Looking Forward to Another Year of Running

So this week sees the start of LFR Membership Renewal ready for 1st April and you will all have your invite to rejoin arriving in your inbox. It has been 2 years since I joined the club and this weekend at the MK Festival of Running I took part in my very first race.  Looking back over what has happened in my running achievements I’m surprised that I have managed so much and I can hand on heart say that if it wasn’t for being in the club I would have never even considered any of it.  I still can’t run fast (but who cares) and I am still totally adamant that I will never run a marathon but I have a few Half Marathon’s and a nice amount of 10k’s to be proud of, more importantly I have some fantastic memories. Being part of the club has really opened up a lot of opportunities that I would have never had otherwise.  I took a little trip to Paris to cheer on the LFR members who where running the Marathon (I may have even jumped the barrier to run the very last few metres with Debbie), I got to cheer on the runners at the VMLM as a marshal, I ran round Central Park, I got very drunk very quickly running laps round Astral Park and downing cans of gin, I got to go to Amsterdam with the Club and complete my 3rd Half Marathon and I even got to be in a band even though I can’t play an instrument. This weekend after I finish writing this blog I’ll be heading out the door for my longest run ever with a 15 mile training run, eek!  I’m partial to a bit of bling but I love a hoodie even more and in a moment of madness I signed up to run Oakley 20 in April.  I know, I know everyone says ‘well to might as well run a marathon, it’s only another 6 miles?’ but I honestly don't want to.  After I have (fingers crossed) finished Oakley I’ll be quite happy to get back to 10k’s and maybe a few more Half’s. What I enjoy most about being with the club is going out on a social run and cheering on the runners that really push themselves, even if it is running their first 5k.  We are all runners in this club!

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Never mind the Sex Pistols, Here’s Dan’s Bo@&$£%s

I sat there with the family in the Café at Rushmere Country Park after a cold winter morning’s work as volunteer / dad at Park Run, when a member of the committee looking for a club captain accosted Vicky. ”Of course he will”, she said! “He’ll be great”, they said. “He does most things anyway”, they said. “Go on, email Max”, they said. So here we are, my first month as club captain and my first blog, so I want to open up and share a little about my motivation and love of running. By the way, I did try writing an Autobiography once (pre Vicky and the kids) and one day I’ll dig it out, finish and share it. For those who don’t know me, when I start on about something I’m passionate about, like my family, running, LFR or lighting, I never shut up! I just want to share my enthusiasm with everyone and if I do get on your nerves, then just tell me to shut up. My ears are always open to listen to your comments, suggestions and thoughts, so grab me or message me at any time. Anyway, back to running, I met a member, Steve Harrison though an anti-natal group nearly seven years ago and after running a couple of races together he eventually dragged me along to the club. It didn’t take long to realise what a wonderful friendly group of people the Fun Runners are. Meeting and chatting with fascinating individuals who constantly push themselves to their own limits for pure enjoyment and the odd bit of metal on a ribbon or T-Shirt or mug or if you’re really lucky BEER. You inspire each other, me and even Vicky. In fact so much that she partook in a half marathon and may even run Oakley 20! She hates running with me as I’m too bouncy, apparently, but that’s for another week! To me running is an amazing, relatively inexpensive form of exercise that is open to every Tom, Dick or Sally. It started as an opportunity to drink and eat more and between you and me, I now eat more than I’ve ever done before just to keep running driven hunger away. It may be difficult to believe but I used to be two stone heavier and consume considerable amounts of alcohol. In my first half marathon - 6 yrs ago - I was at least 20 minutes slower and at my first marathon – 7yrs ago - I was over 1hour 15mins slower.  If I can do it, so can you. So what can you expect this year, a plethora of interesting and varied weekly runs including more trail options and new challenges designed to encompass all members. Most of all I would love to see mass turnouts at local races and team spirit like at Winslow 10k. So come on throw yourselves into it and together we will ensure that we all reach our goals but more importantly, there is FUN FUN FUN on the way. GO FOR IT LFR

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How do you get into running when you just can’t run?

So… For my first ever blog, where on earth do I begin? It’s been one hell of a year and has culminated (somehow!) in my becoming vice-captain of what has to be the best running club in the country!  I spent the first 31 years of my life thinking that running was something that was done only by masochists and lunatics! Whenever anyone suggested to me that running could be ‘fun’ I would actually laugh out loud! I was ‘that’ person who regularly said things such as “I’m just not built for running”. I worked with people who regularly explained the benefits of running to me but I wouldn’t be swayed.  That all changed just under 14 months ago on New Year’s Eve. After one too many glasses of prosecco one of my friends announced that entries for the Leighton 10k were open and we should all do it. Through my tipsy haze I gamely agreed to give it a go, despite never having run further than about half a mile in one go in my whole life. We booked our places that night and the die was cast! The weather the following day on New Year’s morning was beautiful – cold but sunny. I stood in my kitchen looking out onto the running track in front and watched scores of runners trotting round. Determined not to be a New Year’s cliché I left it for two more days before I pulled on my running shoes (unworn at that point for about 7 years) and ventured outside. To say my first training session didn’t go well is a bit of an understatement! After about half a lap of the track my legs hurt and I was already starting to run out of steam. When I returned home after having staggered around for about 20 minutes my husband took one look at my face and clearly decided it was best not to ask how it had gone! I downloaded a 10k training app and stuck to it pretty religiously but there were still many times over the first month of training when I wanted to give up. Running over 6 miles seemed like a pretty impossible pipedream but I’m also a pretty stubborn sort of person so I doggedly kept going. I’d signed up for a race and was determined to complete it. However, at this stage my main aim was just not to collapse in a big heap half way through the race and have to be stretchered off in an ambulance! As the weeks went by I slowly increased the distance I was running and actually started to enjoy it! After my previous protestations of just not being able to run my colleagues were rather curious as to my progress and I rather sheepishly had to concede that this running malarkey wasn’t quite as bad as I’d previously thought it was! Race day arrived rather too quickly and I was a bag of nerves. I arrived over an hour before the race was due to start and was greeted by large groups of very serious looking running people wearing various club tops and generally having a jolly time! I collected my number and spent at least 10 minutes carefully pinning it to my top before making my way down to the start line. As soon as the race began I immediately felt better. I was careful not to set off too quickly and soon settled into a nice pace with a few other runners around me. As I ran past the water station at the 5k mark I was wondering why I’d always been so daunted at the thought of running. That was before I turned off Heath Road and saw Shenley Hill stretching out in front of me! I remember wondering how I could have lived in the town for so long and not noticed there was a huge mountain right in the middle of it! Staggering up the hill was worth it though just to be able to run down the other side to the realisation that the end was really very much in sight. When I crossed the finish line in 1 hour and 40 seconds (a good 5 minutes faster than I thought I’d manage) I was on a massive high and well and truly hooked. I found it really quite difficult to believe that less than 3 months beforehand the only running I’d ever really done was sprinting through Euston after work to catch the train! At that moment, running was, to me, the most fantastically awesome thing I’d ever done. I joined LFR less than a week later. When I went to my first club night I couldn’t believe how many people had come out on a cold, dark, wet night to go for a run. When I finished an hour later, I got it. I just found it so fantastic to be able to do something I loved with so many other people who wanted to do the same thing. Of course, it hasn’t all been plain sailing. There are times when my fitness takes a bit of a dip or I go for a run and it just doesn’t go very well. After the Leighton 10k I signed up for another 10k and was determined to improve my time. Unfortunately, I had a bit of a temperature the week before and didn’t feel too good the morning of the race. When I finally finished I felt ill and extremely grumpy! I’ve also had the odd running injury since I started out although in all honesty I don’t mind those so much – I like to think I only get them because I’m a proper, serious runner!! However, these downs are few and far between and are massively outweighed by how great running makes me feel every day. Since then LFR has become a very significant part of my life. I love how social the club is, how friendly everyone is, and how it can be a club for absolutely anyone, regardless of ability. It has also been fantastic for me to have people to push me along, suggest races and events to me, and just generally to have a club to run and socialise with. LFR has given me and done so much over the last year so when the position of vice-captain became vacant I just felt it was just a bit of a no-brainer for me to stand. I’m really looking forward to the fun and challenges ahead and really hope I can just give a little something back to the club and all the fantastic people in it who have done so much for me.

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Choosing the Next LFR Charity

Choosing the Next LFR Charity We are coming up to the LFR AGM in a few weeks and one of the decisions we need to make is who we choose for our charity. All proceeds from the our C25K, Virgin Money London Marathon ballot places, Leighton 10k, 5 caKe Nights, Breakfast Run, raffles etc all go towards our nominated charity. Last year this was over £5000! There are lots of motivations for running, some are for your own personal goal or for your club but raising money for charity can also give purpose, a goal to work towards. When you are running just for the sake of running, it can be really easy to start to question if you can do it or if you can even be bothered. When things get tough or after a bad run it makes it much easier to give up on what you were aiming for especially if motivation is something you struggle with. So now it is time for you to all have a think about who we as a club can use as our motivation. Over the years we have raised money for big charities like Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, local charity Jamie's Rhythm of Life and the past year East Anglia Air Ambulance and as a club we have been able to hopefully make changes to people's lives though our fundraising. As well as raising money we can also can help raise awareness of our nominated charity through having information on our website, money boxes and running in a charity top. Even our club spirit and enthusiasm at events can help build exposure for a charity So now it's over to you. We need you to think about which charity is deserving of all the hard work and effort that it takes to fundraise, as well as the motivation to get out there in freezing temperatures, pouring rain and bad runs when you feel like giving up. When considering we do try and support local charities that we can build a relationship with over the next year and your selections will be reviewed by the committee. The top 3 or 4 charities will then be voted for at the AGM. To help with the selection it is important that the charity is a registered charity so please make sure they have a registered number. Send your nominations to: secretary@leightonfunrunners.org.uk With your nomination please include the following - 1. Your nominated charity2. A few sentences describing the charity and the work they do3. Links to the charity website4. Charities registered number Closing of date for charity nominations - Friday 3rd February.  

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Hill Reps for your PB dreams

Its that time of year when runners are starting out on training for races, often with big dreams of a big PB. They will have told themselves that this time is THE time and they're gonna smash it....but how to get from the post-Christamas January blues to a race-day PB? We've all seen training plans before that have regular running, speed-work and core exercises in it, but often hill repeats or hill training. But if you're not training for a hilly race then why train on hills? Hill training is a key ingredient in the PB soufflé.  In much the same way as speed training it conditions your cardio-vascular system to being able to cope with the increased strain of racing. However, in addition to this, the different terrain can also improve muscular strength as well as injury prevention by not running in the same way all the time. Many runners avoid regular hill training because, well, it's hard. Depending on the grade of the hill, lactic acid builds quickly, the heart rate shoots up, several muscles fire all at once, and we tire quickly. Even though the runner may not be in training for a hilly race, there are plenty of good reasons to incorporate hill training into the regular regim. These benefits include: Increase in burst speed for overtaking Strength building Improvement in proper run form Increase in aerobic capacity and VO2 max There are 3 main types of hill run. These are long hill repeats, short hill repeats and the long hilly run and each will bring some benefit, so its a good idea to rotate these as part of training. Short Hill reps: The main focus of these short workouts is on speed. In general, these repeats should take about 20 to 90 seconds and you should be running at or very close to your absolute maximum. The hill should be quite steep, like we do at Greenhill on Thursday night improver sessions. As you will be working hard for a short period of time this session should last about 30 minutes and include rest periods for you to recover between reps. Longer Hill reps: When you are doing long hill climbs, the focus is more on aerobic energy recruitment and less about speed. These hills climbs can take up to three minutes, so it's important to start slower and manage your pace on the climb. Your perceived exertion will be approximately 6-8 on a scale of one to 10 so its going to feel like you are working but not as hard as with shorter hill reps. Here you will do fewer reps but you should again look to something like 30 minutes of training at this level, allowing your body to recover between reps. Long Hilly Run: These runs are really very valuable, especially if you know that your race will be hilly. If you want to not suffer on race day then build some of these runs into your schedule, because as the saying goes...Train hard, race easy!  You should be careful with achilles when running up hills and remember to lean ever-so-slightly forward when running downhill to avoid heel-striking too much which can lead to back pain.  Finally, make sure you've built up a good running base before adding in too many hill workouts, because your body will need to be able to adapt to the new demand but do not have too many hill sessions close-together, your body will need time to recover from the added strain. Hill training is one way to not only mix up your running and make things a bit more interesting, but when done as part of a group can be a fun session too. The sessions have been proven to add value to a training plan and if you are dreaming big right now about a PB at some race in the near future, you might want to consider adding hill reps into your schedule!

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What is Fartlek and why you should try it

On the surface of it the word Fartlek could be seen as slightly comical for obvious reasons, but what does it really mean? At LFR we’ve had a Fartlek training night for the last year and many of you have attended, and improved as a result, but what is it supposed to be? What does it actually mean?Fartlek training was invented by Swedish coach Gösta Holmér in 1937 to help Swedish cross-country running teams that were being regularly beaten by the Finnish. It worked and soon after started to be adopted by many coaches. In fact, during the 40’s Swedish mile-runners Gunder Hagg and Arne Anderson took turns lowering the world record in the mile, after embracing this training.Fartlek means ‘speed play’ in Swedish, and the original plan relied on ‘faster-than-race-pace’ running interspersed with active recovery movement, fast walking or jogging in other words. Since then, the idea has been adopted by many coaches, clubs and individuals looking to improve their times and performances, right up to today.The first Fartlek session was oriented towards the cross-country running, but it could be argued that there is cross-discipline benefit from such workouts. The session looked like this;·      Warm up·      Pacey run for 1 to 1.5 miles·      Speed work: 50 to 60 meter sprints with active recovery·      Easy running with some quick acceleration movement to simulate responding to overtaking in a race environment·      Flat-out uphill running for 150 to 200 meters·      Pacey run for 1 to 2 minutes to close out·      Repeat stages from speed work above until session time ends·      Warm down So that’s what the first Fartlek looked like, and it looks like a beast if I am honest, although that doesn’t mean I am not tempted to try and re-create it to see just how hard that first session was. Of course the regular LFR Fartlek sessions are sometimes hard too. But what are the benefits of Fartlek though? How does it work? Firstly you need to understand that Fartlek improves your running but you might not know that it does so in four ways: Speed, endurance, running economy and stamina. All that from one workout!! No wonder its stood the test of time since 1937. Some of the benefits are that Fartlek is customisable, you can literally do what you like with it, meaning that you can tailor sessions to any ability. Its results benefit short distance and longer distance runners, so its very flexible. Fat burning is enhanced by alternating the intensity of the workout, so you would expect to typically burn more overall and more fat-calories from a fartlek workout. So Fartlek sessions have something for everyone it could be said.Fartlek sessions are a great addition to a regular running schedule for all the reasons mentioned above, whether you are training for a race or simply enjoy running. We all know that spicing things up now and then helps keep our interest up, and the variable nature of Fartlek plays well into this. Additionally, we change our Fartlek run leaders each week to keep things interesting too.So there you have it, a potted history of Fartlek and why its good for runners. If you haven’t been to any of our sessions on Wednesday night, you really should give it a try, they are super-friendly and all of the regular attendees have improved their times, so I suppose you could say it’s a fun, social way of improving… remind me what’s not to like?

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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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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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