Harriers October 2013

HORSFORTH HARRIERS MAGAZINE

OCTOBER 2013

www.horsforthharriers.co.uk PHOTO BY ANNE AKERS

WELCOME TO THE OCTOBER 2013 ISSUE It has been another hectic few weeks at Horsforth Harriers.

We had five teams in the Leeds Country Way who put in some outstanding performances on the day. Congratulations to all those who took part and also huge thanks to Tina Dickinson for her brilliant organisational skills in putting the teams together.

The club hosted a successful Parkrun at Hyde Park on Saturday 7th September. Many thanks to Steve O’Hara and his intrepid team of marshals and volunteers for making everything run like clockwork on the day.

We’ve also been busy organising and executing the 29th running of our popular Horsforth 10K, held this year on 29th September. We had some fantastic feedback from runners who praised the marshals and excellent race organisation. Special thanks should go to Phil McGeever and Vicky Ward who as usual did an excellent job on the race results. A big thank you must also go to Race Director Bob Foulkes, who has stepped down after over five years at the helm of both of the club’s annual 10K races. Bob commented after the race:

Ready for action! Steve O’Hara & helpers at Leeds Parkrun, photo by Ken Fox

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“All that remains is for me to give the race committee my sincere and considerable thanks for all of your efforts in making this year’s 10K another successful race. I know I will miss being Race Director, it has been a part of my life for the last 5 years but it is time for me to move on and bring in new blood.”

Bob is handing over the organisational reins to Jill Hobson and Theresa Duckett and plans to mentor them through the 2014 ABC. Provisional dates have been set for both of the club’s annual races next year. The ABC is planned for May 22nd and the Horsforth 10K is set to take place on September 28th.

Don’t forget the 8th and final race in the Vets GP Series takes place on 10th November at Spenborough. Please do your best to turn out and help the club finish the season with a flourish. Also, the PECO XC Series kicks off on 24th November. This is an ideal introduction to cross country racing and helps all runners to improve strength and endurance for the season ahead. Read on for more from Ian Park about how you can get involved.

Marie Hart is running Thursday night training sessions throughout the winter, open to runners of all abilities. Marie’s 5 week rolling plan is designed to help you become a fitter, faster and stronger runner. Read on for more info from Marie about the sessions.

Bob Foulkes’ last Horsforth 10K as Race Director, photo courtesy of Steve Bateson Photography

ie mStewart, JaJamie Editor

Claim your exclusive discount at Sportsshoes.com Enter discount code RCCTP10, which will run from the 1st until the 31st October. As a member of Horsforth Harriers this will entitle you to 10% off all purchases & free delivery.

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our y m fro d A wor ers d ea L p Grou NATHAN

Well autumn is upon us and although it has been mild so far the nights have drawn in and we are now well and truly into road training. I thought it would be opportune to give you a brief update on the Group 1 plans for the winter schedule which I am planning to modify slightly from last year based on group feedback. Plans are not quite cast in stone yet as I want to co-ordinate Tuesday sessions with Thursdays so we don’t end up doing back to back hills or similar.

The Clariant Hills and Normans have been replaced with the 5 hills of Horsforth (Layton Lane to Canada Road) and the Pudsey fartlek has been re-instated.

The Adel fartlek and Lawnswood intervals (2 x 750m, 2 x 1500m, 2 x 750m) are also included to make up the programme. Please note that my plan is to continue to meet at the clubhouse at 7pm and leave for the run at 7:15 sharp and that hi-vis gear is now mandatory. As ever, anyone is welcome to join us but you must be confident that you can run 10 miles comprising about 3 miles of efforts and 7 miles of steady running, if you are unsure please have a chat with me in the clubhouse before we set off.

GORDON

Firstly my group will be taken on by Keith Park for the next 6 weeks as I am away in Oz but I think Keith is going to do his own thing of just doing normal runs of about 5-7 miles. The main thing for people to know is that the group will be starting at 7.30pm as usual not any earlier as other groups seem to be. I hope that plenty of my group will be signing up to do the PECO runs this time. Ian Park has a list he started this week so can anyone who has not put their names on the list please do ASAP even if you only plan to do one race.

If you can’t get to the club please e-mail ian@tcpleeds.com. Ian has to say who is likely to run before a set date to issue numbers.

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IS THIS THE ROAD TO HELL...?

As Chris Rea once sang. Well two weeks to go to the Yorkshire Marathon and the journey is nearly about to start! A nasty calf tweak needs clearing up but if I have to walk the darned thing I will. It has been quite a journey for all my clubmates doing the marathon but especially for those that Sunday 20th October will be their first time over this distance. Good luck to all. The rather non-surprise package will be Jill Hobson whose sheer will power and determination will see her to a fantastic time- I have utter faith in that.

G ROU P L E A D E R S

andrew

Now a funny thing happened the other week when I wasn’t around. Alan Squire and Alec Karagic took over my group and gave a vicious workout to those who stepped up. The next week ‘my’ group had disappeared to train at the faster level. This is fantastic news as far as I am concerned. It means that more people will become faster runners and progress and that is what it is all about. It also means that those who did move up have developed to the higher level of training (pacewise) and that should be an inspiration for everyone else. I don’t think there is a group leader in this club that would want to hold anyone back – it is all about giving confidence to take on that higher group move.

We are moving into winter training and racing. Winter training has a few simple adages. Warm up and be seen. Winter racing means the PECO cross country leagues. I feel as a club we have underachieved here in the last two or three years (including my non-existent contribution) so let us get numbers out and dominate.

How about a bit of fun with a club song? Taken from Melbourne Storm’s song from the NRL the words can be the Harriers for winter: ‘We live to run, we run to win, We try and try, we won’t say die, we won’t give in, We’re number one, we run for time, We won’t go back we’ll just kick on PB’s always on the line.

We’re lightning fast, we drive like rain, We won’t be beat, we won’t retreat, it’s in our veins.

We are the Harriers from Horsforth town We’ll blow the others off the ground, @andrewfca We are the Harriers and we’re number one. #supremeathlete Boy I do write some rubbish….. zoom on clubmates!

The Supreme One (well until York Marathon anyway!!!).

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group leaders

LINDSEY

Now that the nights have drawn in it is time to leave our off road antics behind us (although I am sure Marc did promise us a head torch run!!) and return to pounding the streets! It is incredibly important that you dress appropriately for winter training sessions and as per my previous emails, no viz = no session (and that is not an excuse to get out of the hills sessions!!).

I plan to use the Tuesday session as an opportunity to train in a way that you might not train on your own leaving you to ‘just run’ on your own or in small groups. The aim of the game will be to improve your running style, pace, distance and endurance by using a variety of training sessions in and amongst general running. Because some of the sessions involve greater ‘efforts’, it may be that some weeks our group does not run as far as it normally would but you will have worked hard if not harder over a shorter distance so please don’t be concerned if you haven’t clocked your usual mileage!

Our group is also relatively large and we have had an influx of new runners to the sessions so I hope to encourage a few ‘get to know your group sessions’ as well.

I am not convinced that you all believe me when I tell you that a hills session, for example, is good for you so I thought I would try to produce a summary of the types of sessions we may do and why they are good for you (and no, I haven’t made it up).

Don’t worry if this all sounds ‘a bit serious’, these types of sessions will be mixed up with our general running and I hope to identify some Saturday mornings to have a time trial by doing a Park Run too but we will be having the same amount of fun, but making us stronger and better runners at the same time!

1) Fartleks: This is a Swedish term meaning ‘speed play’. It is a continuous run interspersed with varying your pace, alternating between fast segments and slow jogs. Fartleks are generally unstructured and could involve anything from running 60 m to the next tree or alternating fast and slow between lamp posts. By changing the intensity and the duration of the effort, you’ll push yourself out of your comfort zone far more than during an ordinary run. Fartlek training can improve your speed and anaerobic thresholds.

2) Speed: I think each of you can come up with a good reason to avoid the‘s’ word, but there is no reason to be afraid of it! Speed work makes you faster, increases the range of movement in your joints, makes you comfortable at all speeds and it will ultimately help you run harder for longer. Speed sessions are not about running flat out as hard as you can until you are sick but controlling hard efforts and spreading your energy evenly over a set distance or time, just like you would in the perfect race! There are many ways to adapt speed work into our training sessions and we will experiment with quite a few!

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4) Interval training: involves alternating high intensity exercise with recovery periods and there are a variety of ways to set up interval workouts. One option is measured periods of work followed by measured periods of rest. An example would be 1 minute of high intensity work (such as a sprint), followed by 2 minutes of low intensity exercise (e.g. walking) and alternating that several times for 15-30 minutes. It is an excellent way to burn more calories, build endurance quickly and make workouts more interesting.

G ROU P L E A D E R S

3) Hill Training: running around Horsforth as you know means that we cannot avoid the hills, but dedicated hill sessions are good for us. Hill training makes you a stronger, faster and healthier runner.

5) Tempo runs: are an excellent way to build up speed and strength; a classic tempo or lactate-threshold run is a sustained, comfortably hard effort for two to four miles, with a decent warm-up before and cool-down afterwards.

Lastly, if you have any ideas or suggestions for our group session whether it be your favourite running route, favourite hill (yes really!), then please let me know and we will try and incorporate it!

hilary

The ABG have commenced their next 6 week schedule.

Four new members arrived, one stayed for the admin but had a cold so will run with the group next week.

The other three, along with six existing members, all ran/walked to the best of their individual abilities.

No coach can ask more than that of anybody. Ray will be with us for a while longer. His knee operation has postponed until 1st November, so he’ll be with us up until 29th October! We wish him all the best for a successful procedure and recovery.

tina & cath

Definitely seen a change in the light and the weather so a reminder that everyone must wear a high vis vest with reflective strips. We do have some at the club that you can borrow if you forget yours. We’ve also started leaving at 7pm prompt so we can get a bit longer run in/finish a little bit earlier/get home for our tea. I’ve been putting reminders on Facebook but happy to collect email addresses for those that don’t use Facebook. The runs are aimed at 9/10 minute mile pace but are structured so that faster runners can also benefit. At the moment we’re leading up to the Abbey Dash so hoping to see some PBs there.

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social updates

SOCIAL UPDATES

by Lindsey Lobley SUMMER RUN Thank you to all those who attended or assisted with our club summer run with Kirkstall Harriers on 27th August. The event had a slightly different format this year as Kirkstall runners fit in with our usual groups and I am told enjoyed their runs with us! There was a race back to the club for delicious pies (thank you Richard) and peas (thank you Ian P!!) and there was a great atmosphere at the buzzing clubhouse.

Jackie Ford and Jill Hobson had also arranged a cake sale to raise funds for the Jane Tomlinson Appeal and thanks to your baking and donations raised over £100!

Great work!

WHAT’S NEXT IN THE CLUB SOCIAL CALENDAR?

PIZZA NIGHT - 22nd October 2013 There appears to be a number of runners taking part in a few marathons and half marathons in October so as a way to celebrate, the next pizza night will be on the 22nd October at the club, pizzas to be delivered for around 8.45!

JULY 2014 - ADIDAS THUNDER RUN – ARE YOU IN?!

What is TR24?

Adidas Thunder Run is a 24 hour off-road relay race against the clock. Whether you run solo or in a team of 2-8 it’ll test your tactics, endurance, speed and team work. It’s an

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What to expect: You can set up camp either the night before Harriers at Thunder Run 2013 or the morning of the race to start soaking up the atmosphere. Once you’re geared up, your first runner will assemble at the start line at 12pm and when the claxon goes, together you won’t finish for 24 hours.

social updates

exhilarating, rewarding and tiring race with a great atmosphere.

You’ll find TR24 physically challenging and mentally tough but an experience not to be missed.

The rules: One team member must be on the course at all times during the 24hrs. Runners must complete one full 10km lap before changing over with a team mate but may run 2, 3 or more laps at a time before changeover. The team with the most laps completed when the clock stops after 24hrs will win.

The course: The TR24 course is a 10km cross-country circuit set in the picturesque Staffordshire countryside. The track twists and turns across varied terrain so you’ll find yourself running from bogs and forests to steep hills and open fields. Whether you’re running through the night with a head torch or whilst the sun rises, there’s always a change of scenery to keep you on your toes.

More details about Adidas Thunder Run (including prices) can be found at: http://www. tr24.co.uk/index.html

FUTURE EVENTS (currently in planning) 28th December 2013 - Club Christmas Run Feb 2014 – Club Presentation Night April/May 2014 Trip to Dalby Forest with possible options of camping/cycling and GO APE! July 2014 - Northumberland Coastal Run Anything else you can suggest, please let me know!

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club news

NEWS FROM YOUR LADIES’ CAPTAIN

by Tina Dickinson Leeds Country Way Marcus and I would like to say a massive thank you and congratulations to our 59 runners in the Leeds Country Way (thanks Lindsey Clegg for filling in and running two legs).

Despite a few drop outs and the usual late changes all our 5 teams did exceptionally well with some outstanding performances on the day.

From 48 competing teams: Men’s A Team were 9th team overall and 6th out of 13 in their category.

Men’s Vets Team were 11th overall and 3rd in category.

Ladies were 25th overall and 3rd in category.

Mixed A Team were 29th and 11th from 23 mixed teams.

Mixed B were 35th overall and 14th in category.

The full results with every leg and cumulative position can be seen on: www.kippaxharriers.org.

Special mentions go to Gillian and Becky who were the fastest ladies on Leg 5.

Vicky and Bev E were second, missing

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Harriers at LCW by Phil McGeever

out on the fastest ladies on Leg 3 by 14 seconds. Tim and Rob were second, missing out on fastest men on Leg 4 by 56 seconds. Amy and Lyndsey N were 2nd fastest ladies on Leg 2. Martin C and Emma GB were second on Leg 4. I hope you all enjoyed the day and your run.

Don’t forget the 8th and final race in the Vets GP Series takes place on 10th November at Spenborough. Please can you do your absolute best to turn out, however quick or steady you are. At some races during this season we’ve had around 50 members running for us and it would be great to get up to those numbers again. Please remember your race numbers if you have already run for us, but if you haven’t done one of these

club news

Harriers at York Vets by Andy Barrett of Pudsey Pacers

races before you can register and pay on the day. It’s only £3.50 and you normally get fed afterwards too! You have to be 35 or over to score points, but anyone lucky enough to be younger than that can enter as a guest. Any questions, or if you need a lift please contact Steve Raby or Bev Hurst.

The Yorkshire Vets Athletic Association Awards Dinner will be held at Elland Road on Saturday 14th December. We will have lots of silverware to collect so it’s a good chance to enjoy the festivities after all the hard work. To qualify for the £15 ticket you only need to have run one Grand Prix race - you will have contributed so you are entitled to this

subsidy. Guests pay £25. Details are on www.yvaa.org website and I will be bringing the details to the club. Let’s enjoy the celebrations together.

The next club competition on the horizon is the PECO cross country with the first fixture on 24th November at Temple Newsam. There have been a few emails already re registration and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask. Ian Park is organising the entries for PECO this year so please get in touch with him on ianandjulie@lineone.net or via Facebook. It would be great to have a good turnout at this event - everyone is welcome to run no matter how old/ young or fast/slow.

Harriers at PECO

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features

star of the month

ALAN SQUIRE Alan Squire was nominated by Helen Barber for October’s Star of the Month.

He has made an impressive comeback this year. He began 2013 with some of his slowest times for years but made an astonishing return to form by smashing his marathon PB at Chester earlier this month, crossing the line in 3:02:35.

He was also first Harrier home at this year’s Horsforth 10K, finishing in 37:57.

unseasonably very warm. You don’t want that after 17 miles of running, nor do you want a challenging hill at that point when you are expecting a flat course. Alan was gutted not to have broken 3, so I hope this recognition goes a long way to ameliorating that, and to inspire him to sub 3 next time out...”

Suzanne Riordan: “He has worked hard, that’s for sure. He is pretty good on his bike too, I’ve chased after him all summer. Cross training works! Well done Alan, good effort and inspirational.”

*Other recent star performances...

Ian Park: “Alan was injured for what seemed an awful long time fairly recently and decided that the only way to heal it was to totally stop running. Therefore, in my eyes that makes his return and dedication to the training and subsequent recent marathon time he achieved all the more remarkable. It takes an awful lot of mental strength, discipline and commitment to come back and perform as well as he has done. A lesson for all Harriers in there I think!”

Helen Barber: “It got very tough out there on Sunday (at Chester Marathon) as it got 12

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Steve Raby: “Alan, well done on a cracking time at Chester”.

*Nathan Crossley for finishing in 4th place at the Round Ripon Ultra 35 *Lindsey Clegg for finishing 1st lady at the Round Ripon Ultra 35 *Bev Elliott, Bev Hurst & Angela Johnson for winning first ladies team prize at Kirkstall 7 *Phil McGeever for finishing in 6th place and 1st MV40 at Folkin Reservoir Ramble * Rob Furness for finishing in 7th place at the Yorkshireman Marathon * Helen Coutie for her sub 1:40 finish at Robin Hood Half Marathon *Gillian Gaskin and Becky Lawrence for being fastest ladies on Leg 5 at Leeds Country Way * Phil McGeever and Vicky Ward for a quick and efficient results service at Horsforth 10K PHOTOS: Alan Squire at Horsforth 10K by Steve Bateson, Horsforth 10k by Anne Akers, Chester Marathon by Helen Barber

Horsforth Harriers hosted the 310th Leeds Parkrun on Saturday 7th September. 302 parkrunners took part, 32 of which were first timers and 50 recorded new Personal Bests. The race had representatives from 24 different athletics clubs.

Steve O’Hara did a fantastic job of organising a team of marshals and volunteers. We also had some Harriers running on the day, including a few pace makers. Their results were as follows:

James Hingley 21:00 Jonathan Eagle 21:46 Ian Taylor 24:18 Ron Taverner 24:20 Angela Johnson 24:55 Janette Freeman 25:05 Malcolm Johnson 25:44 Alexander Overton 26:51

Harriers at Leeds Parkrun by Ken Fox

club news

Harriers Host Leeds Parkrun! by jamie stewart

We not only made sure the run went smoothly; we also provided yummy cakes at the end! Caroline Faithwaite and Sheila Mason raised £71.80 for Alzheimer’s Society. They have completed Leeds Half Marathon, Liverpool to Leeds Canal cycle, the Three Peaks Challenge and the Great North Run as part of their fundraising efforts. Well done ladies and thank you to all those who turned out on the day to help make the first Harriers hosted Parkrun a success.

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club news

PECO CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE SEASON 2013-14

by Ian Park THINK OF IT AS ‘SPEED RAMBLING’!!

The nights are drawing in, there’s more than a nip in the air and the dry-off road paths we’ve run on all summer are turning to mud. Must be time for the cross country season to start!

As many of you will already know we compete in the PECO Cross Country League every year. This year will be no exception and we need to get out there en masse as last year the men were relegated to the First Division and need, in football parlance, to bounce back at the first attempt, while the ladies also need to be out in force to challenge for the Ladies Premier Division Title again.

These races are suitable for all abilities, and we need a complete spread across the age ranges (especially if we are to keep up our top performances in the

Veterans League). The courses are similar in length and style to the Vets GP races, only notably a bit muddier!

And as a rule, there is food laid on afterwards.

But there will be some notable changes this year, mainly administrative. But before we get into that, here are the provisional fixtures as agreed at the recently held PECO AGM 2013.

November 24th at Temple Newsam.

Organising club Kippax, assisted by STAC December 15th at Golden Acre Park.

Organising club Abbey Runners, assisted by Ilkley Harriers January 12th at Middleton Park.

Organising Club Rothwell, assisted by Ackworth February 16th at Otley Chevin.

Organising club Valley Striders, assisted

by Aire Centre Pacers March 2nd at Northcliffe Park.

Organising club Saltaire Striders, assisted by Eccleshill

Top male finishers at PECO 2012/13

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March 16th (provisional) Venue to be advised.

Prize giving and XC Relay Races versus West Yorkshire Winter League (NB. This is Bradford equivalent of PECO, nothing to do with Complete Runner WYXC)

club news

Harriers at PECO by Steve Raby

As you’ll note, we aren’t involved in organising or assisting this year, so we have no excuse not to get out and just run, run, run!

However there are a few changes this year, mainly due to the increased numbers in these races, which means the League is something of a victim of its own success.

First of all, the tally scoring and recording system will be replaced.

Each club will be issued with a batch of numbers – gender specific – and these will be issued to club members by each club. They will keep this number for the entirety of the series, like the Vets GP Races. There’s no cost for this, but we need to register as many runners as possible before 17th November. So if you plan to run all, or just some, even one, of the races, you need to pick up a number and be registered before the first race. This doesn’t preclude you getting a number after this to run a later race in the series, but it would be much appreciated if we can register the vast majority of runners before November

17th, so there’s less work for the Series Administrators. There’s no penalty if you register for the series but don’t manage, for whatever reason, to run any of the races.

If you want a number and can’t get to the club or don’t attend on Tuesdays, e-mail Ian Park on ianandjulie@lineone. net in the first instance, otherwise, once we receive the numbers, you’ll be able to collect on Tuesdays before and after training sessions.

Top female finishers at PECO 2012/13

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club news

Now if you turn up to a race having lost or forgotten your number, then you’ll be allocated a new one which you’ll keep for the remainder of the series (your old one will be cancelled), but this will cost you £1.00 every time you do it. And it won’t endear you to the Administrators!

Races will be, as ever, ‘pay-on-theday’, £3.00 per race where food is laid on and £2.00 if there is no food laid on afterwards.

At the races there will now be one finish channel as opposed to gender specific channels and the races will be timed and finishers recorded as per any other ‘regular’ race, by the organising club with PECO League supplied equipment/ software/stationery.

Other administrative changes involve the Veterans League and ‘B’ teams. The Veterans Leagues, male and female, have been split into two Leagues, ‘Premier’ and ‘1st Division’ as per the regular leagues (we are, you’ll be pleased to know, in the Premier Vets Division for both men and women).

And it’s hoped the new timing software and recording system will mean that where teams field lots of runners (like us, right?), enough to make up two or more complete teams, then the

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Paul Croston at PECO

by Andy Davison

performance of the ‘B’ teams will be recorded, and as I understand it, the best male and female ‘B’ teams will also be up for a prize at the end of season.

This is to give incentive to runners wouldn’t normally count in the first eight male, or first five female club placings, something to be competitive over!

In event of query please contact me on ianandjulie@lineone.net, and I’ll try to explain/sort it out. However, to answer one query straight off the bat, yes, these races are for you and you can run them at whatever level you are at. Cross country makes you a fitter, stronger runner and you’ll feel the benefit in the lighter evenings next year. Just make sure you have some shoes with nice grippy soles – road shoes are not right for these courses!

Finally, the PECO League agreed last year that they would donate half the yearly surplus to charity, which this year amounts to a little over £250.00.

At Hilary’s suggestion at the AGM, the beneficiaries this year will be the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

recipes for healthy running THAI RED PUMPKIN CURRY Put pumpkins to good use and get in the Halloween spirit with this tasty vegetarian curry! It is rich in carbohydrates but low in calories.

Meat eaters can bulk up the recipe by adding 200g diced chicken.

healthy running

RECIPE PUBLISHED ON RUNNERSWORLD.CO.UK

Serves 2-4 Preparation time: 45 minutes Ingredients 1 tbsp sunflower oil 1 onion, chopped 3cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped 2 cloves of crushed garlic 70g Thai red curry paste 400g tin coconut milk 200g Tender stem broccoli 150g baby corn, halved 1 bunch of spring onions, sliced Juice of 1 lime 1 handful of coriander, chopped 1 medium pumpkin or squash, cut into 2cm pieces 1 tbsp fish sauce Thai rice or rice noodles 1. Heat the oil and sautĂŠ the onion, ginger and garlic for about five minutes until the onion has softened but not coloured. Stir in the curry paste and cook for a minute 2. Stir in the pumpkin or squash, then add the fish sauce, coconut milk and 200ml water. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes

3. Add the broccoli, baby corn and spring onions and continue to cook for about five minutes until the vegetables are tender. Finish off by stirring in the lime juice and coriander. Serve with boiled rice or noodles.

Per Serving: Calories 280, Fat 12.9g, Carbs 36.85g, Protein 4.5g

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R E P O RT

Another bumper entry for our Horsforth 10K! Report by Ian Park & Jamie Stewart

R

unners experienced a fleeting and perhaps final glimpse of summer for the 29th running of our very own Horsforth 10K, which took place on Sunday 29th September.

It was another bumper entry, which must have pleased Race Director Bob Foulkes, stepping down after over five years at the helm of both of the club’s annual 10K races.

Earlier this year at the 10K’s sister race, the Apperley Bridge Canter (ABC), Woodhouse Grove School’s Director of Music Phillip Tedd romped home in 33:06. Proving this was no fluke, he was also victorious in the Horsforth 10K, completing an impressive double win for the year in 33:18. He was closely followed by local running stalwart Ian Fisher of Otley AC in 33:52, with Harrogate Harriers’ Chris Miller third in 34:13.

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Runners at Horsforth 10K by Steve Bateson

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In the ladies race, Keighley and Craven’s Amy Green was triumphant in 38:29, she previously won the race in 2009. Runnerup was Donna Edmondson-Booker of Idle AC in 39:29, who also finished in second place at the ABC earlier in the year. Third placed was Skyrac’s Jenny Beaumont, 41:38, a mere seven seconds ahead of Kirkstall’s Shamiso Sisimayi.

This year saw the introduction of team prizes and the men’s team prize was

Congratulations to the Race Committee and everyone who volunteered to make this another hugely popular and successful race.

R E P O RT

of education, training and leisure opportunities.

Provisional dates have been set for both of our annual races next year.

The Apperley Bridge Canter (ABC) is planned for its traditional Thursday evening running on May 22nd and the Horsforth 10K is set to take place on September 28th.

New Race Directors Jill Hobson and Theresa Duckett will now start planning for next summer’s ABC under the guidance of Bob Foulkes.

Images courtesy of Steve Bateson Photography (www.runningpix.co.uk) Phillip Tedd at Horsforth 10K by Steve Bateson

claimed by Valley Striders, while Bingley Harriers took the ladies team prize.

543 runners completed the 2013 race and full results can been viewed on the Horsforth Harriers website at www. horsforthharriers.co.uk.

Thanks to the continuing generosity of the running community funds were also raised for the race’s designated charity, the Joint Activities and Motor Education Service (JAMES). JAMES works with disadvantaged young people and their families, providing a caring environment where young people can achieve their full potential through the delivery

Amy Green Ladies Winner at Horsforth 10K by Steve Bateson

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report

Team Turnip and the Way of the Roses by Suzanne Riordan

N

ine months ago, after another bout of plantar fasciitis, I packed in running as the pain was hard to bear. With a heavy heart I worried about losing all my fitness, which I had worked so hard for.

Shirley and Michael’s (Walker) exercise bike was staring at me from the spare room, so I thought I would have a pedal.

Having not cycled for 20 years, it was quite hard going and boring. My sister lent me an old bike and I was off, down the canal and back, it was fabulous to be out and in the fresh air again. Michael (Dad) suggested a trip out with the Thursday morning Turnips. Trips included riding out to Temple Newsam, out to Saltaire, Baildon Moor and onwards to Burnsall, Wetherby and the joy of tea at Kung Foo Dunnies.

Before I knew it I was training for the annual Team Turnip bike ride, which

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takes place in early September each year. My other half, the gorgeous legged Shaun (editor in chief and proof reader of this article) rode in 2011’s Coast to Coast challenge and the Yorkshire Dales Cycleway last year finding them both great fun but really grueling.

This year, the challenge was The Way of the Roses which is a 170 mile coast to coast ride from Morecambe to Bridlington. The route passes through the Lune Valley, Yorkshire Dales National Park, Nidderdale AONB, Vale of York & the Yorkshire Wolds as well as the historic cities of Lancaster and York and the picturesque towns of Settle, Ripon and Pocklington on well signposted, quiet B roads and just a few busier ones as well, running through villages and towns East to West.

And so our little band of 12 Turnips - Serena, Phil, Julia, Trudy, Lindsey, Gordon, Steve, Michael, Angus, Bob, Ralph and me (Suzanne) set off on our

journey together. All of them experienced endurance (ha ha) riders, and me who had pedaled up a few hills, set off from Fink Hill car park one bright Tuesday morning in early September. Three days of riding lay ahead of us with B&B stops along the way.

We had a late start from Morecambe due to Phil having early bike technical difficulties, which fortunately were mended quickly. Hopefully this would be the only hitch out of the way early and we could get on chasing down the miles.

After numerous coffees and flapjack swapping in circa 1930’s tearooms with circa 1920’s tea ladies, the weather looking grey, we finally got off by lunch time after much anticipation. The pace was a little faster than I had anticipated due to the late start but soon we were drinking in the beautiful scenery. I had to stop staring at it so I didn’t fall off my bike.

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Before long we arrived at a busy tearoom in Clapham for a quick cuppa and cake.

The big hill is still to come I was warned, quiet grins from all around. The big hill is just on the way out of Settle. I should have heeded the warning when two men in a car started to laugh and said, “it’s easier going the other way”. Everyone started to speed up as the Harriers competitive instincts began to emerge. By now many of these friendly Turnips were dots in the distance. When I arrived at the top, several Turnips were sat eating jelly babies and looking triumphant, taking in the stunning views and cheering each of us in. That was the steepest hill I had ever ridden up, thighs swimming in lactic, I started to get a tinge of fear for the rest of the trip.

That night in Grassington, I was scared.

It can’t be humanly possible that after 53 miles we were going to do it all again the next day plus another 7 miles for good luck. I was nauseated and dehydrated, and thought there must be a better way to spend 3 days of my annual leave.

Everyone was elated and happy as we tucked into steak and mushroom suet puddings, (just mushroom in Gordon’s) which he hates. One sleep and a cold bath later we were back on the road, through to York for the second day. Another set of hills awaited and down the dangerous hair pin bends of Greenhow. Shaun texted to say be careful as 2 cyclists this year had been airlifted off after crashing on Greenhow. Argh! Julia rode all the way down with her brakes on, (uphill being her specialty.) The rest of us sped down at top speeds, Ralph recording 38 miles an hour I believe or it may well have

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conversations about whether you should ride commando and where on your nether regions you should apply your Assos Chamois cream!

No names, we know who we are! been faster! Most exhilarating, arriving in Pateley Bridge with flies in our teeth. At least downhill and speed I am comfortable with! Adrenalin pumping, morale high, we were off again, uphill towards Brimham.

Soon we were blighted with more technical problems as Lindsey’s iron legs snapped her chain on the way up the steep inclines. A valiant Angus escorted her to Summerbridge for repairs while the rest of us sunned ourselves and blagged 10 free teas at the Brimham Rock kiosk.

Thank you to them! Julia kept getting flats and after about 5 blow outs in 2 days she was getting a reputation and a lot of verbal abuse. Poor Julia. Later the same day, Ralph managed to top this with a buckled back wheel after losing some spokes and his bright orange machine met its end.

We limped into York at dusk after 9 hours out, feeling sorry for ourselves, starving hungry. Poor Alan (Squires) having waited 3 and a half hours for us must have thought we got lost. He had kindly transferred our luggage from Grassington to York and brought his bike which Ralph borrowed so he could complete our challenge the next day. Ralph was rather nostalgic for his gel saddle as Alan’s was rather firmer than his delicate bottom was used to. By this time, and another 64 miles under our belts, this did spark some interesting

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We must have looked quite a sight in our Sue Ryder matching bike tops which did rather stink by the third day, but we didn’t care much. We had a final 64-ish miles on the last day, which thankfully was much flatter, very pretty and the sun was still shining brightly. A few small climbs felt like mountains after 107 miles. I was starting to feel utterly amazed at what my body was capable of. Pain mainly in my quads especially at the knees and general fatigue was suffered by all of us to a greater or lesser extent. Steve and his chronic insomnia was feeling it but he had the smell of Brid sea air in his nostrils and he was off like a streak.

We sat outside a bikers’ café in Pocklington, reliving moments from Snake Lane 10 races of yesteryear and Angus and Michael’s adventures at a race around Warter. We attracted attention from the local fishmonger who brought us chairs and monetary donations, so thank you to him.

These random acts of kindness and curiosity continued as we arrived in Bridlington. We were willingly photographed by a Canadian tourist who had sat in his car near the finish sign, next to the seagull wrapped in a towel, don’t ask! I thought I had got sun scorched.

Trudy was a treasure getting me up the last hills about 5 miles out from Brid and just as we thought we were home and dry Julia got another flat. We were chomping at the bit to get home and we were cold.

Finally coming in brought back memories of doing the Brid Half a few years ago on my 40th birthday, which was another great day for me. The last mile or so took on a more somber feel as Captain Angus led us in with thoughts of Janice on all our minds. The bravest ride of his life. The emotions were palpable and as raw as the pain in our tired limbs. Janice had very sadly passed away just 2 weeks before our ride after a long battle and journey of her own with breast cancer. My own mother in law had also died of breast cancer this year in Wheatfield’s Hospice where Janice had passed away.

This was a very fitting and worthy place to collect our money for. Thoughts of both ladies sustained me

on that last day. So a final 64 miles were complete, making 181 after all the extras to get to our accommodation. The Royal B&B at Bridlington was a welcome sight and had super comfy beds that night. I could have slept on a washing line I was so exhausted. The Naked Fish restaurant welcomed us with gorgeous seafood as we enjoyed each other’s company for the last time followed by a few beers in the local. Thank you to Phil and Serena for the most entertaining photos of the trip.

I had an asthma attack from laughing at the facial expressions. A huge thanks to all who sponsored and donated. At the time of writing we have raised £ 2868 and of course there is still time to give if you haven’t already.

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He had waited here for the last 3 days so he could see ‘Roses’ finishers arrive.

We were inspiring apparently. That felt good. I don’t think I have ever inspired anyone before. A random dog walker donated outside the men’s toilets on the promenade. We waited an eon for Michael as he relieved himself, he was warming his hands on the dryer while we shivered apparently but it generated more precious funds.

Donate to Team Turnip’s Ride for Janice Fund here: http://www. justgiving.com/tributerideforjanice/

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My Massive Desert Shuffle

by Neal Edmondson The UK’s Best Marathon? My Review of the Yorkshireman Off Road Marathon 2013 There are so many marathons organised in the UK every year and everyone will have different reasons for preferring one marathon to another. Road runners will no doubt love the marquee marathons of London and Edinburgh for example, while others may enjoy more local marathons.

My preference is to run off-road and as a result my favourite marathon is the Yorkshireman Marathon. I honestly think that it must be one of the best in the UK. It’s not the biggest. It’s probably not the hardest, although it might feel like it at the time! It’s certainly not the fastest, flattest or most high profile. So what is it? It’s a longestablished off-road marathon towards the back end of the marathon season around Haworth, North of Bradford. It covers tracks, paths, roads, fields, grass and mud.

It’s up, it’s down, it’s round, over, under and sometimes through!! Nobody finishes without getting muddy regardless of the weather!

You park on the playing fields of the local school (literally the only flat land for miles around) and walk up the steps to register.

However, this isn’t just a few steps and it’s unnerving to realise you are out of breath before you’ve even registered! I do enjoy walking back down to my car though as you get to see what you must have looked like on the way up - worried!!

Runners assemble on a quaint, typically Photo by woodentops.co.uk

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Runners then start to find their pace along vast stretches of open countryside, drainage ditches and reservoir paths before entering the first tricky moor with rutted winding paths and rocks to negotiate. My favourite section of the race comes at about 8 miles when you cross another moor that, no matter how dry the weather has been, will be wet. And to make matters worse has no clear path marked. Last year, while running leisurely along this section I suddenly dropped 3 feet as I stepped into a puddle/bog/black hole that went up to my hips! I was very cautious this year and managed to avoid any major mud holes - though many others weren’t so lucky!

I have previously mentioned the difficulty of running unmarshalled races without knowing the course and this race is no exception. I did actually run this marathon in 2012 but haven’t seen the course since and typically at about 13 miles I followed the guy in front and managed to get lost! I only ran about 1/4mile further but it is so disheartening to see people you worked so hard to pass in front of you again!!

Another highlight of the race is running across an enormous viaduct at about 17

miles. It is simply spectacular. Towards the end of the race you discover that some residents leave a container and cups on their walls with a sign that reads “Well done runners! Help yourselves to water!”

How nice is that? I did fill my bottle at one of these, and although I didn’t see anyone I shouted “thank you” anyway and just heard a distant “You’re welcome” as I ran off!

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Yorkshire, cobbled street in Haworth ready for one of the slowest race starts I’ve experienced. We set off and amble down the narrow streets. It is then uphill for a quite a while, through narrow fence gaps and styles. Thankfully this year, during this slow first mile the sun came up, adding brightness to the beautiful countryside views.

The last 0.2 miles of the race takes you along a brute of a hill, making the last few metres slow… and painful. Just when you think you might have a little rest/walk you are greeted by a fantastic crowd shouting encouragement and applauding, so you simply can’t stop or walk!!

I finished the race a fairly remarkable 62 minutes quicker than last year and was delighted to come 23rd. A special mention must go to my club-mate, Rob Furness, who put in the perfect race and finished 7th!! Top effort Rob! The Yorkshireman was my penultimate challenge run of 2013, with just a mere 46 mile Beacon Ultra marathon in November to come before we reach the year of the Marathon des Sables!!!

Watch this space for more updates on Neal’s journey to the Marathon des Sables in April 2014...

Read Neal’s blog in full at: www. massivedesertshuffle.wordpress.com You can also follow Neal’s running adventures on Twitter: @nealmds2014

Donate to Neal’s JustGiving fundraising page: www.justgiving.com/nealmds2014 horsforth harriers m aga z i n e

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Diary of an Ultra Runner

by Vicky Ward

Return to racing Posted on October 6, 2013 As my slow recovery continues, I’m delighted to report that I have at last returned to racing – well, sort of! This week’s programme called for 3 runs, two 2 mile runs alternating 10 minutes running with 1 walking, and one 3 mile run. When planning what to do, it suddenly occurred to me that 3 miles is roughly equivalent to 5km, which is a bona fide race distance! So, for the first time in a very long time (since April, in fact), I was able to join other runners on an organised and timed 5km route. The race I chose was the Leeds Parkrun, which takes place every Saturday morning in Hyde Park near the University. It’s more of a 5km time trial than a race and is part of a huge Parkrun empire across the country. This week

turned out to be Parkrun’s 9th birthday and Leeds Parkrun’s 6th. So lots of cause for celebration.

As we all gathered the names of those completing their 10th, 50th and 100th Parkruns were read out, each receiving a round of applause. I’m always amazed so many people turn out week after week to do the run. I’d done it a couple of times before and have to say I’m not its biggest fan, so I felt very much a minority! Before long, someone shouted ‘Go’ and we were off.

It felt very weird indeed to be running in a big group, and slightly claustrophobic for the first 200m. I was quite boxed in to start with and so put my foot down to get some clear space. I was pretty surprised that I still had a bit of speed in me, to be honest, after such a long layoff!

I was still planning to run/walk, and so this also encouraged me to go a little bit quicker than I perhaps should have done!

When it was time for my first walk break, I’d reached the 2km mark, and was quite glad of the 1 minute rest. Before long it was time to start again, and during the next couple of kilometres I really began to relax into it and get into my stride.

I was even able to encourage other runners on as they came past me and encourage some of the kids I knew who were also running. I reached my second walk break at around

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the 4km mark, which was a real surprise.

I’d assumed I would be running for about 30 minutes but here I was about 6 minutes from the end! So once the walk break was over I set about finishing off the race in style. As I neared the finish, I started to struggle a little bit and another runner overtook me. He offered a word of encouragement – something like “keep it going” I think. At this point, the competitor in me really came through and I decided to have a bit of fun as we came to the finish. I accelerated as hard as I could and pulled alongside him with the words “come on then!” We both began sprinting for the line – something that at one point I wondered if I would ever do again! We both steamed past another runner, but in the end I couldn’t catch him. No matter, we had quite a lot of fun and perhaps I helped him to a PB?

to tell me when to walk and when to start running again. But later that evening I got an email telling me I’d run 27:15!

It’s not my quickest time ever, but was only a couple of minutes slower than my fastest time for that course, so I’m going to take that. I also found out that I was in 252nd place and was the 57th lady out of a field of 423 parkrunners.

An extra bonus was coming 9th in my age category! So all in all it was a pretty positive return to racing and I might just try it again. Thanks Leeds Parkrun!

Afterwards I was absolutely buzzing and it was really nice to see a few friends from the running club. I had no idea how fast I’d run, as I’d only had my watch set

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meet the harrier HILARY WHARAM How long have you been a Horsforth Harrier?

19 years.

Which training group/s do you normally run with?

Ran with Gordon when I joined, then went on to lead my own version of the 10-12 min/mile group. After that, I started the Absolute Beginners Group in 2010.

What are your running goals for the year ahead?

Rombalds Stride and full Yorkshireman, PECO, Vets GP, Leeds Half Marathon and Abbey Dash, plus trail races where I won’t keep the marshals out too long!

What is the PB you’re most proud of?

95.6 miles and 3rd Lady at East Hull 24hr track race.

Do you have any favourite motivational running quotes or things that inspire you?

Green hills, open country. I want to run forever in eye candy.

What’s your most memorable experience as a Horsforth Harrier?

Completing Ultras, all of which would never have been possible without the support of my Harrier friends, particularly Shirley Walker, Cheryl Wilkes, Gordon Little, Andrew Charles, Pete Scanlon, Julia Day, Vicky and Matt Ward and Ian Park. Sorry if I’ve forgotten a few of you who accompanied me on various legs of “ways”.

Complete this sentence: “I run, therefore I am........”

A free spirit.

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PHOTOS: Hilary at Spen taken by John Wharam, Hilary Wharam at Leeds Half Marathon by Phil McGeever

Group

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Group Running Objective To improve and sustain the capabilities of the club’s top runners To provide a spring board for new elite runners moving up or a recovery run for group 1 runners

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Intermediate level 5

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Intermediate level 4

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Intermediate level 3

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Intermediate level 2

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Intermediate level 1

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Absolute Beginners (ABG)

Is it for me?

Group Leader

Structured sessions requiring a fairly high degree of personal input. Sessions last 90 minutes with efforts being 50% of session.

Nathan Crossley

Sustained running over mixed terrain for Marc those wishing to achieve a 1:30 Half or 0:40 Springer 10k or group 1 runners taking a break Structured sessions containing several sustained efforts of varying distances suitable for sub 48 10k runners Structured sessions to help achieve 46 min 10k, 1h 45m half marathon building up to sub 3h50m marathon Distance run – 8 miles to suit weather conditions. 8 min mile pace. Regular stop and regroup points.

Summer runs will be mainly off road for stamina which will include hills. Winter runs will be occasionally longer distances with hills and tempo runs on other nights on shorter runs.

Various Structured sessions including tempo runs, fartlek and hills. Aimed at everyone wanting to improve their race times. Currently training around 10 minute miling and suitable for runners wanting to get under 2 hours for half marathon and under 55 minutes for 10K. An opportunity for relatively new runners wishing to improve to the next stage The group to be in once the ABG programme is completed You’ve just taken up running and decided to join Horsforth Harriers: This is the group to start your journey

Group Leader Support Richard Pattinson Alan Squire

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Harriers Group Training Matrix

Angus Teanby

Steve Wood Marie Hart Bev Elliott

Bev Hurst

Bev Smith Martin Coates

Andrew Charles

Richard Sunley Bev Elliott Martin Coates

Gordon Little

Keith Park

Tina Dickinson

Cath Gray Carol Ramsden Jackie Ford

Lindsey Ian Park Lobley Ian Amy Simpson Stanbridge Deborah Lightowler Hils Wharam

Ray Rundle

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talking point... your running debates - by Jamie Stewart Born to run? “Runners are born, not made�. Scientists have recently discovered that to run a fast marathon time requires the right combination of genes and that nearly a fifth of the population lack this special mix. For runners with the right genes, it means their bodies can quickly adapt to carry large amounts of oxygen to their muscles, allowing them to run faster and for longer. Those who lack these genes will never improve, no matter how much they train, and their performance may even get worse the harder they push themselves.

Professor Jamie Timmons, Head of Systems Biology at Loughborough University devised a DNA test that his team of researchers believe will tell anyone hoping to achieve a decent marathon finishing time whether or not their efforts will be worthwhile. The

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study claims to have found more than 100 genes responsible for determining how the human body responds to stamina training. The study further claims that 30 of these key genes can predict whether

The test works by looking at genes that are responsible for remodelling muscle fibres to allow small blood vessels to grow in between. These help to carry as much oxygen as possible to the muscles during exercise.

get worse. They push themselves as hard as everyone else, but their muscles do not extract the same amount of oxygen. About 15 per cent have the genes that mean they will respond highly to training. But of that number, only those with a good inherited baseline fitness and good resistance to injury will ever become elite marathon runners”.

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an individual can achieve a fast marathon time.

So, can this research about marathon runners be related to the potential for improvement of athletic ability through training? Can a good runner be made? Not just marathon runners but in general do genetics/natural ability outweigh what training can achieve?

Exercise genes?

Professor Timmons said: ““From our work, we know that 20 per cent of people do not respond at all to training and in fact can

A study in the Journal of Applied Physiology looked at VO2 max, or aerobic capacity.

VO2 max is the volume of oxygen a runner can consume during maximum effort. VO2 max therefore represents an individual’s endurance. In theory, the more you train, the more efficient your body should be at using oxygen, and your VO2 max should increase. Indeed, elite athletes often have very high VO2 max’s compared with the average person. About 20 years ago, some scientists started to question whether or not the link between training and fitness level was so clear cut.

One study (Bouchard et al) studied 500 relatively sedentary individuals for

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20 weeks over a period of five years.

Participants’ ability to improve their fitness varied greatly, despite the fact that all participants rigorously adhered to the same exercise regime. In that study, some people could increase their VO2 max up to 50 percent, while others saw no change.

Since the study involved participants from around 100 families, Bouchard’s team could check to see if genetics played a part. It seemed genes could account for about half of the difference they were seeing in people’s ability to increase their VO2 max. In other words, a good portion, but not all, of a person’s capacity to get more fit was set by their heredity.

Bouchard and his colleagues identified a set of 29 genes that seemed to predict a person’s ability to improve their VO2 max. Then, they examined the individual DNA sequence of those genes, looking for differences in the genetic code. They found a total of 11 DNA differences, or markers, which appeared to be predictive of a person’s ability to get fitter.

But these markers don’t tell the whole story. Heredity is only thought to account for 50 percent of a person’s capacity to

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improve their fitness. Of this 50 percent, the newly identified genes can only explain about 23 percent of the variation in an individual’s ability to be trained to improve VO2 max.

“With this we can identify, with a reasonable degree of precision, who is a low responder [to exercise], an average responder, or a high responder,” Bouchard said. “We can begin to rank order people for their ability to be trained before they are trained.”

Research has shown that elite distance runners have physiological traits that make them faster than the rest of us and account for the world of difference between Olympic champions and the masses of recreational runners.

VO2 MAX increases with training, which means as runners get fitter, their times at various running distances continue to improve. But old-fashioned hard work and training can only achieve so much.

Elite distance runners are blessed with bigger, stronger and more powerful cardiovascular systems. Another characteristic of elite runners is they are

Consistent running and hard work will allow runners of all ages and ability levels to improve. Motivation also makes a difference. But, unless heredity has dealt you some physiological trump cards, it will be a long, if not impossible, road to the top. Some argue that being “naturally” fast definitely makes it easier to excel at running but hard work and mental attitude separates the quick from the elite.

This month, I asked members of the Harriers Facebook page to discuss this.

Here are a just few of their responses: Imelda Balchin: “High class world standard runners need to have an edge above everyone else and for them good genes will make that difference. For us ordinary runners, we can improve with training, but common sense has to prevail.

Good running technique can be learned and those who have picked up bad habits will be prone to injuries.”

Rob Furness: “Everyone will find some sort of improvement through training, but the amount you can improve is (to a certain extent) dictated by your genes. That’s true right across the board from average to elite.”

would just (try to) emulate the training of the best runner in the world to achieve the same results. However, the natural talent still requires extreme efforts in order to fulfil and maximise that potential.”

Rob Furness: “If runners were made not born, then anyone with the will to work could become a champion and this is most definitely not the case.”

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extremely efficient, exerting themselves less than slower runners at any given pace. Elite runners also possess the ability to run at near maximum effort or at their anaerobic threshold for longer than recreational runners. Studies have found that runners’ abilities to run at their anaerobic thresholds, like their VO2 MAX, improves with training, but elite athletes still have a genetically higher threshold.

Craig Bradley: “You can train as much as you want, have the best attitude in the world, best training programme etc but eventually you will run out improvement, you’ve achieved your limit with the tools you’ve been born with.”

Ian Taylor: “There are genetic pre dispositions to everything from sexuality to mental illness to musical ability but these pre-dispositions never create certainties. Culture, attitude and nurture are all massively important too. Some people might be pre-disposed to be excellent at running but there is no guarantee a talented individual will deliver or even take up their gift.”

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this month’s debate. You can read the comments in full on the Horsforth Harriers Facebook page. Keep checking back for another heated debate next month!

Article references: ‘Born to run: genetic test can reveal those best able to run marathons’ by Richard Gray, 14th April 2013, The Telegraph ‘Genes Help Explain Who Gets Fit’ by Rachael Rettner ‘How are they different? Elite runners are born, not made’ by John Bobalik

Helen Barber: “There has to be some natural talent to it otherwise everyone

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club news

THURSDAY WINTER TRAINING SESSIONS

By Marie Hart BLITZ YOUR WAY THROUGH WINTER This 5 week rolling plan is designed to help you become: Fitter, Faster, Stronger and Challenge Yourself to Work Harder.

It’s easy to give in to the winter elements and sit cosily at home but YOU don’t want to do that!!!! So come along and ENJOY. Any queries at all please contact me on my Mobile No 07948558424 or email me on marie.davemc@googlemail.com.

I will be at the Old Ball for all the starts and finishes and also out on the course for session 2 – 5 (making sure you are working hard enough!!!) so you will not get lost or be left out on your own. The sessions are only as hard as you make them so don’t be put off if you’ve never done them before.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR RUNNERS • Reflective gear MUST be worn at all times as all the sessions are on streets/ roads (some dimly lit).

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• Routes do cross roads so please take the utmost care when crossing these and watch out for uneven pavements/pot holes • These sessions may not always have a group leader therefore you are responsible for your own safety and for knowing the route. (I will always be around at the start/finish).

• To participate in the sessions you must be able to run 5 to 6 miles without stopping and preferably have completed a 10k in 60 minutes or less.

• Dependant on the weather sessions may be changed or cancelled.

Sessions start Thursday 10th October Meet at ‘The Old Ball’ pub to SET OFF running at 7.00pm (for all sessions).

Please note the pub car park is only for use by pub customers.

PLEASE LOOK AT THE MAPS FOR THE 1ST SESSION AND KNOW YOUR ROUTE Session 1 - Tempo run 4 distances based on 10k pace. The aim of a tempo run is to maintain a faster pace than a steady run in order to increase your stamina and awareness of pace judgement. As always you determine the speed you run at.

ALL distances cover the same last mile and a half, so this is where the thrill/ adrenalin/tiredness kicks in as you chase down runners ahead, try to stay in front of fellow runners and then give it your all in a sprint finish to the end.

Route 1. 5.2 miles suitable for 54-60 mins 10k pace Map: http://gb.mapometer.com/running/ route_2386056 Route 2. 5.8 miles suitable for 49-53 mins 10k pace Click here for route map Map: http://gb.mapometer.com/running/ route_3698171 Route 3. 6.4 miles suitable for 43-48 mins 10k pace Map: http://gb.mapometer.com/running/ route_2386070 Route 4. 7.6 miles suitable for 42 mins and below 10k pace Map: http://gb.mapometer.com/running/ route_2387046 Dates are: Oct 10th, Nov 14th, Dec 19th, Jan 30th, Mar 6th Session 2 - 800 or 1000 metres Intervals 5 or 6 dependent how many you feel you can manage. The intervals are all on Cookridge Avenue.

Dates are: Oct 17th, Nov 21st, Jan 2nd, Feb 6th, Mar 13th

Dates are: Oct 24th, Nov 28th, Jan 9th, Feb 13th, Mar 20th Session 4 - 400 metres Intervals 10 or 12 reps on Southway. Warm ups on Lee Lane (back of Trinity College).

Dates are: Oct 31st, Dec 5th, Jan 16th, Feb 20th, Mar 27th

club news

The exciting part is:

Session 5 - The Variety Effort 1.3 miles (2, 3 or 4 times). Flat, downhill, uphill, a bit of everything. Please take extra care; there is a short area where it is narrow and dark on Outwood Lane.

From Old Ball, Warm up jog is – St Margaret’s Avenue - cross Church lane - down Broadgate lane – turn right on to Stanhope Drive – cross ring road – along Crag Road – turn left on to Crag Hill – turn left down Wood lane to the end/T junction with Outwood Lane.

Effort Starts on: Outwood Lane. Run along Outwood Lane to the very end, turn left and then left again to go up the ring road to the FINISH on Broadgate.

Recovery between efforts - walk/jog back to Effort start and off you go again.

Once finished easy jog back to the Old Ball re-tracing warm up route from Ring Road.

Dates are: Nov 7th, Dec 12th, Jan 23rd, Feb 27th, Apr 4th The End....Spring is in the Air and hopefully also in your running!

Session 3 - Hill Reps Variety of hills in Cookridge. 1st warm up hill is just off Woodhill Road/Green Lane

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R AC E R E S U LT S

the results are in!

Jamie Stewart reports

T

his issue covers races up to and including 6th October. Any races after this date will feature in the next issue. If I have omitted any key races, you’ve been missed, mistimed or worse please let me know and I will endeavour to sort out, correct and/or apologise as appropriate next time.

Karen Large at Escrick 10K Photo by Anne Akers

We’ll kick off this issue on 18th August with the Escrick 10K. This is a flat, scenic 10km course, running on roads, paths and bridleways within the Escrick Park Estate. First Harrier home was Steve Large in 38:10. He was followed by Denise Frost 49:29, Sarah Copland 53:32, Karen Large 54:38 and Karen Harkin 56:32.

On the same day, two Harriers tackled Sedbergh Hills Fell Race.

The race boasts steep climbs, tricky contouring, fast descents and even some river crossings in the Howgill Fells on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. AL 22.5km/1830m. Nathan Crossley finished in 2:50:25 followed

by Beverley Smith in 3:52:59.

Also on 18th August Theresa Duffield was the sole Harrier braving the Belper Rugby Rover 30K in a time of 03:07:27. By all accounts this is a fantastic run on all types of terrain Sarah Copland at Escrick 10K Photo by Anne Akers

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On 24th August, Rob Furness was the only Harrier taking part in the Burnsall Classic Fell Race.

Burnsall, known as one of Yorkshire’s prettiest villages, is renowned throughout the world for its sports and most of all for its fell race. This race is considered one of the original fell races dating back to pre-1870, the first report of it appeared in the Craven Herald in 1888. Rob finished in 19:18. He was 39th out of a field of 133 runners.

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with mud, cows, hills, climbing stiles, squeezing through dry stone walls etc. Sounds like my idea of hell!

Cath Gray & Carol Ramsden at Spofforth Gala 10K - Photo by Andrew Thrippleton

Rob Furness at Burnsall Senior Race Photo by Dave Woodhead

Spofforth Gala Trail Race 10K near Harrogate took place on August Bank Holiday 26th August. Runners had a tougher challenge than they had expected when they were attacked by a swarm of angry hornets after a nest was disturbed. Several runners who had been stung were treated by paramedics at the end of the race.

Toughing out the sting in the trail were: Nicola Wilde 54:38, Cath Gray 1:00:03, Carol Ramsden 1:00:03 and Trudy Bower 1:02:54.

Trudy Bower at Spofforth Gala 10K - Photo by Andrew Thrippleton

We had 59 runners (5 teams) entered in this year’s Leeds Country Way, which took place on 1st September.

Leeds Country Way (LCW), an annual event now in its 23rd year, is held annually around the end of August or the first week in September. The race comprises of 6 pairs of runners in each team, running a leg around the actual LCW route. An approximate

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total of 64 miles are covered, at a total time of around 7 hours. Route descriptions are given to each participating team, and teams are encouraged to run or walk the routes before the race. Despite a few drop outs and the usual late changes all our 5 teams did exceptionally well with some outstanding performances on the day.

From 48 competing teams: Men’s A Team - 9th team overall and 6th out of 13 in their category.

Men’s Vets Team - 11th overall and 3rd in category.

Rob Furness & Tim Street at LCW - Photo by Andrew Byrom

Ladies - 25th overall and 3rd in category.

Mixed A Team - 29th and 11th from 23 mixed teams.

Mixed B - 35th overall and 14th in category.

The full results with every leg and cumulative position can be seen here: http://www.horsforthharriers.co.uk/ leedscountryway2013.php Moving on to 4th September and the 12th Ilkley Incline. 108 runners took part in this year’s uphill race, shattering the previous record of 87 in 2011. Four runners broke the 8 minute barrier with James Hall of Wharfedale a clear winner in 7m 25s with only ten seconds separating the next three. Our very own Tim Street was 15th in 8:30 followed by Jonathan Eagle 11:17 and Beverley Smith 11:48.

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Andrew Charles & Julia Day at LCW- Photo by Phil McGeever

Tim Street at Ilkley Incline - Photo by Paul Wood

the Fleece Public House and finishes at Haworth Primary School, Rawdon Road in Haworth.

Five Harriers took part in the Yorkshireman Half Marathon: Alek Karagic 02:06:34, Phil McGeever 02:19:57, Vicky Miller 02:21:21, Beverley Smith 02:27:17 and Serena Blackburn 02:40:30.

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On 7th September the Leeds Golden Mile took place at Leeds Met Athletics Centre, a one mile track event, held as a series of abilitybased heats. Steve Raby clocked up a speedy 5:38.3 and Beverly Hurst a not too shabby 7:10.0.

Three Harriers took part in the Yorkshireman Full Marathon: Rob Furness (7th place) 03:34:22, Neal Edmondson 03:53:12 and Hilary Wharam 07:56:11.

Steve Raby at Leeds Golden Mile

In the Yorkshireman Marathon Pairs event Nathan Crossley ran with Paul Biddulph, finishing in 04:05:30.

Well done to you all!

Bev Hurst at Leeds Golden Mile

The following day on 8th September, some hardy hardcore Harriers were brave enough to attempt the Yorkshireman. The route covers open moorland and the highest point in West Yorkshire. It includes a classic 26 Mile off-road event for walkers and runners, either competing as individuals or in pairs, as well as a half marathon route. The marathon starts on Haworth Main Street, next to

Rob Furness at Yorkshireman Marathon - Photo by Dave Woodhead

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R AC E R E S U LT S Phil McGeever at Yorkshireman Half Marathon - Photo by Noel Akers

Also on 8th September, Sarah Copland was the only Harrier running at Wetherby 10K. She finished in 51:58 (PB).

Also on this date, 4000 runners turned out for the ninth Tees Pride 10K. After the torrential rain in Teesside which caused flooding chaos across the region, the sun shone down on those taking part in this year’s Middlesbrough 10K. Glorious weather made for ideal running conditions and the support from local residents created a fabulous atmosphere. Tony Hazell finished in 36:17.

The following Saturday

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Alek Karagic at Yorkshireman Half Marathon - Photo by Noel Akers Beverley Smith at Yorkshireman Half Marathon Photo by Noel Akers

Serena Blackburn at Yorkshireman Half Marathon - Photo by Noel Akers

Sarah Copland at Wetherby 10K Photo by Andrew Thrippleton

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on 14th September it was Rombalds Romp.

A real shame that the leading runner (Wharfedale’s Mark McGoldrick) went the wrong way with a little over a mile to go.

And that the next five runners followed him.

Just one Harrier turned out to race in the near perfect conditions, with a choice of fell race or trail race, both around 11K. Theresa Duckett did the trail race and finished in 1:03:45.

The eagerly anticipated and ever popular Great North Run was next up on 15th September.

56,000 runners participated in this year’s race. 15 Harriers took part this year, braving the rain and

R AC E R E S U LT S Serena Blackburn at Folkin Reservoir Ramble Photo by Liam Dunne Theresa Duckett at Rombalds Romp Photo by Dave Woodhead

Phil McGeever at Folkin Reservoir Ramble Photo by Liam Dunne

miserable weather conditions.

Steve Wood was first Harrier home in 01:44:02. He was followed by: Ian Robertshaw 01:48:23, Lindsey Lobley 01:55:52 (PB), Karen Harkin 01:58:15 (PB), Emma Drake 01:59:48, Sheila Mason 02:13:42, Michele Brookes 02:16:51 (PB), Sue Buckle 02:19:56 (PB), Caroline Faithwaite 02:22:00, Ruth Errington 02:27:45, Frances Wilson 02:34:12, Sara Buck 02:39:32, Karen Allan 02:44:50, Ian Stanbridge 02:51:31 and Amy Simpson 02:51:32.

Lindsey Lobley commented after the race: “I was 18 minutes faster than my first half and GNR last year. I’m delighted. I think Marie Hart’s track sessions are a huge help!!”

The following weekend on 21st September and time for the Folkin Reservoir Ramble. This race is approx 14 miles, starting in Otley and meandering around the beautiful

Washburn Valley, taking in some fantastic scenery along the way, before descending back down to the finish in Otley. Phil McGeever finished in 6th place 1.55.20 and 1st MV40. Vicky Miller finished in 2.07.02 and Serena Blackburn 2.19.36.

The next day on 22nd September it was a modest Harriers turnout for the Kirkstall 7, a 7 mile multiterrain race, starting and finishing at Kirkstall Abbey. Turnout was down this year, only 11 Harriers compared with 20 last year. First Harrier back at the Abbey was Steve Raby, crossing the line in 45:35. He was followed by Bev Elliott 51:58, Kevin Watson 52:14, Bev Hurst 55:27, Angela Johnson 55:28, Malcolm Johnson 57:39, Carol Ramsden 58:37, Cath Gray 59:59, Jane Webster 01:01:27, Gini Knight 01:02:29 and Hilary Wharam 01:23:11.

Very well done to Bev Elliot, Bev Hurst and Angela Johnson who won the first Ladies Team prize.

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disappointing as I did not achieve what I set out to but pleased with the tech T-shirt, socks, Mars Bar and 3rd V45 prize.�

Steve Raby at Kirkstall 7 Photo courtesy of Kirkstall Harriers

On 29th September Tony Hazell finished in 29th place (3rd V45) at Redcar Half Marathon, crossing the line in 1:22:17. He commented after the race: “Six miles into a sea-side head wind made the time of 1:22 a bit

Tony Hazell at Redcar Half Marathon Photo taken from Middlesbrough Evening Gazette

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29th September was a busy day for the club as we staged the 29th running of our very own Horsforth 10K. A lucky few managed to escaping marshalling duties and actually run the race. Alan Squire was first Harrier home in 37:57.

He was followed by fellow club members: Jonathan Eagle 44:49, Chris Smith 45:25, Ron Taverner 46:21, Lisa Hutton 56:52, Helen McNamara 58:33, Joanna Howes 59:15, Liz Noble 1:04:45, Karen Weddle 1:06:37 and Paul Smith 1:06:38.

On the same day, a little further away from home we had two Harriers running at the Berlin Marathon.

Andy Perkinson finished in 3:04:11 and Steven Ladhams in 3:44:32.

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Alan Squire at Horsforth 10K Photo by Anne Akers

Joanna Howes & Helen McNamara at Horsforth 10K Photo by Anne Akers

Liz Noble at Horsforth 10K Photo by Anne Akers

Jonathan Eagle at Horsforth 10K Photo by Steve Bateson Photography (runningpix.co.uk)

Lisa Hutton at Horsforth 10K Photo by Anne Akers

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Sticking with 29th September and we had one representative at the Nottingham Robin Hood Half Marathon. Helen Coutie surprised herself with her impressive time of 01:39:54 (PB).

The following Saturday on 5th October it was time for one of the more gruelling challenges in the race calendar – the Round Ripon Ultra 35. The course follows a very scenic 35 mile route with stunning scenery, picturesque villages and a world famous heritage site, all in the Yorkshire Dales. Nathan Crossley finished in 4th place 5:03:32 (joint 4th with Richard Pattinson) and Lindsey Clegg was 7th and 1st lady 5:41:00.

Impressive stuff!

The following day on 6th October and two Harriers took part in Chester Marathon. Unseasonably hot and sunny conditions greeted the 4500 runners. Alan Squire crossed the line in 03:02:35, a new marathon PB for him. He commented after the race: “It got a bit hot and sunny and it was tough to keep going, let alone keep the pace. A lot of runners just stopped and sat on the curb even at halfway.

I’m happy enough to have a new pb.”

The other Harrier running was Tony Hazell, who unfortunately was a DNF after his impressive half-split time of 01:23:55.

In another part of blighty, Ron Taverner had made the early start and long journey to take part in the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon. 16,000 people took in the spectacular sights of London and the beautiful Royal Parks for the biggest

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Alan Squire at Chester Marathon Photo by Helen Barber

race to date. It was worth the 3am start and long drive for Ron as he clocked a new PB of 1:38:11.

Sticking with 6th October, some of our lovely ladies travelled to Huddersfield for the Huddersfield Hilly Half Marathon. 146 runners took part in the multi-terrain race with scenic views of Huddersfield.

Bev Hurst commented after the race: “A great little race in beautiful weather and stunning scenery. It was tough though - the clue is in the title!!” Results were as follows: Jill Hobson 108.48, Bev Hurst 116.38, Cath Gray 124.34 and Jackie Ford 125.44.

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Harriers at Huddersfield Hilly Half Marathon

Finally for this issue on 6th October, Kevin Watson was the sole Harrier taking part in the Cusworth 10K, organised by Doncaster AC. The race is run on quiet roads with the start and finish in the grounds of Cusworth Hall. Kevin crossed the line in 46:15.

That’s it for this issue folks!

Any races after 6th October will feature in the next issue.

Please do keep me posted with your race results and photos over the coming weeks.

Kevin Watson at Cusworth 10K Photo by Andy Davies

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REMINDER: PECO XC LEAGUE 2013/14 Race 1 November 24th - Temple Newsam Race 2 December 15th - Golden Acre Park Race 3 January 12th - Middleton Park Race 4 February 16th - Otley Chevin Race 5 March 2nd - Northcliffe Park Visit http://www.pecoxc.co.uk/ for more information.

REMINDER: 2013 Yorkshire Vets GP Series ONE RACE TO GO!!

Race 4 11th June, Pudsey, 7.45pm Race 5 25th june, Meanwood, 7.30pm Race 6 30th July, Crossgates, 7.30pm Race 7 7th August, Knavesmire, 7.30pm Race 8 10th November, Spenborough, 11.02am