The LFR Band’s first gig

Looking back I was surprised that no one had thought of it before, an actual LFR band…although perhaps not the sort that you’d think. LFR have always been known for delivering fantastic, vociferous support at events and races, you only have to look at our XC events and see how we line up to deafeningly support our own guys as they finish to understand the LFR tradition of “supporting the hell out of things”. You simply don’t see other clubs committing to the same level.Certainly on many occasions some of us have taken the odd noise-making device to an event to help raise the temperature but then Anthony Smith and Paul Doyle came up with the now famous gong. That notched things up a bit. However, until recently, we hadn’t really thought about getting our collective ‘instruments’ together to form a band in order to add something a bit special to events.That said, with some of us out of action, some not being able to race for other reasons, the perfect storm arrived with 4 of us being free for a couple of hours on the same morning as the Dirt Half and this gave rise to the LFR Band’s first gig. In case you were wondering, the 4 in question were Anthony Smith, Vice Captain Carrie Tyas, Debbie Morrell and myself. Could we really schlep our gear up into the woods and support the hell out of the Dirt Half in our own inimitable way? To quote Barack Obama… “yes we can”Its not like we went under-prepared. Armed with not one, but 2 hunting horns, a triangle, a pump-action air horn, a kazoo, a gong and finally an accordion…yes that’s right, an accordion, we set up at about the mile 8 point in the woods just after a small hill. Our aim? To play improvised jazz and offer some comic relief to runners as they came up the hill and shout encouragement as they came through.So how did it go down? Well I can definitely tell you that overall it seemed to have been well-received by the runners, with a mixture of surprise, laughter and confusion on their faces as they went by. One was so impressed he had to stop to take a couple of pictures of us, such was the impression we made! Others informed us that we could be heard for miles! Again, another small victory I think. But what of the LFR runners? We called them all out by name, cheered, encouraged and gave them some impov-jazz the likes of which they will never hear again and they went off for the remaining 5 miles, re-energized.There have been previous blogs about ‘supporting’ and how much fun it can be when you can’t take part in a race, to feel part of the event, albeit in a different way. I don’t want to repeat these blogs but there really is something special about supporting an event, whether its with a band making noise, marshalling or simply turning up for a short time and encouraging. As a runner, every time someone encourages you from the side-lines, something clicks inside and you automatically up your game a little. When someone calls you by name, your game changes and it gives you a massive lift. They say its better to give than to receive and the same applies to running, and runners always talk about events that are well-supported for a reason! It’s because we get a buzz from the support.I don’t know about future of the LFR band, but we had a blast on our first gig at the Dirt Half and it would be great to think that we could make it happen again at a race sometime soon and bring our own unique blend of comedy improvised jazz to the runners. Other blogs about supporting at events:https://leightonfunrunners.org.uk/paris-as-a-supporter/https://leightonfunrunners.org.uk/mk-mara-support/  LFR Band at the Dirt Half

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LFR Celebrates its 200th Active Member

Leighton Fun Runners recently signed up its 200th active member, Gemma Adamson. The club membership has been growing steadily over the last year with runners attracted by the club’s balance of sport and fun, but there is an extra-special reason to celebrate the 200th member. Despite being physically fit at the time, in 2015 Gemma was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Following the diagnosis, there was an initial operation then the treatment involved rounds of radiotherapy and chemotherapy and lasted until April 2016, after which Gemma felt determined to fight back. Physically weakened, but massively determined, Gemma joined the LFR couch to 5k programme and fought to get her fitness back and is now looking forward to raise money for the Brain Tumor Charity by taking part in a 10k race. LFR is proud to welcome Gemma to the club as a full-time member and continue to support her in her quest for fitness.

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Club Trips: Amsterdam 2016

 We came, we saw, we conquered! Who said that originally? Not sure, but it’s a very applicable phrase for the club’s trip to Amsterdam last week.Waking up at 3am to catch the 6am red-eye flight out of Luton, I am sure I speak for the others by saying it was a pretty ugly time of day to be getting up, but soon enough we were all gathered at the airport, checked in, and looking for somewhere to get coffee and croissants. I was surprised by how lively the team was for the time of day. Excitement was clearly kicking in!Getting our 3-day travel passes at Schiphol airport we boarded the train to Amsterdam central. Stepping out across the concourse it was very much a case of taking your life into your own hands with trams, cars, busses and thousands of cyclists coming at you from every angle. We quickly found our hotels to dump our bags then headed out to the meeting point where we’d agreed to take the requisite team photo which was at the famous “I Amsterdam” sign at the back of the Rijksmuseum.The rest of the day was spent at the expo and at various museums with one in particular causing a fair degree of hilarity! Finally we all got together again for the pre-race evening meal at a superb Italian restaurant in the centre, then it was off to an bed early!Race day! The Marathoners (Paul, Mark, Brad and Keith) set off first with their race starting at 9.30am. The rest of us found a quality place for an LFR breakfast takeover in the red-light district, then back to the hotel, race gear on, and off for the start of the half-marathon.What a scorcher!! I think the temperature hit 20 degrees at one point in the afternoon, which was too hot for most of us, so only one of us hit a PB that afternoon (Lindsey Caroline) the rest just happy to take part. For my part I should have applied some experience to my race-strategy, given the heat, and perhaps set off slower at the start and built up speed, aiming for a negative split….but hindsight is always very useful. Instead I ran the way I had done during training in the cold rain in the UK, and went out fast and hard, clocking a 20 min 5k at some point in the first half of the race. The second half was slower and a tough slog to the end. Oh well, lesson learned! Will definitely go off slowly next time it’s hot…honest!What was particularly good after finishing was seeing all the team come in, finding out how they did, congratulating them, then all of us heading back together, naturally we stopped for a well-earned beer and a photo in a pub on the way!That night we ate at the famous ‘Grasshopper’ in the centre of Amsterdam, and after a night on the town we then had the best part of a day to kill before flying back. At this point there were many options on the table, boat rides, tandem rides or museums so we divided up into small groups and explored the city. I was with Emma, Clive Anthony and Carrie and we chose to rent Tandems for a few hours to explore the city. This was hilarious!Eventually we all made it back to the airport, boarded the plane and went our separate ways. Like the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, it’s the same with LFR weekends away. We all had an amazing time, whether or not we hit our race targets, happy to share an experience within the team. The next trip is already being planned for Edinburgh 2017 and if you’re even slightly tempted by this sort of team trip, then do not hesitate! Get onboard!Pictures from the trip here 

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Edale Skyline Run

This week’s adventuring took myself, Captain Rob, Paul Little and Chris Taylor oop North to the Peak District. I almost didn’t make the trip, as I had been ill in…

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Four time saving work outs

No time to spare for a run??? Only got half an hour?? Let’s face it – life can be pretty damn busy. Whether its work, the kids, school run,…

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Being Seen & Being Safe

Be Safe & Be Seen There is no avoiding it the dark nights are here to stay.  Club members safety is really important all year round but even more so now as we are back to pounding the pavement. Not only do we have cars to contend with but we are not the only people out at night and we want to avoid anymore collisions with pedestrians and make sure every runner gets home safely. There really is no excuse to not be seen. From as little as a few quid you can make yourself visible to other people and I've saved you a job and done a bit of searching about and found a variety of wearable lights and reflective clothing.  Ideally a combination of both would make you visible to everyone over the next few months.      Running spurs Simply clip on to the back of you trainers. A few club members are using these already and they seem to stay in place.   Arm Bands These won't bother you too much during a run.   Head Torch Loads to choose from, with huge price differences. I like the lightweight ones that have the over the head strap for more stability and a light on the back.      Chest Lights Great for those who don't like anything on their head.      Reflective Jackets In the pricier range but no one will miss you in these.      Don't want to spend that much then check these out with 80% off womens  mens   Karrimor are a really affordable range. They have all sorts of Hi Viz to choose from including these that will fit over your running gear.   Lights These really inexpensive bike lights are very light and are only a few pounds on eBay, clip them to your shoelaces.     Keep your eyes out in Aldi over the next few weeks too. They have some great kit to keep you safe and seen.

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Last Minute Race Planning

In exactly 2 weeks I’ll be in Amsterdam with LFR for the Marathon and Half-Marathon and can’t wait. The training plan has gone well for a change. Ok, so what I mean by that is that training has been ok. Well, by ‘ok’ I mean its not gone badly. This is strange because normally, as with everyone else, I find training plans tend to wobble a bit in the middle when niggles, the job, relationships and life all get in the way and motivation goes out of the window…but not this time. Not that there was much of a plan to start with mind you. I knew very precisely what my goal for this upcoming race would be. I also knew what my usual running mileage and habits were and therefore knew what I’d need to do in order to hit the target. So the plan was simply to run my normal stuff, but add increasing amounts of speed work. Simples. It doesn’t mean race-day will go the way I want it, but that’s all part of the game. There are way too many variables on the day itself to think that simply sticking to the plan is a guarantee of success, but understanding that the day itself can throw anything at you and trying to limit the variables as much as possible is a good idea and this is typically one of the most overlooked parts of training. Its like falling at the last hurdle. When race day arrives it pays to be prepared or even very prepared. Make a list of what you will need on the day, and have it all packed and laid out the night before and if traveling, then do this before packing and leaving home it so you know you’ve got what you need before leaving home. Plan for sun, plan for rain. Plan for a cold day and what you’ll wear if the weather is changeable. Plan to take an extra layer you can throw away on the startline. You see people using bin bags but they really are not very good. Plan your diet for the few days prior to the event and make sure you try out race day breakfasts before the big day to avoid any unwelcome stomach issues. This includes checking with the hotel and what they have on offer and what time breakfast starts in the morning. You don’t want to leave that to the morning of the race to find out that you need to leave the hotel before they serve breakfast. Most importantly, know your morning pre-race routine, and don't be last in line at the portable race loos because you were busy doing a group-selfie. This is not where you want to be when the race countdown starts. Basically all the hard work in training can come undone by not planning the last few days closely enough and paying attention to last-minute detail. So that’s where I am now, starting to think about what I need to have in place for the day itself whilst winding down the physical training. Whatever happens on the day, as it’s a cub trip, I am sure that there’ll be plenty of fun to be had and no matter what it will be great to support the rest of the team. Bring it on!

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Longest Injury-Free Period

I’ve been running a long time, perhaps 12 years in a ‘sort of regular’ way and perhaps ‘on and off’ for the 14 years preceding that. The ‘off’ periods being more influential than the ‘on’ periods of course, but that’s another story. Along the way, I’ve had all manner of injuries, as happens to all runners, being side-lined with this and that, but recently have been enjoying a long phase without a side-lining injury….so yeah I know I’ve probably just jinxed that now, too late now, but why is that? Looking back I remember the first really worrying injury. It was 2006, a sore foot after a long run, couldn’t put any weight on it at all for days. This eventually lead to my first ever consultation with a physio and as luck would have it, a marathon runner too, and so understood the desire to be back running quickly. So on this occasion it turned out to be both overtraining related and running in the wrong type of shoes and cost me 4 weeks of running downtime. I was running in basically anything that looked like trainers, as I’d always done, but there comes a point where this is inappropriate for the mileage and something with more structure was required to support my dodgy pronation. That was the first of many visits for things like ITB pain, shin pain, achilles issues or whatever, all injuries seemingly coming ‘out of the blue’, but over time you start to see certain patterns emerging that lead to the injuries. For example, changing the terrain, from flat roads to very hilly off-road tracks or from plodding about out-of-season, to starting to train for a 10k with a lot of speed work. The big one, the mother of all training patterns was ramping up mileage for a marathon, naturally, but all these seemingly lead to the same place at some point or other – injury. Over time you start to find ways to deal with injury avoidance that work for you, but it’s a slow learning process, perhaps because we’re so used to thinking ‘it’ll be fine…’ Knowing what shoes work for you, knowing to ramp up slowly on mileage, knowing to stretch regularly even on non-running days, or even something that I’ve found that works for me which is running a bit less, but supplementing exercise cravings with cycling, bootcamp, swimming or long walks. However the thing that I think has worked best at keeping injuries out, has been proactive, preventative visits to a sports therapist, the idea of not actually waiting for an injury, but rather keeping regular appointments in the diary, so that niggles are dealt with early. Being injured sucks! Its way too frustrating for words but in some, but not all cases it is avoidable if we can learn from how we were injured in the past. It does take time, but its worthwhile thinking about how to injury-proof yourself. Ask yourself what an injury would mean to you…then what you could do to limit the chances of you getting injured. Cross-train a bit instead of always running? Check running gait? Replace over-worn trainers? Stretch more? Whatever works for you is likely not the same combination that will work for someone else of course, but the end result is the same. Its taken me a long time, but I think I’ve found my combination, but having jinxed myself now by saying that, I am fully expecting to get injured sometime soon J

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LFR Rocks

This year running has been tough. An injury in February set me back way more psychologically than physically and my mojo has been off somewhere else doing its own thing ever since. Running has not only been hard, but also not very enjoyable. About 6 weeks ago I had to give myself a good talking to as I have a Half Marathon looming in October and I was avoiding training at every opportunity - 'it's too hot' 'you are all are too fast' 'I've got this going on'.  So last week I made the effort to arrange a weekend run as I knew I wouldn't be able let down other people if they were relying on me. It was the longest I've run in about 6 months, but as always I found running with others made it an enjoyable experience. So Sunday morning, 2.5 miles ahead of the training plan I tackled LBAC's Leighton 'Tough' 10.  There was a great turn out for LFR and a nice group of us who are all a similar pace so there wasn't really any point along the run where you didn't have a running buddy. Some people walked the hills and smashed it on the downs and others just kept slogging it up and down which meant we were constantly either encouraging someone or someone else was returning the favour. The support on route from LBAC was fantastic and knowing a lot of the marshals was even more motivating. I was very pleased to find that I had smashed my pace and came in nearly 20 minutes ahead of the time I was hoping for. I couldn't have done it without the the fellow LFR girls to help me round. I always thought it was all about the bling at the end, but the bit that is most satisfying is spending time with a lovely bunch of people. LFR you are amazing!

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A tough week

A tough week So this week at wrong pace scenario has left me with pretty tired legs. I’ve been trying to mix up my training and get in some cross…

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