This week there were 11 parkrunners at two different venues. Ben and Shelley T were visiting Bath Skyline parkrun and the rest of us were at Winchester.
The main event was Fran running her 50th parkrun. Fran has run all of her 50 at Winchester and has a PB of 30:15. Congratulations Fran!
We also had Shelley O running a new PB of 27:32 taking nearly 2 minutes off of her previous best! Superb run Shelley and glad to see your injuries behind you!
This week saw the runners head over to Teg Down for some hill reps. The runners eased in with 4 hill sprints on Old Hillside Road, before heading over to Teg Down Meads for a further 6 reps (4 short, 2 long) on the steeper hill, all with jog recovery in between. We rounded off with one more short rep before jogging back to Dean Lane Park for a cool down.
The session was nearly 3 miles of running and over 500ft of ascent. It was a superb sight seeing so many Fit Clubbers driving up the hills with arms and legs pumping. Such a dedicated and hard working group!!
Read all about it here: https://wfcrunners.blogspot.com/2018/12/wfc-runners-6th-december-teg-down-hills.html
Runner Profile - Jenny Leishman
Why did you start running?
I started running earlier this year really just to get out of the house. A couple of years ago I gave up my teaching job to be a full-time mum. I love my boys, but spending all day with a toddler and a baby, I was missing adult conversation and having some time to myself. A few of my friends had started running over the last year or two and were really enjoying it, so I thought I'd give it a go too. I've found that running gives me an excuse to get out of the house and running with others is an opportunity for some adult conversation!
What do you like most about running?
I like that I have met a whole new group of people who I probably wouldn’t have met if I hadn’t started running. If I hadn't started running, then I wouldn't have started going along to WFC on a Thursday and wouldn't have met all of you lovely people. I also like the feeling of achievement that you get after doing a run. No matter how hard a run seems to be, I always feel great afterwards.
What aspect of running to you dislike?
I'm really not enjoying running in the mud at the moment!
Favourite race or training run?
I love doing parkrun on a Saturday morning as I love seeing familiar faces each week and feeling part of the parkrun community. I think it's a great way to make sure I have a positive start to the weekend. As I haven't been running for long, I haven't really done many races, but I am looking forward to doing my first 10k race in February.
Running moment you are most proud of?
I am most proud of running this year’s Race for Life. It was the first time I ran a 5k. A few weeks before doing it, I was only running two or three kilometres and didn't think I'd manage to run the whole 5k, so I was very happy when I ran across the finish line.
Favourite cake?
Chocolate!
There are a number of 2019 races now open for entry:
Stubbington 10km is now FULL!!
Romsey 5 is now FULL!!
Winchester 10km: It is being held on the 24th February 2019 and you can enter here: http://offbeat-events.com/event/winchester-10km-road-race/
Eastleigh 10km: It is being held on the 24th March 2019 and you can enter here: https://www.fullonsport.com/event/hendy-eastleigh-10k-2019/profile
There is a new YouTube channel called The Running Channel which has videos covering all manner of running related items. They are short videos which are clear and concise and easy for follow. I would recommend taking a look. It can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX7dV4OPDSutwMUauSD5AAA/featured
Other Fit Club Dates
December 13th - Tinsel Trot
Race Write-ups
Santa Fun Run by Noel Brewster
The Naomi Santa fun run is always good fun, come rain or shine and this year it was both. Everyone was in great spirits as always and being surrounded by 500 other men, women, children and dogs dressed as Santa who wouldn't be. The warm up by the Elves gets everyone even more excited and the kids love the snow at the start and finish!
Having been introduced to the fun run through Winchester fit club and the activities they organise around Winchester, it's great to be part of the group and be there with a great bunch of people to share the day with. We have started going now as a family tradition, it marks the start of the festive season and gets the whole family out exercising together. As the younger ones get older they also want to join in with the run which is great. It's also a worthy charity and raising money for the hospice is very important for families especially at this time of year.
The route is a good one considering it goes through the centre of Winchester. My only comment would be the start and the bottle neck at the start... If the route carried on along the main road and then turned down towards the college by the black boy this could potentially be eliminated I feel!We'll definitely be back next year and as it's become a tradition will probably invest in my own Santa suit!
This week Mike and I were up in Bury St Edmunds for a Friday wedding so took our running gear up thinking it would be fun to try out a new parkrun. However, we did have our doubts arriving back to the hotel in the early hours, but set our alarms dutifully not wanting to let coach James down!! We made it there, only my third parkrun venue, and Mike’s sixth. We ran down from our hotel and arrived a bit early as we weren’t quite sure where the meeting point would be. My first thoughts on arriving were, this parkrun is taken seriously, seeing the number of people warming up everywhere! There were also time grids at the start line for sub 23 and 23-27 minutes.
The run director then played a little tune on the loud speaker which announced the first timers briefing and then once again the tune played to announce the full briefing! Quite a cheerful little start! The run director was lovely and friendly, which was a nice welcome. Now off to the start...
At this point Mike, his calf still not feeling 100%, said to me, I’ll try and keep up with you for as long as I can. I was thinking, this will be my one chance to ‘beat’ him!! But nope, he ran off and had left me behind before we even reached the first corner and I didn’t see him again!!
So the course is two laps of the park, mainly on grass(/mud), with a small section on a paved area past some tennis courts and an area through some trees where you have to jump the roots! The route took us past some football games and a pen of sheep!
There were areas of the course which narrowed and you had to just follow in line, and being a wet day the second lap was particularly slippery in places having already had 200+ runners running over it once! However, in nice dry weather with firm ground it could potentially be a course for a PB?
Whilst it was a pleasant location and if in the area I would do it again, it’s not a course I would go out of my way to do - it’s no Moors Valley Country Park! I could get into this parkrun touristy malarkey though!!
In my quest to get to 100 different parkruns it has become increasingly difficult to get to new venues, with my nearest events not yet done being well over an hour away. And so it was on Saturday morning that I found myself heading up the M3, round the M25 to Rickmansworth parkrun near Watford for event number 99. It was a horrid day with heavy rain and strong winds. This coupled with the need to leave the house at 7:15, really made me question my sanity! A fellow tourist and friend, also called James, and Elsie accompanied me on my trip.
We arrived at around 8:30 and Elsie immediately set about jumping in puddles. She didn't seem phased by the rubbish weather, much to the amusement of the other parkrunners. After the first timers briefing we headed down to the start area and with minimal fuss we were off and running.
The course was a two lap route around a lake and was flat. On a nicer day it would've been a quick run, but the standing water and puddles made it a little slippery under foot, so caution was needed. Running with the buggy was also tricky as there were long sections where it was fairly narrow and passing opportunities were limited.
About 3/4 of the way round the first lap elsie kindly announced that she needed a, shall we say, comfort break. We pulled off of the route and found a secluded spot so that she could do what the proverbial bears normally do in the woods. Once that was out of the way we found ourselves fairly near the back of the pack, however this also meant that we had clear air in front of us so could really go for it! The second lap flew by as we passed a number of runners on our quest to make up as much time as we could. We managed to finish in just under 30 minutes in the end...not bad considering the prolonged stop!
The cafe afterwards was lovely, but not the cheapest, however they did have an amazing range of cakes! There are loos on site and plenty of free parking. It's not one that I will probably ever head back to, but I'm really glad I visited.
Next up for me in Winchester on the 8th and Brooklands on the 15th for my 100th different venue.
General Announcements
WFC parkrun Club
Winchester Fit Club Runners is set-up as a club with parkrun. If you go into your profile (there is a link to it on the parkrun results email and newsletter email) you can select your club. Change yours to Winchester Fit Club Runners and you will appear in the consolidated club report that we get each week.
WFC Runners WhatsApp Group
There is a WFC Runners WhatsApp chat group where we generally just wang on about running, races and cake. If you are not already part of this then please get in contact with Coach James or Coach Mike who will add you.
WFC Runners Strava Club
If you are a Strava user there is a Winchester Fit Club Runners club page. This can be accessed here: https://www.strava.com/clubs/WFC-Runners. Request to join and we will approve!
Booking onto sessions
Booking onto our training sessions enables the coaches to plan the session accordingly. You can book on in the following location: https://winchesterfitclub.simplybook.it/v2/
Race Calendar
Here is an updated race calendar. If you have any others that you wish to add, please let me know!
Resolution Run (6 hour challenge, 4.4 miles laps) – 6th Jan 2019
Stubbington 10km - 13th January 2019
Romsey 5 - 27th January 2019:
http://offbeat-events.com/event/romsey-5-mile-run/
Farnborough Winter Half and 5km – 27th January 2019
Farnborough Winter Half and 5km – 27th January 2019
Ryde 10 - 3rd February 2019
http://www.rydeharriers.co.uk/the-ryde-10-mile-road-race/
Portsmouth Coastal Half - 3rd February 2019
Longleat 10km - 3rd February 2019
https://www.letsdothis.com/e/longleat-10k
Bramley 20 and 10 milers – 17th February 2019
http://www.rydeharriers.co.uk/the-ryde-10-mile-road-race/
Portsmouth Coastal Half - 3rd February 2019
Longleat 10km - 3rd February 2019
https://www.letsdothis.com/e/longleat-10k
Hampton Palace Half – 17th February 2019
Winchester 10km - 24th Feb 2019
Wokingham Half - 24th Feb 2019
https://www.letsdothis.com/e/wokingham-half-marathon-17697#source=header_search
Batty Bimble (6 hour challenge, 3.1 miles laps) – 3rd March 2019
Batty Bimble (6 hour challenge, 3.1 miles laps) – 3rd March 2019
Eastleigh 10K - 17th March 2019
Hampton Court Palace Half - 17th March 2019
London Landmarks Half - Ballot - 24th March 2019
https://www.llhm.co.uk
https://www.llhm.co.uk
Wickham 20 – 31st March 2019
Manchester Marathon - 7th April 2019
Brighton Marathon - 14th April 2019
Salisbury 10 - 14th April 2019
https://www.evententry.co.uk/the-rod-smith-salisbury-10-mile-road-race
Goodwood Marathon, Half, 10km and 5km - 14th April 2019https://www.evententry.co.uk/the-rod-smith-salisbury-10-mile-road-race
https://www.runninggrandprix.com/event/goodwood-half-marathon/
London Marathon - 28th April 2019
May the Forth (6 hour challenge, 3.3 miles laps) – 4th May
Revenge of the Fifth (6 hour challenge, 3.3 miles laps) – 5th May
Alton 10 - 12th May 2019
Netley 10K - 19th May 2019
Hook 10K - 19th May 2019
Alresford 10K - 16th June 2019
Liverpool Rock and Roll - 25th May 2019
Endure 24 - 14th-16th June 2019
Salisbury 5,4,3,2,1 (50km, Marathon, Half) - 11th August 2019
http://salisbury54321.com/index.html
Gravel Hill 5 - 17th August 2019
https://secondwindrunning.co.uk/p/races
Midnight Marathon - 17th August 2019
https://secondwindrunning.co.uk/p/races
Maidenhead Half Marathon - 1st September 2019
https://www.theraceorganiser.com/race-course-map/maidenhead-half-marathon-half-marathon-01-09-2019-08-30
Baccus Half - 8th September
https://www.209events.com/uk-running-events/surrey_bacchus_marathon_and_half_marathon
New Forest Marathon, Half, 10km, 5km - 8th September 2019
https://www.newforestmarathon.co.uk/the-race/race-entry/
Great North Run - 8th September 2019
https://www.greatrun.org/great-north-run
Swindon Half Marathon - 8th September 2019
https://www.newswindonhalf.co.uk
Bristol Half - 15th September 2019
https://www.greatrun.org/great-bristol-half-marathon
Winchester Half - 22nd September 2019
Berlin Marathon - 29th Sept 2019
Blenheim Half - 29th Sept 2019
https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/events/runs/blenheim-palace-half-marathon-10k-and-family-fun-run/individual-registrationSalisbury Half Marathon - 29th September 2019
https://www.salisburyhalf.com
Clarendon Marathon - 6th October 2019
https://www.clarendon-marathon.co.uk
Great South Run - 20th October 2019
https://www.greatrun.org/great-south-run
Dublin Marathon - 27th Oct 2019
http://sseairtricitydublinmarathon.ie
http://sseairtricitydublinmarathon.ie
Royal Parks Half - Ballot - Oct 2019
https://royalparkshalf.com
https://royalparkshalf.com
As ever, if you have any submissions for the next blog then please send them through to WFCrunners@gmail.com
Happy Running!
Coach James
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Kit pictures and prices
Kit pictures and prices
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