THE HARRIERS HERALD
No.
140, October 2004
Editorial
Welcome to October’s
Harriers Herald. My editor’s job has
been made very easy this month, thanks to contributions from six members. Following the October and November
Thursday
night schedules, we have a report from Kirsty,
Maiden
Voyage as a Mum, as she makes a welcome return to running after Lola’s
birth. The Harriers took part in several
races during September, with some excellent results that will really give our
club a good name on the ‘local running scene’.
(Incidentally, I will be writing to apply for our London Marathon Club
Entry next week). We begin with results
of the latest Handicap Race. Then
Martin reports on the
Kerridge 10K, Lucy gives the
story of the
Longbarrow
Challenge, Susanne reports on a good performance in the Aldbourne 10K, and Sue P tells of her
experiences running with a friend round the New Forest Half Marathon. Finally, Mo gives us his latest
choice of Websites and race Fixtures of interest.
It is time to be thinking about
this year’s club Christmas Meal. Does
anyone have any suggestions for a venue?
Mo and I recently attended a retirement party at The Plough in East Hendred, and were impressed by the food, the service and
the atmosphere, so that’s a possibility.
Thanks to all this month’s contributors to the Herald. Here’s to another successful month for the
Harriers.
Thurs 7th Peter to lead
Thurs 14th Tom
to lead
Thurs 21st Handicap
Race
Thurs 28th Malcolm
to lead
Thurs 4th Sue
B to lead
Thurs 11th Marie
to lead
Thurs 18th Handicap Race
Maiden Voyage As A Mum
Kirsty
Well it’s all over! After almost nine months of ever increasing girth and ever decreasing exercise, swelling hands and feet and a very small lung capacity due to a very large bump, Lola’s here! I hadn’t been able to run after six months of pregnancy due to about one contraction per mile, so I thought id better not push my luck and resorted to long walks with the dog.
So after a not
too bad birth as births go (give or take a few stitches), as Lola fast
approached five weeks old I decided that after a couple of weeks on the rowing
machine, I was ready for a run. So after
stuffing Lola with as much milk as I could offload, I set to work on my
mission. First things first, did my
running kit fit? I dug out the black bin
liner that had been home to my running kit since last April and had a search
through.
After depressing
myself with the sight of what looked like a hippo in lycra but was actually me, I selected my most
stretchy pair of shorts and my biggest race T shirt, in a bid to disguise the
empty bag that was once a relatively flat stomach. Then to what any female runner will class as
the most important bit of kit, the sports bra.
Having prided myself on the sheer volume of milk I was able to produce in
hospital compared to the other mums, I needed some almost industrial strength
elastic to protect my high yielders from what could
potentially be a very milky accident!
In the end I
opted for a combination of two bras, both claiming to be shock absorbers but so
obviously not tested on breastfeeding mothers.
Having squeezed myself into my shock-absorbing girdle so that I could
only partially inflate my lungs, I dug out my very dusty trainers. After that I felt quite shattered and I’d
only managed to put on my kit so far!
I did a few laps
of the upstairs landing and assured myself that nothing was going to fall out
and I would be safe to venture outside in daylight. Having assured Andy that I was just going on
a village loop and would be back soon, I left him very literally holding the
baby.
I gingerly left
the house, pulling my T-Shirt down as low as I could, turned left onto Burrrell road and headed around the village. By the time I’d reached the bend of the road
I’d realised that my lycra shorts may have fitted me,
but offered no support for what felt like a sack of spuds bouncing up and down
at the front and the bouncing was making my still a little sensitive womb feel
like I’d been kicked by a herd of passing mules. I told myself the discomfort would pass and I
would finish the loop if I had to crawl round.
So, considering
my belly predicament, I decided to bypass Shepherds Mount and carry on, on the
flat for a while. As I trotted towards
the pub, I was wondering when my breathing was going to start to settle down
until I remembered that I was wearing my girdle of sports bras which wasn’t too
bad until I needed a little more oxygen than they would allow, so I slowed to
an even slower pace than my previous snail pace to enable my breathing to
recover.
I managed to plod
extremely slowly to the Newbury Straight, trying to look as though I was
enjoying myself every time I saw someone familiar and decided to do a fast walk
up the hill. This worked well and once
round the corner the end was almost in sight.
Feeling quite pleased with myself I inched closer to our house and
almost had a spring in my step when it came in sight, dashed for the front lawn
only to come across two neighbours chatting outside. When they noticed me they started to clap and
cheer and say, how lovely it was to see me back out running again. I’d made it,
my maiden voyage as a mum.
I staggered into
the house, legs like jelly, bright red and puffing like a steam train. Andy looked up from his armchair and said
‘Did you have a good run?’ ‘Yes it was
OK’ I said. Little did he know I
thought, he’d never know, he’d never have the pleasure of birth.
One thing that hasn’t
changed though, I had completed my first run, I was back on track and, as I
thought, it felt wonderful.
Handicap Race (Village Lap)
Sue F
Eight runners
took part in September’s Handicap Race and there were some good
performances. It was nice to see Dick
out for one of his first runs since his operation, although it seemed slightly
odd that he set off first instead of last!
Dick ran faster than he had expected and managed to stay ahead,
establishing a start time for next month’s race. Nick put in a good performance, almost
catching Dick, and collecting the trophy for his efforts. Behind him, Lucy once again knocked a few
seconds off her P.B., while Martin recorded an excellent time of
|
Pos |
Name |
Start time |
Finish time |
Actual time |
Handicap Beaten? |
|
1 |
Dick |
0:00 |
|
|
‘New’ Runner |
|
2 |
Nick |
|
|
|
-0:19 |
|
3 |
Lucy |
|
|
|
-0:15 |
|
4 |
Martin |
|
|
|
-0:14 |
|
5 |
Susanne |
|
|
|
-0:13 |
|
6 |
Yvonne |
0:25 |
|
|
New Runner |
|
Tom |
0:25 |
|
|
- |
|
|
8 |
Mo |
0:20 |
|
|
+0:51 |
|
|
Sue F (bike) |
|
|
|
- |
By
the time Lucy and I reached the race venue all traces of the early morning mist
had been burnt off and Highclere Castle was basking
in some late Summer sunshine, as were approximately 500 other souls. Having exchanged my £9:00, the penalty for
entering on the day, I duly pinned on my number, oh those shaky hands. Pre-race nerves not Parkinson’s disease, I
hope.
After his nibs
had fired the starting pistol, the route took the race crocodile past Highclere Castle and then on a convoluted course around the
confines of the Highclere estate itself. In the true spirit of a multi-terrain event,
the race director had incorporated a bit of track, road, grass and tarmac which
took ‘us’ runners on an undulating course through some very nice countryside,
all of which was very runnable.
The event was
extremely well organised and even sported a coherent P.A. system. Tea and stickies
were also available after the race, for a small consideration. Hats off to Lord Carnaervon
for hosting the race, it’s another one for next year’s race diary.
Lucy race position = 163 time
= 49:00 (9th lady vet)
Dave Wright race position = 23 time = 39:29 (
Martin race position = 16 time = 38:07
480 finishers, overall winner Brian Gardner (Swindon Harriers); time 33:19
Longbarrow Challenge, 12th
September
The absolutely
and positively last ever Longbarrow challenge took
place on Sunday 12th September and attracted 37 runners, 12 walkers
and no cyclists (the biking component was scrapped this year). Conditions were perfect, with a pleasantly
cool breeze and occasionally a clear sky in between the black clouds. Of the Compton Harriers, Martin, Mo and I
were running, Dick and Jan were timekeepers and Sue, who couldn’t run this year
because of injury, was marshalling. This
year, to prevent sabotage, Tom had changed from red-and-white tape to a system
of yellow dots for marking the off-road course. One dot for straight ahead, two
meant a change in direction coming soon.
This was all explained carefully at the start and, after a short speech
by champion trail-runner Dick Kearn, we were started
by the traditional bursting of a balloon.
I felt
surprisingly feisty this year, and at the first road crossing Sue cheered me as
‘first lady’. Eeek!
After a couple of miles the true order of nature righted itself and I
was overtaken by a ‘proper runner’. A
couple of men also overtook me and, as I reached the foot of Inkpen Hill, I counted 22 runners in front of me, with the
startlingly fluorescent Fray vest at the head of the queue! As we clambered up the incline, all those Streatley Hill sessions gradually asserted themselves, and
I kept on jogging to overtake a couple of runners who were walking. From the gibbet on Inkpen
Hill until Combe Hill, after checkpoint 2, I held my
position and enjoyed the scenery. I lost
a place but gained it back again on Walbury (“At 297 metres the highest chalk hill in the South of England”),
and then enjoyed the glorious descent over the grass of the new route, and
picked up the pace through West Woodhay to overtake
two more stragglers. Once I reached Tom’s crazy labyrinth through the woods I
had to slow down a little, as everything had started to look like a yellow
dot. Luckily, as I was just about to
jump a leg-breaking ditch, a white-shirted bystander appeared, like a spirit
guide, and pointed out that there was a bridge there, if I preferred.
I reached the
finish line with one second to spare, as someone was trying to overtake
me. What’s his idea then! Martin was looking disconsolate since he had
run an extra quarter-mile through the woods and been pipped
by 12 seconds into 2nd place.
Since no other ladies had overtaken me, I too was second, and only by
about 3 minutes. Mo was 33rd
in
We ended the
morning with a light meal at the Crown and Garter. Susanne arrived later with the news that she had come second too, in the Aldbourne 10K! And 1st Vet
lady. Tom and Maggy
remained on the course, waiting for the last walkers to come in through the
rain. I’m sure I’m not the only person
who found this year’s race a very positive experience and if Tom wanted to
carry it on for another year we would all be most pleased!
Aldbourne 10K, 12th
September
I absolutely love this race, just go uphill for a while and then
downhill, a bit of lawn and you are finished - no risk of getting lost or
accidentally taking a wrong turn, and perhaps lose your position like so many
other races. Talking about getting lost,
I never did find the new parking field assigned to the race. But a reliable man
(I think he was because he was walking around with 2 pints of milk and a paper)
advised me to park at the Square. So
I went to the check in, got my number and found my lady
bush a couple of times before I headed for a warm up and the start line.
There was a strong wind on the uphill bit so I managed to gain upon two
men with broad shoulders and was hoping I could get a bit of shelter but they
were the type of runners who liked to have a conversation while running. I am not in favour of too much talking
on a run and especially not in a race but, polite as you are, I replied to
their questions. They thought I was the Sue B (F) from Compton Harriers, well
if you are mistaken for Sue then you are not doing too
badly. So I did not mind that bit. As the course turned I thought it was time
for me to go on, so I overtook them on one of the lovely hills. On
the steep downhill bit I was running with another guy who claimed that
if he went any faster he would fall over.
I did not want to be in his way if he should do, so I
desperately tried to copy Lucy's downhill technique and I managed to
shake him off. A few minutes later I was greeted with a finish line
and the usual banana and flapjack and a T-shirt. There was a small confusion at prize-giving
but we did get it sorted out in the end and I think we could all agree
that Aldbourne had again managed to organise a lovely
race.
The result: Senior Men Jason
Cooke 37:17
Ashley
Fox 39.08
John-Paul
Taylor 39.53
Vet
Men Steve Goulding 36.57
Senior
Male Vet Derek
Stevens 36.41
Senior
Ladies Kate Danks 45.48
Julie Goulding 47.10
Judie
Rouse 49.13
Vet
Ladies Susanne Enhard 46.02
Senior Lady
Vet Julie
Simmons 47.10
Sue Paulin also ran, finishing in around 55 minutes
On Friday 17th
September, four (eager?) campers (myself1, Dave2 and two
friends Andy3 and Sally4) set off for the
Sally admitted
that she had started to feel very nervous during the night, so she was even
more sleep-deprived than the rest of us.
I should point out here that Sally only started running in 2003 and was
motivated to run a half marathon after: 1) running the Aldbourne
10K in 2003; 2) watching the Paris marathon in 2004, and 3) wanting to raise
some money for the village school in Aldbourne. So, together we had chosen an event that
would combine time away with nice scenery and one that would hopefully not be
too hilly. Sally thought the fact that
we live in a valley would work to her advantage on a flat course in addition to
the fact that she had run the ‘undulating’ Compton boundary run and
successfully managed to add an extra 2 miles (ish) to
the course! I had said that I would run
with Sally as I really wanted her to enjoy the day and I felt that the
encouragement and company I could give her would get help her get round. Her only aim was to complete the race and run
all of the way if possible, although when we arrived at the car park in New
Milton, Sally did start to look a bit white with fear. We took a gentle walk to the start, which was
along the high street in the town, and made our way to the back of the field.
Luckily the
weather was perfect for running and the route was scenic and only mildly
undulating. It was a well-organised road race that combined areas of forest with
fairly quiet village roads, although there were a few short stretches that were
particularly busy traffic wise. Sally
did well, but she started to struggle from around 10 miles and uttered a few
swear words to Andy and Dave when they told her to hurry up near the
finish!! She did manage to run all the
way and completed the course in
Website
update…
http://comptonharriers.cjb.net/
Mo
As the dark nights are now
approaching, now is the time to check out our high visibility gear, make sure
the flashing lights are working and renew any spent batteries. If you are looking for a supplier of the Armalite armbands, I noticed that the British Amateur
Gymnastic Association sell them online at £15.00 a time, see http://www.baga.co.uk for details. However, I have also located a company that
specialises in high visibility safety equipment, including a variety of
flashing LED products. I have emailed
the company on behalf of the club requesting a pricelist. To view the range of products, the website
address is http://www.advancedsafetyproducts.co.uk
.
If you prefer a head torch, then the
site to visit for a good selection, including a tiny lightweight 40 gram model
(a snip at £20.00) is http://www.facewest.co.uk
which also features an extensive range of winter sports gear … don’t forget to
look at the ultimate in watches!
Whilst on the subject of outdoor equipment, The Gorge Outdoors website
is a must for a visit at http://www.thegorgeoutdoors.co.uk
. This site also features head torches
including the lightweight ‘Silva M4’ at £24.99.
Fixtures: A selection of
local and other well known events for your information:-
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
Saturday
23rd October 2004 at 9.00
am – BEACHY HEAD MARATHON - St Bede's School, Duke's
Drive, Eastbourne, East Sussex http://www.beachyheadmarathon.org.uk for details.
·
·
·
Ladies Start time:
·
·
·
Sunday
21st November at
·
Sunday
·
·
Ladies Start time:
·
Did anyone see the
programme on BBC 2 about the race to the North Pole? … Well, there is a lesson
to be learnt … as winter approaches, remember to keep all clothes well
buttoned/zipped to protect your most vulnerable parts from frostbite especially
when running! (-2 is a big reduction!).
(Mo - Oct 2004)