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Liversedge 1/2

Last weekend was the Liversidge half marathon. We had eight spen runners taking part. I would like to say I had a bad run, but that would be making excuses-so I won't. At home all week Oliver had been winding me up, by saying he was going to finish before I did.(Which he did (to my horror)). The bets were still on me to be first. (Sorry-I tried). It was a lovely day and I was up for it. I got a bit carried away at the start. Though;
frist mile- 7 mins
second mile-15 and a half mins
thrid mile-24 and a half mins
sixth mile- 49.58 mins.
I nearly had him on Jayhouse lane but he got away on the flat again. (8 mile was 68 mins).
Then again I got close up on the mad mile. As I reached the top I had a dizzy spell and I had to stop for a moment. At this point it was 10 mile - 1.28 hours. By now, I realised I was not going to do a good time and all I wanted to do was finish.
1.55.13 a very disapointing time.
As I did 1.52.42 last year and I had a cold week prior to race.
Oliver finished 2 minutes ahead of me but, I do have 25 years on him.
Four weeks to the next challenge-the Spen 20...

Jackie's Marathon training 2

Well its been a few weeks since my last blog. We've had snow and ice, but somehow we have managed to get most of our sessions done with a little improvisation and so far managing to maintain the set times given to the speed session.
Week before last was a twenty mile run along the canal from Brighouse. Well ~ I got it to be twenty miles: Liz and Hazel will say 19.8 miles(the garmin police). So they clearly did the extra to make it 20(me~ not a chance).
The distance and time was no problem to me though it took approximately 3.20 hours as we did have Ollie & Jullie needing a slower pace.
About one hour afterwards, having finished the run, I had an energy bar and half of a whole malt loaf. I hit the wall whilst having a bath, I nearly passed out(no-the water wasn't too hot). After managing to get a sarni down me. I was fine even doing some retail therapy at Owlcoats centre.
Did I eat enough before? = I thought I had
Did I eat enough afterwards? = Probably not!

Moss the Motivator

Ilkley Moor Fell Race AS, 5m/1260ft

It's not the first time I've had reason to be grateful to Steve Moss for getting me off my a**e and prompting me to do something, that (a) I enjoy, and (b) ought to be doing more of. There is just something about his enthusiasm for the sport that wakes up my competitive spirit, and makes me want to get out there and grab a piece of the action.

So, after welching on the Yorkshire XC the previous day (heavy cold, and lack of fitness) I donned the Inov8's and joined Steve for a run on the great icy wastes of Ilkley Moor. 

Right from the start we knew it was going to be tough, because under the snow, was a layer of ice in many places, and it was extremely slippy. I lost count of the number of times I fell in the race, but only one headlong dive gave me an injury where I cracked my kneecap on a stone, leaving a crimson blood trail don my right shin.

The course was well-marshalled, but difficult to race on, as there was a lot of single file with limited passing opportunities mainly due to the conditions. I wasn't so bothered, because I knew I was way behind my best form, and was just glad to be out there. 

Both Steve and I thought that it was a long 5 miles, but maybe in my case that's something to to with my current fitness level. We had a bit of a laugh at the finish, since it was the first time we've raced together where I've been the one covered in blood and not Steve, and I was threatening to steal his crown.

Times were roughly 57 mins for me, and just over the hour for Steve.

Thanks for the motivation Steve, I owe you a beer for that! (just the one mind)

Spenborough and District Athletic Club AGM

Hello Everybody,
Just to let you all know the AGM is on Friday the 5th March 2010 at Whitcliffe Mount Sports Centre. 7:30 pm start.
Please could all members try there best to attend.
We are unfortunately short of officers as well as athletes. It is in the best interest of everybody if we want the club to survive. Please come along with your idea's/opinions good, bad and ugly (I think!) to try and put the club in a much stronger position than it is at the moment.

Thanks

YVAA website opening page

YVAA website opening page
Hi folks,
I have been asked for some of the dates for the yorks vets races so here they are , lets have more men and ladies doing them this year , some of you will do very well in your age group and if Amanda and I can do them so can you.

WHO SAYS "WITH AGE COMES WISDOM?!"

33rd YVAA Cross Country Championships

We might never have made it to the venue and there were times during the afternoon I wish we never had.
Frank Reddington assured us he had been to Graves Park before, quite recently and that his Sat Nav had a programme which guided you back to previous haunts. Great!
Only at one stage, as we crawled through a small but crowded Saturday lunchtime high street, with plenty of tightly packed shops but very few signs of any off-road run-able terrain, I thought we were going to end up at the place that Frank’s work colleagues held their Christmas do.
Oh ye of little faith McGhie… not long after, and largely as a result of Steve Moss molesting half a dozen passers by for navigational knowledge, we pitched up (and note the term UP) at a green space I had last seen 21 years ago, albeit at a much warmer and drier time of year.
The several hours climbing the final assent to the park entrance had put doubts in my mind and Graves Park turned out to be an undulating South Yorkshire version of Table Mountain - a plateaux on top of a mountain - albeit not as sunny this time of year as it’s South African twin.
The ground was firm but muddy, the course was what Yorkshire folk love to describe as “scenic” (translated into English as Bl****y hilly) and the changing rooms had a mid-fifties feel that screamed out such homely encouragement as “cold showers afterwards, lads”. The post race icy water never materialised - in fact the showers were probably the highlight of the day and turned out to be the only thing that didn’t have cause indescribable pain.
You may have guessed I am not the most avid fan of Cross Country yet had turned up to represent Spenborough with Frank and Mossy – among the two craziest off-road nuts at the club. If it don’t cause excruciating pain and leave you frozen, wet and tired, it ain’t worth doing according to these hardened head-cases.
I have infinitely more sense, believing that to be worth doing a race must be flat and you have to be able to see the finish and all the course from the start, but I also possess an inability to say no.
The Yorkshire Veterans Cross Country Championship was therefore a new experience to me and turns out to be an annual gathering of every generation of runners, except the new generation, who still can’t accept that a pair of slippers and well stoked fire are infinitely more inviting on an early February afternoon, than slashing around a muddy field!
The younger age group (under 50!) had to wait another hour but us Super-Vets (and Spenborough were only represented in the Over-50s race) set the meet’ in motion, alongside the halfway (2 laps) for ladies, with the first four-lap endurance test, apparently 10km and lasting seemingly until the following Wednesday.
I ran half a lap with a stone buried in one of my pair of spikes that hadn’t seen the light of days since being shelved in my garage three years ago (when I ‘retired’ from XC!) and have been limping through the bruising to my tendon ever since!
I began OK, finishing lap one around fifth but things went rapidly downhill (although sadly only metaphorically!) from there.
With eyes tightly closed in pain I finally struggled across the finish line 11th, while Frank and Steve, ninth and 14th in their age groups, trudged in shortly afterwards in the full knowledge that they would have to give away an aggregate of almost 20 years between them in making up and Over-50’s team. We were all fairly proud that Spen’ still placed sixth overall…and ahead of the likes of Holmfirth and City of Hull.
Upon arriving back home I tossed the spikes back into the garage with the promise that would remain there for another long time…or at least until the National XC Champs at the end of the month… told you I couldn’t say NO!

Team Spenborough: Steve Moss, Keith McGhie and Frank Reddington at the part of the course one of them at least thought was the best – the finish!

Result (top five and other important runners, like US!)

33rd YVAA Cross Country Championships
Graves Park, Sheffield - 6th Feb 2010 Race 2 - 10km - Veteran Men Aged 50-69

***

Pos Name Club Time Cat CP Team

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 KEVIN NEWMAN ...... DONCASTER & STAINFORTH 38:50 M50 1

2 DAVE BROOKSBANK .............. BARNSLEY AC 39:12 M50 2

3 DAVE ANSELL .......... STEEL CITY STRIDERS 39:16 M50 3

4 TADEUSZ ZARANKO ....... RICHMOND & ZETLAND 39:25 M50
5 TIM TETT ............... SHEFFIELD RUNNERS 39:37 M50

*

11 KEITH MCGHIE .............. SPENBOROUGH AC 40:36 M50 (9)

*

49 FRANK REDDINGTON .......... SPENBOROUGH AC 45:52 M55 (9)

*

59 STEVE MOSS ................ SPENBOROUGH AC 47:54 M60 (14)

Tiger Tor

Sunday morning on a frosty day, (sounds like a nursery rhyme) six would be spen runners set off to do this tough moorland fell race, 10 miles and lots of hills in condisions that would lead many to tumble and fall on the near arttic conditions,(my self included as usual).
The road section comes first then two fields of ice giving a clear picture of what the finish will be like, up hill from here and over the tops in single file. It be comes impossible to overtake at this stage unless you are very brave.The down hills are a good challenge and this is were i took a swan dive on some ice and passed three runners, removing skin on both knees and elbow still the Adrenalin boost was most welcome further on runners were slipping and sliding all over.
Has i approached mid way Mark Frain passed me just after my second fall of the race Mark as achieved great thing in the short time from seeing him last year by losing 2 stone and getting a pb for this course and taking 1st place in are group and knocking a good 20 mins of last years time well done that man.The finish gave me a race into the line with steven heminway who had passed me towards the end but I was unable to pass him. The finishing times were mark in 1h/33/56 Nick Goodall in 1h/34/41 Steve in1h/36/35 my self in 1h/36/38 Paul in 1h/41/26 Robert Gaylor in1h/57/09.
Regardless of the conditions all the runners seemed to enjoy the race and most will be back next year. My thoughts are that just getting out there and doing some thing with the spirit and mind to achieve is the best you can do.