I write this newsletter with some very sore legs, having tried to keep up with Paul Davison on his 6th marathon today. I only managed 11 miles and it has finished me off! Paul has clearly done the work, dedicated himself to training and this is paying dividends. Well done Paul!
But this newsletter is about the ladies – so on that note: I know of several ladies who have also done the work, done the training they need, have had a sit down and made achievable race plans for themselves, and are going to go down to London tomorrow and absolutely smash it! Best of luck to all of the ladies running London (and any other race!) tomorrow.
News and Notices
Training
As we go into winter please do think about what you wear to training. First of all, aim to be seen: Hi-Viz and headtorches; second of all, think about the weather. Cold muscles snap, so layer up!
As always, continue to fill in the Doodle poll if you are coming to sessions. If sessions have no one signed up, they will be cancelled.
GBRC Buffs
One thing that can help keeping warm when the weather turns is a buff. I use mine to cover and protect my ears. These are not part of official kit, just a one-off order. So once they are gone, they are gone. If you want one, please let me know. They are £6.20 each.
parkrun & breakfast
Lisa and I are heading over to Clacton parkrun on 8th October and we hope that lots of you ladies can join us. We will be having coffee / breakfast in the Greensward Café (unfortunately the Kingscliff can’t seat us on a Saturday) after the run. If you did want to join for breakfast please let Lisa know so we know how many tables we need. Of course, you can just turn up to run. See you there!
NESS XC
So! XC season is upon us, with County XC relays having been held last week. Vicky has sent out the North Essex South Suffolk (NESS) league dates for the season:
6th November 2022 Gt Bentley
27th November 2022 Halstead
15th January 2023 Springfield
29th January 2023 Harwich
19th February 2023 Hadleigh
12th March 2023 TBC Witham
For the race we host on 6th November, Scott will be asking for marshals. Please volunteer to marshal if you can.
For the other races in this league, the club pays your entry fees, and you can just turn up to run, no pre-registration required. Having said that, it is much easier for us to do the scoring if your name and age category is pre-printed on the score sheet; so please email Vicky (v.presland@sky.com) with your information (Name, DOB). Emailing Vicky does not commit you to anything, it just allows her to pre-populate sheet.
For those who have not run XC before, please see emails about it closer to the time. Trust me, it’s great fun though!
Courses are approx. 5 miles; and you must run in your club vest (other clothing optional I suppose).
Awards Night
Awards night will be on 3rd December, with 4th December as the morning-after-the-night-before-run. Please save the date. Mags will email nearer the time to get names for attending.
Is this your first GBRC awards night? You are in for a treat! The night is a celebration of the various achievements that members of the club have had. Food, drinks, and dancing are also on the agenda. Do come along if you are free.
Our Ladies Squad
A warm welcome to new ladies in our squad: Kate Stuart (who some of us met at the Essex Way Relay) and Lesley Moss (who many of us know, as back in the day she was ladies Vice-Captain!). Kate, I hope your first few weeks with GBRC have been enjoyable; and welcome back Lesley!
Getting to know you
This month we hear from last months ROM – Grainne Hallahan.
Age category: 35-40
Occupation: Education journalist at Tes (formally the Times Educational Supplement)
How long have you been in GBRC for? Since the Bentley half marathon in February!
The silliest thing you did on a race: Turned up to the wrong start line! In my defence it was an event I had attended multiple times, and had assumed it was starting in the same spot as usual. Plus, the postcode on the website was wrong – but I should have twigged when I had arrived an hour early and nothing was set up.
I was running with a friend and we sat chatting in a nearby coffee shop, got changed for the run and then wandered back down only to find there was still nothing set up!
Together we eventually found another clueless runner and the three of us searched online and found the right postcode – a quick 20 min walk later and we started the race.
It was a looped course and it was a real mental challenge to not let the late start put me off – when you see everyone finishing it is so disheartening to know you still have two loops to go!
Favourite distance: I love whatever I’m training for! I’m very fickle. I tell myself whatever I’m doing at that time is the best thing. At the moment I love the half marathon distance – but when I was working on my 5k times over the summer that was my favourite.
Best achievement: It was the most amazing feeling when I first ran a sub 25 5k at Mersea parkrun last year. It was a milestone I never believed I would achieve.
I first started running in 2018 and my goal was a sub 30 5k. It took me a while to get there, and when I did I was thrilled – but soon had that bubble burst by my husband whose response was “now aim for a sub 25”.
I was furious – why set me up for failure?? It seemed like an impossible target. As an incentive he said when I reached a sub 25 I could get an Apple Watch. This felt even more cruel! I’m never going to do it, I thought.
But I did. It took me three years – but I got there in the end! And although I’ve run faster times since, reaching a sub 25 was a huge turning point. I started to really believe in myself and wanted to keep pushing for more.
What’s your ultimate running goal: To not get injured!
Favourite medal/t-shirt and what for: My favourite medal was my bronze for the 10k at Easter. Standing on the podium was the best feeling.
Interests other than running: I love geeky things like Agatha Christie mysteries, Radio 4 plays, and pizza. When these things crossover with running (like running while listening to a radio 4 play, followed by a cinema trip to watch an Agatha Christie movie, and then pizza) that’s my idea of the perfect day!
Favourite & Worst events and why? Saturday Parkrun is my favourite event – I love the ethos behind it, and I love volunteering, and I love Junior Parkrun. All of it!
Parkrun tourism is the best and I’m always trying to sneak in a parkrun while staying away. I also love relays – The Essex Way is the best event of the year and it was a blast taking part as team GBRC!
Choosing a worst event is harder…I think I’ve had two bad events where I ended up injured – but it was more me than the event!
Most challenging event and why? It’s got to be running in hot weather. I am definitely a cold weather person and so the 10k Friday Night Run at the cycle track last month was really tough going. I wanted to quit but stubbornness (and fellow Bentley runner, Mat Stuart!) kept me going!
Most useful running information you can share: Since I started lifting weights my running and injury prevention has improved so much. And stretch! Always stretch before and after.
Inspirations
Each month I hope to highlight some ladies that have personally inspired me for the dedication they put into their training, the fears or obstacles they overcome and their courage to take on new challenges:
This months has been a busy one, and there are so many ladies in our squad I could write about. Please know the joy I get when reading the race reports and FB posts about all that you are doing.
For those who want to catch up on past exploits, the race reports can be found here: https://gbrc.org.uk/category/race-reports/
I so though have a couple of ladies to highlight this month, the first being Fiona Gosling. No it is not running, but this is pretty inspirational… this month Fiona, and a group of pals, have cycled through France on a 21 day, 1000+ mile trip from St Malo to Figanieres. You can see her adventure here… https://www.polarsteps.com/NigelHelliwell/5610542-rarerosbifs?s=AA022793-0290-4DE4-B0A1-2DFB47CFA393
Pretty impressive!
The second lady I wanted to highlight is Leoni Harvey, who came first at Aliens v Trail runners early n the month. I hope that trophy has pride of place on your shelf Leoni, that is a super achievement!
Runner of the month
We reach Runner of the Month. This month the accolade goes to Charlotte Mills, for her participation in the Essex Way Relay, helping our ladies team come 5th, and for running her very first half marathon. Charlotte claims that she has not done the training she wanted before the half marathon and debated pulling out; but her time of 2 hours 19 is very strong and I hope has given her masses of confidence for the future.
Well done on a fabulous month of running Charlotte. X
Great Bentley Running Club 