Firstly this week I would like to welcome Simon and Jenny to the running club coaching team! Simon and Jenny both took their Leadership in Running Fitness course (LiRF), qualifying them to lead our Fit Club sessions. These qualifications are funded by your subs and shows that we are keen to invest in insuring that the club has a strong future and can offer the best quality sessions and coaching for our athletes. Huge thank you to Simon and Jenny for giving up their time and for committing to helping the club grow. This week we also had a couple of members racing. Sarah Geddes was at the Surrey half in Woking. This is described as
“...chip-timed 13.1 mile run following a professionally marked and measured single loop along fully-closed roads from central Woking into the surrounding countryside.”
Despite going off a little quickly, Sarah ran a superb 2:05:36 which was a PB by a minute.
Also this weekend we had Milli running the Larmer Tree Marathon. This is a White Star event set on the Rushmoor Estate in North Dorset. It is a predominately trail run and as such was really muddy underfoot. Not only that but there was a whopping 3000ft of elevation. Despite this Milli ran a superb 6:56:21 for the nearly 27 mile course!
Congratulations to both of you!
parkrun 29th February
This week we had 28 registered Fit Clubbers at 7 different parkrun venues.
We had 9 at Winchester, James at Chasewater, Shelley and Ben at Mountbatten School, Rachel, Simon, Alex, Greame, Kathy, Catherine, Allen, Mike and Anna at Itchen Valley, Alice at Whiteley, Glenna and Dave at Merthyr and Elise, Jenny, Sheelagh, and Katie at Southampton.
We also had Sarah L at Big Bay parkrun in Cape Town, South Africa. She was joined by parkrun founder and all round lovely chap, Paul Sinton-Hewitt!
There were course PB’s at Southampton for Elise (25:45), Katie (23:34) and Sheelagh (28:27) and a course PB at Itchen Valley for Anna H (24:29). Congratulations everyone!!
Thank you to everyone who ran and volunteered.
Here is a link to the consolidated club report: http://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=26888&eventdate=2020-03-07
If you have yet to register as Fit Club then all you have to do is go to your parkrun profile (link in the results email) and select Winchester Fit Club RC as your club. You will then appear on our results!
Race Reports
Itchen Valley parkrun by Anna Hastie
Chasewater parkrun by James White
This weekend we were visiting our friends in Stoke and so I had an opportunity to visit another new parkrun location. Having already done the majority of the venues in the area my nearest I hadn't been to was at a place called Chasewater, near Walsall.
We had a kid's birthday party at 10:30am and it was 45 minutes away so I had to make sure I got round quickly and made a quick getaway! Fortunately I had done my homework!
Chasewater parkrun is one lapper around the Chasewater reservoir. The start/finish is right next to the carpark as are the cafe and loos. all very convenient for a quick getaway! We arrived in plenty of time but I spent far too long faffing around getting the kids ready to run and then taking Elsie for a wee and we ended up missing the first timers briefing. I asked a regular about the course and they just said "keep the lake on your right and follow the person in front". Sound advice.
After the usual pre-run announcements we were off. The first part of the route was all on closed roads and led us round past the Chasewater heritage steam railway station. It was a nice wide road which meant I was able to overtake and run freely right from the start. A rare luxury with the double buggy!
We then headed into the nature reserve around the top portion of the lake. Although this was still fairly flat there was a fair few puddles to contend with and a couple of narrow bridges to cross, so progress was slowed somewhat. This was more than made up for by the lovely surroundings!
As we rounded the top of the lake we came back on to the roads so my pace was able to increase again. About a km from the finish we turned and came up on to the reservoir wall with the lake to our right and a drop away to the left. It was only a single width path so overtaking was difficult. We dropped back down to the main path and turned back towards the start. A short sprint finish and we were done! I got scanned quickly and we headed on our way (making the party with 15 minutes to spare!
Itchen Valley parkrun by Anna Hastie
It was around midnight when we decided to go to the inaugural parkrun at Itchen Valley after a suggestion from our friend Dave who we often go parkrun touring with. With all the local parkrun’s cancelled (Winchester, Southampton, Eastleigh, Mountbatten), and with it being the first event, we expected it to be a busy one. It was, but it wasn’t crazy with about 270 runners.
It was easy arriving, parking and finding the start, and there was a buzz in the atmosphere with the excitement of a new course!
3, 2, 1 and the course starts by charging across a field! Straight away we were running through what can best be described as a swamp! My feet vanished below mud and water! With mud flying everywhere I couldn’t help but smile as so many feet splashed through! We were then on a very short section of path before doing a lap of the field and past the start.
photo credit to Paul Hammond
We then headed onto trail paths, winding through the trees. You can’t help but be happy running through these wiggly paths with no idea where you are going! Even on a dreary day it was pretty! It was during this that I though ahhh this is a bit easier than running on the field.... until...
Oh! We popped out back into another field, sludging through deep mud, trying not to slide backwards as the uphill’s appeared! It was somewhere around this point I looked at my watch, feeling exhausted realising I was only half way through!
Photo credits to Paul Hammond
We then went into a third field which we ran around the top, and then zigzagged our way down emerging back onto trail paths. From here it was winding once again through the trees until we emerged at the finish by the cafe. The finish took me by surprise, seeming to appear out of nowhere!
I looked down at my legs and feet and thought wow that’s a lot of mud! And also, I should have brought a change of clothes or a towel to protect Dave’s car!!
I absolutely loved it! I was smiling from start to finish and could just feel the happiness in the atmosphere with everyone feeling the same! There is no way you can avoid the mud on this course you have to embrace it and everyone really did!
The organisation was fantastic, the number of volunteers giving up the opportunity to run the first event was incredible. So big shout out to them. The marshals all so smiley and definitely needed on this winding course! There was a lovely cafe at the end and they even put out a hose and wooden pallet so that we could hose the mud off our legs and shoes. There is also a dog shower if needed!
One more big positive, it’s a one lap course! You don’t see many of them! I’m not sure even in the summer when the sun is shining and the ground is firm that it will be a quick course, but it will remain a very fun and beautiful course. It’s great that this course is so nearby as I imagine we will be paying a few more visits to here!
In fact, when discussing possible touring options for this weekend, Catherine suggested heading to Itchen Valley, and I was more than happy to go again for the second event! There was about half the number of people there but pretty much the same amount of mud! Trail shoes are a must....as Graeme will attest to! (muddy bum alert!!).
In comparison, Winchester will never feel muddy again!!
This weekend we were visiting our friends in Stoke and so I had an opportunity to visit another new parkrun location. Having already done the majority of the venues in the area my nearest I hadn't been to was at a place called Chasewater, near Walsall.
We had a kid's birthday party at 10:30am and it was 45 minutes away so I had to make sure I got round quickly and made a quick getaway! Fortunately I had done my homework!
Chasewater parkrun is one lapper around the Chasewater reservoir. The start/finish is right next to the carpark as are the cafe and loos. all very convenient for a quick getaway! We arrived in plenty of time but I spent far too long faffing around getting the kids ready to run and then taking Elsie for a wee and we ended up missing the first timers briefing. I asked a regular about the course and they just said "keep the lake on your right and follow the person in front". Sound advice.
After the usual pre-run announcements we were off. The first part of the route was all on closed roads and led us round past the Chasewater heritage steam railway station. It was a nice wide road which meant I was able to overtake and run freely right from the start. A rare luxury with the double buggy!
We then headed into the nature reserve around the top portion of the lake. Although this was still fairly flat there was a fair few puddles to contend with and a couple of narrow bridges to cross, so progress was slowed somewhat. This was more than made up for by the lovely surroundings!
As we rounded the top of the lake we came back on to the roads so my pace was able to increase again. About a km from the finish we turned and came up on to the reservoir wall with the lake to our right and a drop away to the left. It was only a single width path so overtaking was difficult. We dropped back down to the main path and turned back towards the start. A short sprint finish and we were done! I got scanned quickly and we headed on our way (making the party with 15 minutes to spare!
The course was beautiful and really good fun. It's always great to have a one lap course and this one was particularly quick. I'd love to go back and try it again without the buggy.
Challenge - Week 9
The scoring for the number of runs is the same as block 1 and 2 (points = %age of runs completed up to a max of 100). The points for the long run element of the challenge are based on the %age of distance covered. The points are therefore as follows per week:
25 points for 100% (or more)
20 points for 80-99.99%
15 points for 60-79.99
10 points for 50-59.99
0 points for less than 50%
Therefore if you predict 10 miles and run 10 miles you get 25 points. If you run 8.5 miles you would get 20 points and if you ran less than 5 miles you would get nothing!
Lastly, your predicted time earns you points based on how close you are %age wise to the time you declared. i.e. if you predicted 25mins for 5km and you ran 26mins you would be 4% out. You would therefore earn 96 points (100-4). You lose points for being slower OR FASTER than your predicted time. Therefore if you ran 24mins you would also earn 96 points. The reason for this is that the challenge should enable you to dial in to your fastest pace and give you a better understanding of what you are capable of.
Best of luck everyone!!
This week we had a couple more runners drop out, but we still have 40 runners vying for the challenge win. Of those 40 a huge 33 still have maximum points and 14 have played their wildcards.
The first of the race predictions has already come in, with Sarah G only 36 seconds out from her half marathon prediction. This gave her a huge 99.52 points out of a possible 100. Well done Sarah!!
Here is the league table:
| Name | Block 1 | Block 2 | Block 3 | Total |
| Alf Rodway | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Ali Longman | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Alice Dewsnap | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Allen Westoby | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Andy Mant | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Anne Arnold | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Ben Howett | 375 | 465 | 125 | 965 |
| Catherine Mulrine | 300 | 500 | 125 | 925 |
| Catherine Westoby | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Charles Mason | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Colin Burville | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Elise Gilbert | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Fran Hansford | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Glenna Greenslade | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Graeme Read | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Issy Mansfield | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| James White | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Jenny Leishman | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Jo Hindle | 400 | 467 | 125 | 992 |
| Karen Parker | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Kathy Read | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Lucy Gardner | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Lucy Rhodes | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Lynn McKeague | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Marie-Clare Menez | 367 | 425 | 125 | 917 |
| Matt Mandelbaum | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Philippa Drew | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Rachel Mills | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Sally Boyden | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Sarah Geddes | 350 | 450 | 199.52 | 999.52 |
| Sarah Lewis | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Sarah Robinson | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Sharon Smith | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Sheelagh Evans | 267 | 500 | 92 | 859 |
| Shelley Talbot | 400 | 480 | 125 | 1005 |
| Simon Boyden | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Simon Mills | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Simon Robinson | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Stefan Kemp | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
| Trish Heaton | 400 | 500 | 125 | 1025 |
General Announcements
WFC Running Club Calendar
Dates for your diary:
12th March - Badger Farm Starbucks
19th March - Dean Lane Park
23rd March - Track Session, Bar End Track
26th March - South Winchester park and ride
Sally's Marathon JourneyYou can follow Sally B's Marathon journey in her blog: http://sallymarathon.home.blog
Sally is also fundraising for Winchester Hospice. Her JustGiving page can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/Sal
WFC parkrun Club
Winchester Fit Club RC 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 RC and you will appear in the consolidated club report that we get each week.
WFC Runners WhatsApp Group
There is a WFC Running Club 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 Facebook Group
There is a WFC Runners Facebook page where we put the blog posts, news and race pictures. Follow the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/976444695871618/
WFC Runners Strava Club
Booking onto sessions
Booking onto our training sessions enables the coaches to plan the session accordingly. You can book on through the Fit Club website: http://www.winchesterfitclub.co.uk/
Race Calendar
The race calendar is now stored here: https://wfcrunners.blogspot.com/2019/01/race-calendar-2019-and-beyond.html
Training Kit
The method of ordering training kit will be changing shortly with it all being available through the main website...watch this space!
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