My couch to 5k experience by Claire Bartlett

My couch to 5k experience In July 2017 I needed a new fitness challenge. I was currently spending up to £90.00 per month on my fitness regime and about 8 hours a week in time! I was getting no-where fast with my weight loss and seemed to be working really hard at the gym. Something needed to change……On the horizon looming in the background was another massive challenge for me…..My ‘Gap Year! (quite scary at 45yrs old!) In October 2017 I am leaving my job, my house and my routine to travel around the world – I was worried that I would not be able to do my usual ‘sports regime’ whist travelling, also I needed to save every penny I could for my travels……What could I possibly do??   I saw on a friends FB page that Leighton Fun Runners were offering the Couch to 5k programme for just £10.00 for 9 weeks – Making £1.11 per week! I had heard exceptionally good reports on the C25k programme, but I have never liked running as I seemed to run for a few minutes, get puffed out and then have to walk to recover – My breathing seemed wrong! So I took the plunge………….I was told I needed ‘comfy clothes and a pair of trainers’ – sounded right up my street!   So Week One was suddenly here……We met at the clubhouse, registered and was welcomed with open arms by Debbie and the other volunteers, who would become our friends, our rock’s and our motivators! The nerves were there, but after a warm-up walk to the park and a few group stretches…..we were off…..The first challenge was to run for 1 minute and then walk for 1 minute…..sounds easy right? Well let me tell you…I was scared…..but the encouragement of the volunteers and the other C25k participants we got through it! Then onto the homework….to complete this exercise twice more before next Monday. I decided that Wednesday mornings and Saturday mornings would be my running days, which gave me some rest days in between. We were split into ‘local’ groups, meaning that people would make friends and meet up outside of the programme to compete the homework – An excellent idea!   Before I knew it week two and three had arrived and I had done the homework on my own! Yet again the support from the club volunteers was amazing. An even better turn out of participants and we were off…… again we got through it. The homework was set and weekly e-mails arrived. Our very own Facebook page was created and friends were made for life! I’m not going to lie, it did get harder and harder, but with the continued support of LFR, one run on my own and one with a friend the weeks passed quickly. I downloaded a C25K app, which logged all my runs. Who knew I would run over 100k over the programme?!   Each week we met with my newly found friends, which brought stories of trials and tribulations. People were experiencing good runs and not so good runs. The best thing for me was at no point did I feel alone! Then ‘All the gear – No idea’ was born. Each week people came with new running shoes (me!), New training tops, Luminous jackets and all sorts of clippy on things! When the nights started drawing in all kinds of lights appeared and on one of our last runs we must have looked like ‘Hobbling Christmas trees’!   The social side of the club really inspired me, lots of top tips, advice, help and encouragement every week. Before I knew it I found myself running for 30 minutes WITHOUT stopping……my biggest achievement so far!   We then shifted our focus on miles/kms rather than time – this opened up a whole new way of thinking for me! It was about the same time Sir Mo Farah ended his running career – Never before had I realised what a MACHINE that man is/has been. He runs 21kms in 59 minutes, never before had I realised the comparison….I run 5kms in 40 minutes, but we all have to start somewhere right??!!   Two weeks before the end of the C25k I enrolled on my first ever Park Run – Let me tell you it’s a while new world out there – 9am Saturday mornings EVERYWHERE around the world…….It’s not a race, it’s a run……We are so lucky to have the fabulous Rushmere Park just next door where the views are breathtaking, but also it bring a few ‘rolling hills’. A totally new challenge for me! But, guess what, I DID IT! I got to bang the ‘Rushmere Gong!   Then the final week came – we were invite to run with the ‘proper’ running club – what a privilege! The nerves were back, but yet again I completed it and suddenly there was TEA & CAKE……oh yes! Along with a certificate too!   To top it all off, the first ever LFR 5k Race was perfect timing – I did not run myself, but I went along and supported the others, which was great fun for the whole family (and of course, there was CAKE!)   I know the other C25k members will join me in saying a massive thank you to Debbie Rolf, David Ayres and Viv Nicholson (to name just a few) – we all salute you – You have given as so much of your time, energy, top tips and most of all encouragement….we thank you all!   Who knew that running could bring us Unicorn training sessions in our ears (from the app), disco lights attached to our PE kits but most of all it’s turned us from couch potato’s into proper runners!!   To sum up It’s been the best tenner I’ve spent in ages. I have met so many like minded people, running can be fun! I smashed the ‘Rushmere Gong’ at Park Run, I smashed the fears I had 9 weeks ago when I started my running journey…..running for a whole minute terrified me, and now I looking at completing a Park Run in Singapore!! Thank you LFR, I honestly could not have done it without you guys!

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Drunken discussion overheard in the Black Lion 3 years ago…..

Drunken discussion overheard in the Black Lion 3 years ago..... "What's wrong with you" I asked, "Really! Me, run up that hill!! But it's covered in mud! What do you mean there's a stream to jump when you get round the corner! Is this what you normally do for fun on a winters morning! Oh, tea, rolls and cake you say! Oh, F@&k it, I'm in. Must be your round". I understand that this is how most people get into cross country.   So I signed up to run in the Three Counties Cross Country league for LFR after being a club member for one month. Some may say that I should've known better, others that there is no better fun. I couldn't agree more with the latter.   My first race was Dunstable on a cold damp Sunday morning, taking on a few hills and a little mud. I only knew a few club members at this point but during the 5m trek I met So many more amazing runners, Martin, Colin, Graeme and Ed and they all mentioned the cake. The other amazing thing I picked up on was the team spirit and great sense of fun that comes with XC.   So what's it all about? Well, it's no different to any other race except it's on trails, grass and mud. Each race is approximately 4-5m distance for which I suggest you invest in Trail shoes or even spikes if the weather has been particularly damp! As a full club member, entry is free as are the rolls, tea and cake after running. For anyone who has taken part in XC or Greensand and experienced the amazing camaraderie, this is your year to give XC a blast. We want to see a monumental turnout (whatever your speed) for LFR, just like there has been at road races this year, and this is how you do it.   Email Jane with your name, age and date of birth. jane.crighton@hotmail.co.uk   There are five races in the season and as LFR (the amazing Jane and her team) are organising the league, we won't be hosting a race for the next two years:   22nd Oct - Wellingborough 12th Nov - Wootton 26th Nov - Dunstable 17th Dec - Letchworth 14th Jan - Biggleswade   http://threecountiesxc.co.uk/3CXC_Index.html   There will be a warm up club run on 14th October as a bit of fun or the warm up race on 15th October at Ampthill, which a rather young Mo Farah once won.   http://www.ampthilltrophy.org.uk/   There is also the Bedfordshire XC championship on Saturday 6th January which is at Stowe National Trust property where we plan to enter a team.   So sign up and join the party (do bring spare shoes and a warm top)   IT'LL BE AWESOME - GO LFR

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LFR parkrun according to TC

What is parkrun If you had a dictionary the definition of Parkrun would be - a free, timed, 5k run in pleasant parkland surroundings in thousands of locations around the world. They are open to everyone, are safe and easy to take part in. Just register on the dedicated website, print your personal barcode and away you go (this barcode is specific to you and valid at all parkrun’s worldwide).  The story began back in 2004 when 13 runners got together on a blustery day in Bushy Park in the UK; that run has now grown to an international family of over half a million runners each week (and counting). My own personal journey began on the 26th February 2011 at Willen Lake, Milton Keynes. My friend and I were out walking, in the vain attempt to get fit, and after weeks of watching runners come flying by I decided to take the plunge. I plucked up the courage to give it a go and my first memory was walking from the carpark to see all these fit athletic people warming up; I had obviously only ever seen the back runners on my previous travels 😊 and all I remember thinking was ‘Ok just run back to the car now!!!’ I decided that as I was there I would give it a go. Nobody knew me so I could always bail out half way round and never go back…no one would be any the wiser. Well I got through that first 5k and have never looked back since. Milton Keynes parkrun is now such a success that it has grown from just over 100 runners a week in 2011 to over 500+ a week today. In January 2016, I was visiting relatives in Leighton Buzzard and decided to go for a walk at Rushmere; that was where I came across a sign advertising the Rushmere Parkrun.  Being a bit of a veteran (Parkrun veteran that is) I thought I would give it a go so on the 16th January my Rushmere Parkrun journey began. I soon became friends with Tam Quinn and Dave Ayres who both gave me some fun banter/encouragement and they asked which running club I belong to. Time and again I said I wasn’t with a running club and just happy to run on my own and turn up to Parkrun as and when I felt. Ok, so that didn’t last long and by October I had not only become a Run Director at Rushmere Parkrun, I joined LFR in November and was voted onto their committee in February. Then to go one step further in June of this year I have become the Co-Events Director at Rushmere Parkrun. Who would have thought that back in Feb 2011 when I was only going to do the one run, I have now managed 172 Parkrun’s and volunteered 80 times and met loads of friends along the way. Here is a glimpse of what happens behind the scenes so that people can run on a Saturday; Keep eye on emails for volunteers that are offering to help (this is an ongoing process) Tuesday/Wednesday - look at the roster for the coming Saturday and see if we need to send out an appeal for volunteers - if we do, an email/post on Facebook goes out and then it’s a case of sitting tight and hoping someone will fill a role…if they do the event can go ahead safely as planned. Thursday/Friday - a reminder email goes out telling volunteers who the Run Director is and the times to meet at Rushmere.  The Run Director also checks who has all the equipment and make sure it’s charged up and ready to go for Saturday. Saturday – this is the day that matters!! Turn up an 8 o’clock for the pre-event walk round, check the course and put out all the safety signs. Meet all the volunteers in the car park for a briefing and then the marshal’s go off to their allocated positions, whilst the rest of us set up in the field waiting to see how many are going to turn up. This is always an amazing sight as we go from a couple of people milling about to 100 + in the blink of an eye. New runners get briefed separately, followed quickly by the run director’s talk to everyone on safety and Parkrun announcements.   It’s then off to the start line where we count down and the runners are off. We wait at the finish line and cheer everyone round the 1st lap and then welcome them across the line on the 2nd.  Once all the runners are back the fun/nerves set in as we have to record all the results (hoping that this week there isn’t going to be any gremlins in the system). Once all the results are processed the runners get an email with position and times.  It’s then a case of putting a post on Facebook and keeping an eye on emails to see if anyone has a query with their time (thankfully that doesn’t happen to often). Coffee time and then we start all over again. If you haven’t tried the Parkrun experience then why not come along – just remember, don’t forget to register and bring your barcode.  No barcode......No time!!! Tracy (TC) x

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LEIGHTON 5K is HERE!

LFR announce their new race: The Leighton 5K   August 2017: Leighton Fun Runners are pleased to announce their new race, the sister race to their springtime 10k, The Leighton 5k. The inaugural event will take place on October 1st 2017 and will comprise a mostly off-road course around the Tiddenfoot area of Leighton Buzzard. The club is keen to encourage young people into sport along with people that ordinarily might not consider entering a race. Full details and entry can be found here 

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Continental 24Hour Thunder Run

Exactly what is a fun time where running is concerned? We are the fun runners, right? We are supposed to know about such things, so its no surprise that we get involved in races such as the Continental 24 hour Thunder Run. Put simply it’s an off-road 10K trail and you compete to finish as many of these 10k laps as possible in 24 hours! What could possibly go wrong?We assembled a crack team of 7 to tackle the event as a team and take the fun to Walton-on-trent where we would eventually clock up 27 laps / 162 miles between us, but that’s a mere detail. The weekend was always going to be a laugh, whatever laps we managed.Starting weeks in advance the team was busy making plans. Who was going to bring a tent? who was going to run in the dark? Who was going to make breakfast? You know…the important stuff! With the details sorted, the checklist assembled we headed out in 3 cars up to the venue and met up on site on the Saturday morning. The first thing that struck me was the sheer scale of the event. Make no mistake, this is not some small backwater event, this is massive! It looked like we were driving through Woodstock in the 60’s or Glastonbury or something with oceans of tents and flags laid out as far as you could see. After eventually finding our camping spot, we got registered, pitched out tents, put up the LFR banner (very importantly) and got about the serious business of having a cup of tea. Laura Thompson had drawn the short straw and was first to run, so we all went up to see her off on the start line, meeting superman, wonder-woman, batman and all manner of fancy dress enthusiasts on the way.The atmosphere was electric with everyone clearly looking forward to the event, as we soaked it all up in the sizzling heat under the sun.And so it began, 24 hours of running, interspersed with tea, banter and lots of supporting of our team and anyone else we felt needed a pick up, and towards the end lots of people needed that!The first runs were brutal…it was a very hot day and the course was challenging in that it contained a few big climbs, a lot of tight twists and turns and plenty of tree roots to pick tired feet over. What was funny, though, was our game-plan went out of the window after about 3 laps. Pre-event, we had conservatively estimated about an hour per lap and this was our general expectation, however, fairly soon it became apparent to us that rather than saving ourselves and conservatively aiming for this figure, we were all racing every lap like crazy nutters and going for it LFR style! Plan B was quickly adopted which was as simple as it gets….run like hell and see how many laps we can manage and worry about getting tired later! Given the course and the heat, we were all wrecked after the first set, but did that stop us? Did that dampen our spirits? Hell no!! Bring on more tea!! We went into the night runs with the same wilful abandon of common sense and raced hard right through the night! Some like running off road at night, and some don’t. Its just one of those things, so we divided up our schedule to accommodate the team’s abilities and preferences. Chris Taylor did the last daylight shift, then Mark Beesely, Claire Twigg and myself took the dark hours as this was more of our thing….and if that’s your thing too, then this is definitely the event for you!! The night runs were awesome, racing up through the trees, with a headtorch lighting your way, leaping over roots, occasionally crashing into things…it was awesome and the three of us loved every minute. Then came sunset, and Janice Lamont, Laura Thompson and Julie Wallace took the reins as we hit the morning sun again.The last set of runs were hard on the body. No sleep, and running everything at 110% meant we were all completely wrecked but Chris’s porridge and yet more tea to the rescue and the LFR team spirit kicked in and we willed each other through it, right up until Julie came down the finish straight on the last lap and we all joined her for the last 100 meters.Of course, no LFR event would be the same if we didn’t go to the bar to celebrate at the end, but also to celebrate the teamwork that went into it! This was through and through a team event, everyone pulling together to bring something to the party and to support not just each other but the whole running fraternity. It was something to be proud of being part of.Driving back we reflected on the laughs over the weekend and what struck all of us was just how much fun we had in such a relatively short space of time. It was over too soon, but to address the point at the start of this blog about what exactly is a fun time where running is concerned…well this is it!! I had not done a race like that before, but sure enough I will be lining up to get another team together next year for this event, so watch this space… 

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What makes a race a great event? by Vicky Green

I recently read an interesting stream of chat on Facebook about the price of entry in to a race in London. There was…

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Coaching Sessions by Coach Warby

Coaching sessions – what to expect if you turn up…. You may have seen / heard that over the last six or…

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The Ultimate Cliche! by Alicia Higham

The Ultimate Cliche I am a massive cliche. I got engaged and started running in order to 'get in shape' for my wedding. When I say running, I mean dragging myself to a fairly manky gym near my office in London and punishing myself on a treadmill amidst the smell of sweat and what I can only conclude was a dodgy drainage system. I followed this horrible regime for a few months, fitted nicely into my dress and therefore achieved my goal of 'being in shape'. The wedding was great, the honeymoon even better and being in Italy involved wine and pizza in obscene proportions. That was two years ago. I never returned to the gym after the honeymoon and before recent developments, I hadn't run since. Told you: massive cliche.  On June 24th 2016, new to Leighton Buzzard, I was standing on the station platform muttering into my phone about the Brexit result when I noticed a blonde girl next to me doing exactly the same thing. We lamented, worried and chatted all the way to London and this wasn't just a fling, no, this was the start of a beautiful commuter friendship with someone that went on to mention 'the running club' a few times (running club, ha! not something I would ever do, not me, nosiree, I didn't understand why anyone would want to run unless they absolutely had to).  It took one Tuesday night social run that Alice coaxed me to for me to understand it. The penny dropped about half round when I was thinking, 'I need to stop, I can't do this' and someone, a stranger at the time panted at me, 'you're doing really well!' All of a sudden, I had motivation, positivity, energy even - could I do this? Yeah, probably (as long as they stuck strictly to three miles and let me have the odd breather).  I realised very quickly that running in a group is a completely different, vastly preferable experience to running on your own or frequenting a nasty gym with Bieber on a loop at all times. In a group, you keep going for longer, not because anyone is forcing you but just because you're motivated to keep up and there's constant encouragement and good vibes. I'm still pretty new and I've only been on three social runs (and one park run, which I loved and banged that gong with panache), but already I've got to know people who I genuinely like spending time with and, added bonus, I've really got to know Leighton Buzzard! I had no idea before doing the run from The Hare, that there was a beautiful place to walk/run just five minutes away from my front door! I've also surprised myself with what I can achieve, ok it's not much to you seasoned marathon runners, but for someone that hasn't run since the week before their wedding in 2015, I've done ok!  I'm still right at the beginning of my running venture, I don't yet see myself as 'a runner', hell, I still run in my pyjama top and own only one pair of running shoes, but I'm enjoying it. The lovely thing about LFR is that people are encouraging but not forceful, motivating but not intense. You don't feel daunted or judged, just happy to be involved and when you've finished, a teensy bit smug.  I daresay I'm not the only person that was dead set against running, using it only as a means to an end at one particular time only to find that they actually quite like it and want to continue with it. So, still a cliche it would seem! But I think I prefer this kind.    

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Welsh 1000m race 2017 by David Malatynski

Welsh 1000m Race 2017 Welsh 1000m Race 2017 Class: Short Challenge Race, 12km over rugged terrain including three 1000m peaks (Glyder Fawr 1001m, Carnedd Ugain 1065m, Snowdon 1085m).   The race was delayed due to the usual briefing, but the weather was shining and everyone was in good spirits. Both the Short Fell and Challenge Races set off at the same time, to a veteran shouting 1 2 3! The track begins flat but boggy with many stepping stones to help you along. After a few hundred meters, it’s a near vertical scramble up the deceptively difficult waterfall path. Once at the top it was time for a quick run to the bottom of Y Gribin Ridge. Y Gribin ridge was described as a “scramble of the easiest grade”, except it isn’t. Sheer drops coupled with slippery stones topped off with the fact I am terrified of heights! At the top of the ridge and once I had caught my breath I set off towards the first checkpoint, Glyder Fawr Summit. The path from the ridge was mostly flat but the ground was littered with boulders, rocks and jagged stones. After a careful but speedy run, I had completed the first 1000m ascent! A swift 90o turn and I was off down the side of Glyder Fawr trying to find the right track – too late! After descending the steep rocky terrain, I ended up in the place I wished to avoid, the bog! Trudging on with wet feet eventually I could see the car park at Pen Y Pass, the half way mark. After a quick pit stop at the Pen Y Pass refreshment stand, I was off again for the final half. The beginning of the Pyg Track is no easy feat but thankfully it flattens out within half a mile. Up and over the sty, picking up speed along the flatter sections of the track whenever the tourists allow! Scrambling is required at the usual bottle necks to avoid queues and eventually the ZigZig track appears, along with a clear view of both Carnedd Ugain and Snowdon Summit. After winding up the ZigZags, amongst the traffic, I reached the Copa summit stone at the saddle (next to the railway). With Snowdon summit in sight after a gruelling day, I turned my back on it and begin the ascent of Carnedd Ugain! Once I had bleeped the checkpoint at the top of Carnedd Ugain it was a quick 180o turn and back down to the saddle. From there the summit of Snowdon could be seen but a few hundred metres away. A gentle, but slogged, ascent up to the Summit to the last checkpoint and…bleep! It was finally over…except the 5 miles walk down the slowly descending Llanberis Path. Back down in Llanberis the results were revealed and I achieved my target – fastest M60 with a time of 3 hours and 12 minutes! If anyone is interested in partaking next year (you must be mad!) please contact Dai Mal.   To Top things off, I have since discovered that Dai won the men's pairs race and the over 60's with a new record time - GO LFR

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Thursday and we’re tired again!

Thursday and we're tired again! Another week of our lives has nearly passed by and the Green family have again reached the level of tiredness that only those with children will understand! How do we do it I've been asked? There are many things that bring it all together but here are our secrets. Planning, we have a family diary that works 12 months ahead of where we are including holidays, school holidays, childcare, races, birthdays, etc. If there is something we want to do, we add the approx. date into the diary along with the date we expect entry/tickets/flights to go on sale. We plan a rough training schedule around the race dates and since February, all LFR club nights and committee meetings have also entered the list. About two weeks in advance we transfer all the information onto a weekly sheet which includes menu's, additional work requirements, after school activities, date night and most importantly who's running where and when. Edison now wakes at 5am and requires constant entertainment (and food), whilst Arriana thinks she is a teenager at times, but hey, these are just things all parents have to deal with. To us the children are always at their happiest being outside, in the woods, at races, club nights, camping, walks, bike rides etc. So running and athletics fits in really well and they too have become part of LFR as are more and more of our members partners', children and friends. It's great to see so many of the under 14's at Park run every week and hopefully one day these will be the ones we are being overtaken by. Which brings me onto a huge thank you for the awards Vicky and I recently received during a drunken evening at the clubhouse. We are truly humbled by the extraordinary recognition, the trophies are now sat on the windowsill. It’s never been on our minds or in our plans to do things for this reason, we just wanted to put something back into the club and share our enthusiasm with everyone. It's now Sunday night and this week we've been away, the yearly family holiday to the Isle of Wight. Even on our trip we try to run most days. As with every year it coincides with the Isle Of Wight Running Festival (Needles XC Half as it was known until this year). We all took part in one race or another. Vicky ran in the 10k race on the Saturday which was a touch on the warm side with trails, fields and a rather daunting hill, but she and Annis (who was on the Island for the weekend) loved it, especially the medal. Arriana and Marcus (from the Harrison stables) smashed the 2.5k fun run and took home a medal and a bag of fruit. You know when you run a tough race, that every painful moment cannot easily be forgotten! Well this is 13.1m of that. I recall every twist, turn, every trail, the promenade, the woods, the sand, jumping groynes, THE STEPS, the Hills, the Moorland, the Hills, the Needles with the bagpiper playing whilst stood on an old ruin, pointless stiles and more kissing gates than I’d ever imagine exist (all sponsored by locals). As for the marathon, you’d need your head examining to even consider what that had in store!!!! Steve, Janice, Richard and I all took it in our stride and loved every minute. “It’s the best event ever”, said Janice, “we’ll be back” and so will I. There are many options from 5k to 10k on the Saturday, half to full marathon on the Sunday and a half ironman over three days. There’s a campsite, a coffee van, a pizza van, free use of the sports centre pool and showers for competitors and they even showed “chariots of fire” in the sports hall Saturday night. Games for the kids and a bar! If you want to see all the sights of the Isle of Wight and the most spectacular views then come join us next year when we plan to make this the club trip.

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