventually but on the other hand it doesn’t really make any difference
since even if I’m still running when I’m old I will still just be running in a
circle.
-Lisa
It wasn’t such a bad Saturday
afternoon. Adrian and I had agreed
on a steady ten or so, since it was the day before the Baildon Cross
Country. We kicked off from
Apperley Bridge, and recced Steve’s recommendation for the improvement of the
Idle Trail Race course. Following
his instructions, we were led up some steps from the Woodlands road to a wide
tree lined track, which took us below Rawdon Golf Course. I looked around me in astonishment at
the massive improvement this would make.
Not only have the rocky descent down Spite and Malice, and the malicious
farmer, been eliminated, but the course looks a whole lot more attractive as a
proper trail race. We finished up
with a trot down past the John Carr start, and I remembered how this woodland
path towards the sewage works is so littered with pungent bluebells in the best
part of spring.
This is the darkness before the
dawn. The toughest time for the
distance runner. We have gone our
longest without real light, without variation. The club is busy with people seeking motivation, and those
who can are busy trying to run during the day. Those training for London are achieving massive feats
– getting in the mileage in the dark – it’s all part of the
challenge of the London. And of
course off-road running is at a premium – impossible except at weekends
for most, apart from those unfortunate enough to follow Steve Little into the
woods on a Wednesday Night, since he doesn’t seem to regard inky blackness as
an impediment to the use of his chosen trail course. So the winter trail runs have assumed greater significance
– so much more enjoyable than the traffic infested efforts on Thursdays,
though the Club members have stuck gamely to those, and helped me to extend the
time out into a meaningful training session for most.
All this would be fine, but for
one development which I do not regard as entirely positive. A couple of years ago, we would dish
out the hot blackcurrant in the clubhouse, and come to an agreement about how
far we had run. We would apply
logical criteria, bearing in mind unique features like terrain, weather
conditions, likely training pace, and even how we felt. It was a wonderfully inexact science,
but one which would generally leave each runner satisfied with their effort,
because it took into account our individual situations.
Contrast this with the GPS
boys. I say ‘boys’, because I
haven’t yet met a woman who owns one of those wrist mounted calculators which
uses satellite technology to inform us that we have not run twelve miles in one
hour and thirty minutes, as we know in our hearts that we have, but in fact
only 8.6.
A week ago Adrian informed me
that our ten mile run was only eight.
Yesterday we ran over Pennine moorland for three hours, and only
achieved 18.6 miles, not the 20 he had hoped for. Is the rumour that GPS systems cut corners when they go out
of signal true? Do they really
take gradient into account? Should
we trust the information given to us by a distant computer, floating around in
space somewhere near the moon?
The inexact science is, I
believe, far more exact in truth.
In short a mile run in training is a unit of effort, not of
distance. This must logically be
the case since we would not expect to cover a 6 mile cross country course in
the same time as the Wakefield 10k. Which would you think took the most running effort? Most would go for the 10k as the easier
option. Therefore a 42:30 10k is
just that, but a 49 minute 6 mile cross country effort should be divided by the
mile pace of the road event. This
gives a mile as a unit of effort, and the cross country race should thus be
recorded in your training diary as a 7.
The weekly mileage you are recording then is a truer record of your
achievement and progress.
Applying this formula to the 3
hour run described earlier is straightforward. The 10k mile time is inappropriate of course, but an
equivalent recent road distance over time is. The Nottingham Marathon gave me 3:20, or 7.63 minute mile
pace. Call it eight to be safe, and
the answer comes out at a neat 22.5 miles. And Adrian only wanted a 20!
As I struggled with the end of
this article in the Symposium, Siobhan behind the bar enquired what I was
doing. I explained that I was
trying to reach a conclusion and offer advice. “Never eat yellow snow!” she offered as a contribution. Our opportunities for eating any kind
of snow are declining fast. The
Cross Country season has gone.
There may be a final flourish of winter, but the transient month of
March awaits. And when the clocks
spring forward, we will gallop as one across the river and canal towards the
roadless countryside, towards the new improved Idle Trail Race, and into long,
warm days of achievement, of miles that we know we have covered in our hearts.
-
Chris.
Current Men’s Club Records
|
Distance |
Category |
Name |
Time |
|
5
Km |
Open |
Joe
Marjoram |
17.08 |
|
M40 |
Simon
Bellwood |
18.30 |
|
|
M45 |
David
Lewis |
18:46 |
|
|
M50 |
Trevor
Hooley |
21.22
|
|
|
5
Miles |
Open |
Doug
Briggs |
29:43 |
|
M40 |
Chris
Stubbs |
31.06 |
|
|
M45 |
Richard
Lyons |
33.22 |
|
|
M50 |
Trevor
Hooley |
38.42 |
|
|
10
Km |
Open |
Douglas
Briggs |
36.13 |
|
M40 |
Chris
Stubbs |
38.32 |
|
|
M45 |
Dave
Lewis |
38:57 |
|
|
10
Miles |
Open |
Joe
Marjoram |
1:01:22 |
|
M40 |
Chris
Stubbs |
1:05:14 |
|
|
M45 |
Steve
Little |
1:08:54 |
|
|
M50 |
Trevor
Hooley |
1:20:04 |
|
|
Half
Marathon |
Open |
Douglas
Briggs |
1:18:58 |
|
M40 |
Chris
Smith |
1:24:05 |
|
|
M45 |
Simon
Bellwood |
1:22:48 |
|
|
15
Miles |
Open |
Chris
Stubbs |
1:37:03 |
|
M40 |
Simon
Bellwood |
1:43:58 |
|
|
M45 |
Trevor
Hooley |
2:03:18 |
|
|
20
Miles |
Open |
Chris
Smith |
2:24:00 |
|
M40 |
Simon
Bellwood |
2:17:26 |
|
|
M45 |
Richard
Lyons |
2:34:51 |
|
|
Marathon |
Open |
Chris
Smith |
3:04:12 |
|
M40 |
Simon
Bellwood |
3:02:18 |
|
|
M45 |
Richard
Lyons |
3:36:15 |
|
|
M50 |
Trevor
Hooley |
4:15:08 |
Current Women’s Club Records
|
Distance |
Category |
Name |
Time |
|
5 Km |
Open |
Donna Edmondson |
19:03 |
|
F40 |
Laura Brook |
22.04 |
|
|
F45 |
Kay Gambles |
20.59 |
|
|
5 Miles |
Open |
Donna Edmondson |
34:57 |
|
F45 |
Kay Gambles |
40.03 |
|
|
F50 |
Ana Lincoln |
43.13 |
|
|
10 Km |
Open |
Donna Edmondson |
42:33 |
|
F45 |
Kay Gambles |
47:11 |
|
|
F50 |
Ana Lincoln |
52:39 |
|
|
10 Miles |
Open |
Donna Edmondson |
1:13:00 |
|
F45 |
Kay Gambles |
1:16:50 |
|
|
F50 |
Ana Lincoln |
1.32.38 |
|
|
Half Marathon |
Open |
Donna Edmondson |
1:33:22 |
|
F40 |
Kay Gambles |
1:51:00 |
|
|
F45 |
Laura Brook |
1:41:39 |
|
|
F50 |
Ana Lincoln |
1:53:27 |
|
|
15 Miles |
Open |
Donna Edmondson |
1:50:54 |
|
F35 |
Amnuay Scott |
2:00:43 |
|
|
20 Miles |
Open |
Joanne Belcher |
3:01:18 |
|
F35 |
Davina Smith |
3:01:01 |
|
|
F40 |
Kay Gambles |
3:02:00 |
|
|
Marathon |
Open |
Joanne Belcher |
3:37.15 |
|
F40 |
Kay Gambles |
4:10:00 |
|
|
F45 |
Laura Brook |
4:07:42 |