June 2011 HORSFORTHHORSFORTH HARRIERSHARRIERS NEWSNEWS Blimey, we’ve been busy! Beginners group, highly successful ABC race, away runs, podium finishes and some other great racing performances. Oh yes, we’re still at it. See inside! Editor’s notes No Captains Columns this issue, only a slight- ly apologetic piece from me - it would appear that in order for you to get a newsletter these days, I have to pick up an injury... I’m quite worried about that, obviously... That said, what a couple of months we’ve had! When the last newsletter flew through the ether, our Run in Leeds ‘Absolute Beginners’ Group hadn’t had it’s first session, and now it’s almost reached it’s conclusion! Nobody - least of all me - could have guessed what an enor- mous success it was going to be and as a result we’ll have about 30 or so newly fledged Horsforth Harriers (sorry, been watching too much ‘Springwatch’). Let’s make them welcome and encourage them to continue in the same enthusiastic and courageous Steve Large leads the Harriers charge at the manner - although some will no doubt leave re-scheduled Thirsk 10 Miles. Pic courtesy us watching admiringly from a distance in of Flaming Photography. fairly short order. by the Race Committee, whipped into shape by Bob Foulkes, and also all of you who Our more established runners have distin- marshalled or helped out on the evening. guished themsleves with a whole host of sparkling performances at marathons the Marc has got the third of the ‘Discovery Runs’ length of the country (and beyond!) and it’s coming up in July, with a fourth slated for the good to see our guys on the podium at races - first Tuesday in August, taking advantage of Rob Furness won the Roundhay Park parkrun the summer evenings to seek out routes not outright and was second in the Wharfedale accessible on Hall Park-based training Marathon, Tim Midgely added the Baildon evenings. Boundary Way winner’s trophy to his haul and Thursday evenings at the track continue to Helen Barber produced her fastest time in prove popular and are clearly improving the some while to lead home all the ladies at the speed and standard of our runners, not just head of the Harrogate Race For Life. Marc has the ‘quickies’, but across ALL ability levels. won the odd prize here and there too - he might have mentioned it, I think? We’ve picked up armfuls of trophies from the winters PECO cross country League presenta- Our off road race the Apperley Bridge Canter tion and battle has commenced in the had a record entry this year, due to hard work Yorkshire Vets Grand Prix. We aren’t top of the Front cover shows Rob Furness on the tables yet, but the clubs in front should be Wharfedale Marathon. Thanks to David Brett’s website: www.photos-dsb.co.uk for looking over their shoulders. Nervously! the photo. Jill writes a ‘Thank You’ note... I would just like to take the opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported Marathon me, took and interest in my training, motivat- ed me to keep going and gave me the confi- dence to achieve my goal. In particular I’d like Effort to say a huge thank you to Andrew, Gordon and Marc for the training and the technique, I recently completed the Edinburgh Marathon and for encouragement and motivation to – my first ever marathon in what was for me an make me try a little harder on those dark amazing time of 3.53. My goal was to get nights with tired legs; to all the Bev’s, Cath under 4 hours and I blooming did it, I am so and Aimee and Bev Hurst in particular who pleased…. and absolutely amazed with my trained with me on long runs through snow efforts and wanted to take this opportunity to and rain, and who I chased round the track say thank you to the club for all the support until I could keep up. I received. Finally, a huge thank you to Angela and Before I joined the club, and indeed until very Malcolm who planted the original idea and recently, I would never even have considered I was capable of a marathon. However, hear- ing the experiences of people I run with I started to think ‘maybe I could do that’ and the challenge was on. I trained through the long dark nights after Christmas, out on Andrew’s ‘Hell runs’ on a Tuesday and up at the track with Gordon and Marc on a Thursday, swapping expe- riences with others, shar- ing injury worries and being driven on by the real- isation that in a few short weeks I’d have to be able to cover 26 miles without Jill pictured with Phil McGeever (left) and Jeff Parkinson at the stopping. finish of the recent Otley Ten. Picture thanks to Phil McGeever. provided the tried and tested training plan; biggest achievements of my life, and one and to the rest of Andrew’s running group who I will never forget. I’m so grateful to everyone gave me advice and support on those Tuesday at the club for getting me round, you were all night runs up hill and down dale - frequently there by my side in the last 6 miles, pushing billed as a steady 8 miles but inevitably turned me on when I thought I couldn’t run another into a fast 10!!! step, so thank you so much, I’m so proud to be a Horsforth Harrier… and here’s to the next Doing a marathon, and under 4 hours in strong one!!! winds, hail and horizontal rain is one of the Jill Hobson Upcoming Social Stuff First off, there’s just time to mention the Pizza The second date for your diaries is Tuesday Party that marks the end of the first ‘Absolute 12th July. It may seem a way off at the Beginners’ group. Thirteen weeks of being moment, but trust me, it’ll be on us before we introduced to the joys of running are at an end know it! and ‘Absolute Beginners’ aare now runners! This the night Bev has marked for our Annual Summer Run. “So what’s different from other In celebration of the ‘end of term’ and to mark Tuesday training evenings?” I hear you ask. the fact that all our beginners - as we cannot Well, first of all there’s a buffet afterwards - call them any more! - will be becoming free, gratis and for nothing and open to every ‘proper’ Horsforth Harriers, Hils plans a Pizza member (running or not, if you are injured and Party, to which we are ALL invited, after train- thus believe this might exclude you, I am ing in the clubhouse on 21st June, from living proof it doesn’t!). 8.30pm onwards. Hils needs to know numbers obviously and because the party takes place Secondly, we invite our running chums and sandwiched between the two next Vets Grand rivals, Kirkstall Harriers to join us. (This is the Prix races you will need to contact her, either ying to the Christmas Lights Run’s yang when in person, or failing that, by e-mailing her at they invite us round to theirs and lay on eats the following address: after the run). [email protected] While the buffet is free, Bev needs to know numbers, so she can organise catering, so For those quick on the uptake, Hils phone please let her - she will be at the club - know if number is on the back cover... Make sure you you plan to be there, by the end of June. let her know by 17th June at the latest please! Vegetarians will be catered for, but let Hilary Drinks are available from the bar - you’re buy- know if you have ‘specific dietary needs’. ing - and there are runs to suit all levels as usual! TRACK Every Thursday through the summer at Trinity and All Saints SESSIONS track at 7.00 pm (Ask Marc for info). Yorkshire Vets GP Round-up By the time you are reading this, the third race in the Grand Prix Championship - at Pudsey - will likely have taken place. Hopefully we’ll have climbed the tables, and/or closed the gaps on those teams ahead of us. Go to www.yvaa.org where the tables and results are posted quite swiftly after each race. After a huge gap between the first and second races, they are now coming thick and fast and the next race is on Tuesday, 28th June at Meanwood, hosted by Valley Striders. Obviously it being a Tuesday, training at Hall Park will be disrupted or non-existent. No excuse then, not to get along to the race and take part - every runner scores points for the club. And if you are not yet 35 you can always run as a guest (you won’t score any points though, sorry!). Details of when and where the races take place can be found on www.yvaa.org or if in doubt, or maybe even needing a lift, check Tina Dickinson pictured at the Bradford 10k with Tina Dickinson who will help sort you out. and the person to ask if you want to know And hard on the heels of Meanwood comes about the Vets Grand Prix races. She won’t the next, on Sunday 3rd July at Honley hosted thank me for printing this picture, but don’t by Holmfirth Harriers.