News and Notices
GBRC Half Marathon
Our club half marathon is this weekend: thank you in advance for your help on Sunday to continue to make the race a success and ensure that it keeps going year on year.
By putting on this race each year, the club raises funds needed to cover the cost of things such as hiring the track for training on Thursdays, entry into XC, or hiring the village hall for Club night (Wednesdays).
I am sure most people will have checked by now but, if not, please take a look at your emails and see the jobs list sent out. If you have any questions about what you need to do contact Scott.
Essex Road Relays
The road relays will once again be held at the Northern Gateway cycle track (where we have Thursday training). This was a great event last year and I am looking forward to it again this year.
The structure of the day has changed slightly: women’s races will be at 11:30 followed by men’s races at 13:15. Lisa and I will be organising teams so look out for an email in a couple of weeks with more details.
Ladies Morning at Clacton parkrun
Lisa and I had a great time last time we did this, so we will once again be in Clacton on March 18th for “Ladies Morning” at parkrun. Please put that date in your diaries and join us for parkrun and coffee afterward.
Last Cross Country Fixture
We are comfortable in the NESS XC league at 3rd position which is a true testament to the depth we have in the ladies squad this year. Well done ladies for turning up and running your hearts out at cross country. It’s great to see you all there enjoying the courses.
The last fixture of this season year is on 19th February in Hadleigh – get it in your diaries!
We will also be organising end of XC season meal for March / April time (hopefully!) so look out for info about that next month. We will do the vote for ladies XC runner of the year at that meal.
Annual General Meeting
The club’s AGM will be held on 5th April. This is an opportunity to meet the committee, we discuss the club’s activity in the last year and put forward ideas for the club in the year ahead, and we also confirm any new committee members. Please do try to come if you can.
Vacant Committee Positions: We are currently looking for new race directors for all three of our races: Friday 5; Half Marathon; Cross Country. For the past 5 years, Scott has filled all three roles admirably, and we cannot thank him enough for what he has done. It is now time for him to relax and for someone(s) new to get the experience of doing these roles.
If you are interested in becoming a race director for any (or all) of the above three races, please speak to Scott if you need more detail, and let Mags know by 1st March if you do want to go for the role.
Non-Vacant Committee Positions: Even if the person currently serving a position is not stepping down, we will accept nominations to that position from a new person for a role. We will then have a club vote to select the official. Therefore, if any of the other committee positions takes your fancy, please do let Mags know and she can organise the voting. You can nominate yourself for a role, but will need someone else to “second” your nomination.
Information nights on Wednesdays
Over the course of 2023 the committee is hosting information nights on a Wednesday. These will be a short chat about a specific thing the club does, as well as giving opportunity for Q&A. 8th February will be a chat about Mickey Edwards and Geoff Day. We are hoping that members will find these sessions informative and an opportunity to ask questions or suggest ideas so please support the sessions if you can.
Training
Although the days are starting to lengthen a little, it is still technically winter so please remember to take care when training!
Taking care means: wearing reflective clothing so you can be seen; wearing layers to protect your muscles as you train; and if you need, take lights/headtorches out with you.
At the club we are trying our best to ensure sessions we put on are as safe as possible during the winter months. Caroline is putting together the training schedule from February at the moment, and whilst Feb remains cold and dark we will continue to have two Wednesday nights that are indoor sessions, as well a no Friday morning run. In March, Friday mornings will return as the light allows and Wednesday nights will revert to being outside runs every week.
Our Ladies Squad
A warm welcome to new ladies in our squad this month: Sarah Blewden, Jenny Harvey and Donna Parker-Evans. I hope you are settling in at GBRC and enjoying it so far!
What we did
This month our ladies have been out running at Essex Champs XC in Basildon, our own 10-miler in Bromley, NESS XC at Writtle and Wix, parkrun across the country, the Benfleet 15, trail runs, Lavenham 10k and wandering through Suffolk looking at Windmills
To read more about what we have got up to, see the race reports here: https://gbrc.org.uk/category/race-reports/
Runner of the month
So we come to Runner of the Month… and I have to admit, I have been watching and waiting on this one!
She has been improving for a little while now (and actually been discussed by Lisa and me as a ROM contender for the last few months). In January she seems to have hit her stride.
With two personal best performances at XC; a PB at the 10 miler and a first finish (with PB) at Highwoods parkrun I think we can all agree this lady is exceptionally deserving of this award.
Many congratulations on your achievements this month Deborah Hollidge!
Great Bentley Running Club 