Weekly News – Sunday 21st March

Sunday 21st March

Westbury Harriers – Weekly News

Editor’s Piece

Not too long to go until we can start running in small groups again. I’m especially looking forward to the intervals on a Thursday evening at Coombe Dingle. Much nicer to run on the grass and I get a better workout if I have someone to chase!

We also have the clocks going forward next Sunday meaning longer and lighter evenings. No more running on the boring pavements as we can now get back to some off-road trail running and exploring the footpaths around Blaise.

Club Intervals-Have the Week off, or do some Hills!

Vicky’s having the week off, so suggests we all do the same. We have been very active over the last few weeks with intervals, EA challenges, BMAF 1 milers, etc so why not. You can do too much. If you feel you have the energy for it then it’s back to hills, so 10 x 1min intervals finish with 6 x 20secs. Use the downhill for recovery. Warm up, warm down and stretch afterwards.

Facebook 5km Relay

We’re now up to leg 37, just completed by Carol Fee. All those that have run so far are listed below, but there’s lot’s more to come!

Tamsin, Hannah McAlpine, Anne Lovell, Mark Andrews, Kate Wills, Jenny Godden, Ewan Cameron, Clair Cusack, Linda Phillips, Marilyn Palmer, Jane Derham, Alex Hamblin, Ben Rawlins, Mike Mewse, Anthony Glover, Dan Summers, Scott Campbell, Chris Palmer, Vicky Tester, Rhi Paton, Robyn Ellis, Dara Goodluck, Jayne Pemble, Kate Howard, Rosie Hamilton-James, Emily Whitaker, Ewan Paton, Richard Hughes, Sandra Sforza, Ken Lovell, Anneke Bull, Colin Johnson, Chris Beck, Trish Robson, Izzy Povey, Robin Phillips, Carol Fee and Eithne Noonan.

EA Weekly30 Challenge

Firstly well done to Lucy Richens who won the women’s prize (again) last week. We also had Sophie Voller not far behind in third place. For the individual men we had an impressive performance from Alex Hamblin in third place, with almost 8.5km run in only 30 minutes!

Just three weeks left and we want to go out with a fight for first place. Could all runners please upload the first 30 minutes of their runs for the weekend because every metre counts. It doesn’t matter if it’s a quick 30 minute dash around an industrial estate to part of a longer run, just don’t forget to upload it to the open track website. Link provided in diary dates section.

Summary of March Committee Meeting

Each month the committee meet via Zoom to discuss the management of the club.  At the last meeting it was agreed that members may be interested to hear what we discuss. The minute taker has kindly provided me with a summary of the main topics which are shown below. If there is anything you as a club member would like discussed at the next committee meeting, then please let me know.

Preparations for the virtual AGM on Sunday 18th April discussed. This included the agenda, invites and committee reports.

March committee meeting would usually see us planning the awards evening. Unfortunately, no awards evening planned for this year as no competition has occurred in the last 12 months ☹.

England athletics latest guidance reviewed. Discussed the return to training from 29th March for seniors and juniors and from 19th April for the academy. From reviewing the guidance, we can work as we were before in a, ‘Covid secure’ way. No other changes will occur until step 4 in the guidance/government roadmap after June 21st 2021.

A training guide has been produced (thank-you Kay) for using the pavilion. This supports people on the practical elements of locking up, water, lighting, cleaning etc. Club wants to promote use of the clubhouse and encourage people who want to become designated keyholders to use for groups/sessions when Covid allows us.

Arrangements for a first aid course for volunteers/leaders after June 21st 2021 discussed as many have expired or will be coming up for renewal.

The club has setup online banking in order to support the club’s transition towards being cashless.

Eating and Strengthening for an Active Lifestyle, via Zoom

Claire Callaghan (Chartered Physiotherapist) is doing an event alongside her Nutritionist and Dietitian colleague Sue Baic, on Tuesday 30th March, 7.30-9pm. It’s to help support active women with fuelling for performance, answer questions they may have about supplements (necessary or not), nutritional needs and meal timings around training and performance. I cover female specific strengthening needs, key exercises for women and how hormones affect our joints, muscles and bones.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/eating-and-strengthening-for-an-active-lifestyle-tickets-142326066095

https://www.facebook.com/events/234325624998971

Claire Callaghan B.Pty MSc  www.clairecallaghan.com   @PhysioClaireCal

Black Swan (Dirty Duck) Reopening

Summer is on the way! Possibly a chance to socialise once a month after training on a Monday at the Black Swan as they are re-opening their beer garden on 12th April. No food I’m afraid, just snacks at this stage. You also need to download the Wicker Wessex app to order.

Louise Hadley is planning on making it the night of Monday 19th April (allocated by tables of 6, no mingling!) for those are interested. Let her know if you would like to attend to responding to her facebook posting on the 18th March. 

MBAF Virtual 1 Mile Challenge

Many thanks to Ewan Paton for the BMAF virtual 1 mile challenge. If you didn’t see it on facebook the first time around, here it is again. 

“Good for the first mile…”*

Westbury Harriers Masters tackle the BMAF Virtual 1 Mile Challenge

[*title of a 1983 documentary about Steve Cram]

Coe, Ovett and Cram. The Bislett Dream Mile in Oslo. The Emsley Carr. Our own Simon Mugglestone, on the Iffley Road track in Oxford (pictured in 1990, watched by Sir Roger Bannister, breaking 4 minutes). The experienced (by which we again mean over 35) runners of Westbury Harriers were treading in some illustrious footsteps when they shortened their training runs, stepped up their speedwork and headed off to various suitably flat and quiet locations (by which we again mean mostly the Portway, Aztec West and the North Somerset or South Gloucestershire wilds) to run the classic imperial distance for the latest British Masters Athletics Federation Virtual Challenge.

How hard can it be to run a mile? It’s practically over before it starts to hurt. Yet pacing it correctly is surprisingly difficult for those more used to plodding – sorry, gliding – over a longer distance. Do you go hell for leather out of the blocks, then try to hang on? Maybe aim for four evenly paced quarters? Or do you look up tips online, such as mentally reciting mantras for each phase? (“FAST-FORM-SUSTAIN-PUSH!” Didn’t work.)

Whatever methods they used, there were several superb individual efforts from a total entry of 40 Westbury Harriers young(er) and old(er), resulting in some impressive national standings.

Top Westbury man was youthful Master and speedster Oli Beale, who quite literally dashed off a lightning Portway 4:40 to be 12th placed nationally, and 3rd M40. “I wanna be a miler!” enthused Oli on Strava, and he was ably accompanied and assisted by Alan Uren not far behind in 4:49 (31st nationally, 18th M35).

The best national age category place was, however, achieved by our evergreen Northern Irish international Master and third sub-5 man Anthony Glover, who matched Alan’s 4:49 with a speedy gallop across Engine Common to be 2nd M45 nationally – just 1 second behind the winner, although he did pip a Bristol & West runner into 3rd by an even smaller margin.

A welcome return to (virtual) racing from Matt Ellis (5:08, Nailsea flood plains) cemented a very impressive 8th place out of 52 teams for the ‘baby’ Masters M35-44 A team, just 3 seconds behind a very strong Bristol & West B. Although positively sluggish compared to Anthony, solid runs from Ewan Paton (5:37, Portway 3rd attempt) and Chris Beck (5:40, likewise Portway) completed the M45-54 A team, who finished 10th out of 44.

The otherwise soulless and deserted Aztec West business park has become something of a weekend ‘home from home’ for a number of Westbury Harriers of late. While its midweek “Fast 5K” races are no more, the oval Park Avenue loop is almost exactly a mile, and perfect both for this challenge and the “Weekly 30” effort. A strong wind can whistle up the ‘back straight’, but the clockwise route from the roundabout starts with a nice downhill ramp.

This was the setting for some strong runs, including a superb 5:39 (10th W40) from top Westbury woman Vicky Tester. Other Az-teckers, including some beautifully captured in motion on Geraint Torrington’s GoPro on Saturday morning, were Steve Emery (5:40 – making his debut in the “Masters” category: welcome, young man!), Ian Gawinowski (5:57), and Sandy Masters (a superb 6:42, 9th W60). Geraint himself continued his adventure running in exotic Bradley Stoke with a brisk 6:32, achieved without the use of crampons, Kendal mint cake or a support team.

For the W35-44 team, Vicky’s run was supplemented by a strong Nailsea 5:51 from Sophie Voller (with running partner Robyn Esther Ellis not far behind in 6:13), and capped off by a stunning sub-6 Portway effort (5:56) from Tamsin Elson Chick, who had previously come close to that barrier at Aztec. A delighted Tamsin pronounced herself “chuffed” with her effort, while generously attributing it to “training with Vicky T through two lockdowns”. That was good enough to secure a team 6th place nationally out of 32 teams.

The highest placed Westbury woman in her category was Helen Kershaw, who ran an impressive 8:15 (not sure where) to be 6th W70 nationally – very well done, Helen.

Some runners favoured going up and down, or round and round, a shorter course several times. Judy Knights wins the prize for the ‘most local’ Westbury run, a fine 7:16 running three times around Reedley Road and Barley Croft, Eithne Noonan and others circled Canford Park, while Rebecca Lee (pictured) took in the sea air while dashing four times up and down the Portishead esplanade (6:20).

There were too many other runners and good runs to cover in full, but they included Anneke Bull (a speedy 7:27 around the WISE Campus track), good sub-8 efforts on the Downs from Victoria Sloan (7:51) and our Weekly 30 leader Valerie Hughes (7:35), and a clutch of further impressive Portway efforts: 6:12 from Alison Rogers; 6:52 from Sarah Andrews (but no selfie?), 6:17 from Mike Hurst, 6:19 from Andrew Yuill, Clair Cusack (7:10) Heidi Andrews(7:25) and Sandra Sforza (7:45).

Late in the weekend, the “Men’s Masters’ Master” Mike Mewse(that’s a lot of Ms: “M5”?) ran a brave 6:09 while still feeling ill, only then to find that the weekly Horton horse and cart had failed to deliver his entry to race HQ. Never mind, Mike, there’s always next time.

Full results are below. Well done to all who took part in another highly enjoyable and motivating virtual challenge. And maybe see you on the track this summer, kicking hard at the bell!

Full results: Oli Beale 12th, 3rd M40 4:40; Anthony Glover 2nd M45 4:49; Alan Uren M35 4:49; Matt Ellis M40 5:08; Ewan Paton M50 5:37; Vicky Tester 10th W40 5:39; Chris Beck M50 5:40; Steve Emery M35 5:40; Sophie Voller 16th W40 5:51; Tamsin Chick 21st W40 5:56; Ian Gawinowski M40 5:58; Rick Watts M40 6:07; Alex Miller M45 6:09; Alison Rogers W45 6:12; Robyn Ellis W45 6:13; Mike Hurst M45 6:17; Andrew Yuill M55 6:19; Becky Lee W35 6:20; Mark Andrews M55 6:24; Geraint Torrington M50 6:32; Elaine Barley W40 6:39; Sandy Masters 9th W60 6:42; Sarah Andrews W50 6:52; Sandra Williams W45 7:01; Clair Cusack W45 7:10; Judy Knights W55 7:16; Helen Sawyer W55 7:20; Heidi Andrews W45 7:25; Anneke Bull W60 7:27; Valerie Hughes W60 7:27; Sam Spear W45 7:39; Sandra Sforza W55 7:47; Victoria Sloan W40 7:51; Kay Ridgwell W60 8:14; Helen Kershaw 6th W70 8:15; Nicola Derrick W50 8:28; Marilyn Palmer 15th W65 8:45; Eithne Noonan W60 8:47; Kevin Easby M35 8:57; Ann Lovell W65 9:09

Pictured below we have some running legends and greats including Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett, Steve Cram, Roger Bannister and of course…. Rebecca Lee!

Return to Training

From Monday 29th March, under Covid-19 guidance, we can return to training in small groups/pods. All runs will be displayed on the RunTogether page over the weekend of 27-28th March.  The intervals session for the seniors will also resume at Coombe Dingle from Thursday 1st April and will be advertised on RunTogether. 

Diary Dates

Monday 29th March. Return to Training

Thursday 1st April. Intervals at Coombe Dingle 

March 2021 England Athletics Weekly 30 Run challenge. Run for 30 minutes over the weekend, it’s that simple. https://www.englandathletics.org/athletics-and-running/england-competitions/virtual-competitions/weekly30-run-challenge/

Sunday 18th April Virtual AGM 6:30pm A virtual club AGM using Zoom, joining details will be provided nearer the time.

Editor this Week

Ian Gawinowski is Westbury Harriers Communications Officer and can be contacted via communication@westburyharriers.co.uk

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