Sunday 23 February 2014

Sunday 23rd February - Knype Pool trail race

UPDATE: There are NO entries on the day for this race (in fact tgere are only two places left - so, if you have not pre-entered then best forget it!

Today the Biddulph Running Club (a very friendly club based in Biddulph) are hosting the Knype Pool 5m trail race. This promises to be a friendly event with soup and a mug as part of the entry fee!

Details can be found HERE

This could be a good event to aim for....

Neil

Saturday 22 February 2014

Saturday 22nd February - Tinkers Clough Lollipop

The Start
Yet again we had superb weather for our E Group run - sunshine and cool temperature - perfect running conditions. There were 12 people out today (lots of group members were away for Feb Half Term) and we decided to avoid the mud in the Bollin Valley and we headed off on the 'Tinkers Clough' lollipop route (see the route at the bottom of this post ... we extended it a bit as we came back via Summerlea Close) - this was a group decision as everybody was on good form!

There was some very consistent running today and we have seen a marked improvemnt in speed from many of the group members - well done.

Some of the group met in the Tytherington Club afterwards for a well-earned cuppa - apparently there were several running related projects being discussed.

Keep running and run safely!

Neil & Alison

Garmins and MapMyRun all set ...

Wendy S looking good ...

Onto the Middlewood Way

Louise and Leah

Over the Silk Road

Perfect running conditions

Playing the camera?

On ... on ....

Jackets off as everybody warms up...

Saffron & Heather

A theme of Louise and the camera is developing ...

Usain Evans plus support

Oh ... a camera ...

The loneliness of the long distance runner (everybody else on coffee break)

Aahhh ... here they are!

Leah and Suzanne

Kate - so fast just a blur

A good pace as we return back to base...

"If we move our arms we look like we are running" (actual quote from Louise)

The end - good effort



Saturday 15 February 2014

Saturday 15th February - Volunteering and Park Run

The Parkrun Team
Today was the day that we as a group 'put something back' into running and we headed off to the Congleton Parkrun to manage the start, finish, timing, course set-up and close-down and sweeper roles. The Parkrun organisers were very grateful for our help.

9 hardy souls stood in the cold and got frozen (but we were fueled by Louise's brownies and then by tea and teacakes at Savitri's).

A few group members ran the Parkrun with some very good times (Kate Foster in 32m08s, Hazel Power in 27m35s) - well done.

Louise managed to take LOADS of pictures - they are all available to view on my FLICKR album - CLICK HERE

There was an alternative 'local run' by Mel and 'Twiggy'. It was a bit wet.

Neil & Ali

'Mincing' Mel






Go for it!!!

Saturday 8 February 2014

Saturday 8th February - a Dawn and Dave Special


The start

Thanks to Dave for coming along as an extra leader this morning.  We had 11 runners including new member Suzanne (who is definitely way past couch to 5K!)  It was a lovely sunny & dry morning & thankfully the wind & rain held off until we'd finished.  We started up the Middlewood way where, after a gentle jog to warm up, Dave encouraged us all to push ourselves and up the speed.  We then crossed the canal & up the lane (complete with puddles & mud) to Oak Lane.  We then split into 2 groups, Dave leading one group up across the muddy fields and Dawn leading the other half to the war memorial & up Neil's hill to Windmill Lane.  After re-uniting a scared lost dog with its owner we continued on Windmill lane back towards Bollington staying on the roads to avoid the worst of the mud.  Well done everyone - a bit shorter than usual but plenty of hill/speed work to push us a little out of our comfort zone!  A group of us then went for a well-earned coffee at the Waterside cafe.

Dawn
















The end


Tuesday 4 February 2014

Tuesday 4th February - street orienteering (Macclesfield West)

Every year MDOC (Manchester and District Orienteering Club) arrange a series of night street orienteering sessions. The series is 8 events starting in November through to February.

Today the session is in Macclesfield - the venue is Macclesfield Cricket Club on Victoria Road (so it is 'home territory for some people).

Registration is from 6.00-7.00pm and you can start anytime from 6.30pm. You can do this on your own or in a team of two or three. A head-torch (or a good hand-torch) and hi-viz clothing are essential.

Cost is £3.00 and we do need to let the organiser have an idea of numbers to ensure there are enough maps and also about food (veggie lasagne or hotpot and crusty bread at £4/head) - please let me (Neil) know if you are coming along by 31st January latest.

More information can be found at www.mdoc.org.uk - CLICK HERE

A few people did it last year and really enjoyed it - a bit of background about Street-O here...

In a street orienteering event the maps are very different to countryside orienteering. The map is really just a series of lines that represent the roads and paths (solid lines for roads, dotted for paths and alleyways). There are no street names but the map does represent reality! An example map is shown below. One the map you will see circles with numbers - there are the 'controls' that you need to find. There is a fixed time limit and the idea is to find as many as you can - each control has a points value with some being higher than others (often the high point value controls are further away and more difficult to find).

A control will usually be a lamp-post (LP), a fire hydrant (FH), a telegraph pole (TP) and the answer will be a number or letter (or similar) written on the control.

The skill is deciding your tactics - get lots of easy low-point value controls or go further for the high points - whatever you decide try not to be late back as there are BIG penalties for lateness.

Call me if you want to know more!

Neil

Saturday 1 February 2014

Saturday 1st February - Jenny Heys White Nancy Wedding Run

Jenny has new running gear and nutrition!
Well - once again we were lucky and had a lovely sunny (but cold and windy) day to celebrate Jenny's forthcoming wedding with a run on Kerridge Ridge to White Nancy.

A tremendous group turnout with some 'interesting' outfits and some very dubious looking biscuits. We had mud, we had hills, we had wind, we got cold, we had slips & trips, we had champagne and 'fizz' (courtesy of Paul Boardman who walked up there and waited for an hour). Best of all we had some wonderful friendship.

Well done, well run, and most of all we hope that Jenny and Nick (who was waiting at White Nancy) have an amazing wedding and future together.

Special thanks to Wendy B for organising us all and to all the other group members who helped in many ways - we can do brilliant things when we pull together!
   
Neil and Ali

Jenny before she started running
Wendy B prepares 'the bride'

Finishing touches

Bride dressing is a spectator sport

Nearly there...

I don't believe this is happening...

Hmmm... breakfast

OK ... ready to run..

Final photo-shoot

Margaret!

Jenny and one bridesmaid...

Margaret

E group ready for the Ridge!


Version 2

Off we go

The hills are my friend!

Jenny and Mel

Nina and Sam on the first hill

Who put a hill there so early!

Good effort...

Are we there yet

Kate, Margaret & Ali

One hill done ... 3 more to go

Still plenty of energy

Jenny running on adrenaline

on the 'Rally Road'

So fast ... just a blur!

Good running ... cool running

Mud-Cam Swindells

Hang on .. this is downhill .. must be up next

Mel & Gemma

E group fairy!

'Mincing in the mud'

Time for a walk ... too steep

Kate is 'Queen of the Mountain'

Mud, mud, glorious mud

Mud-cam conquers the mud

Speed bride...

Kerridge...

Re-group on the ridge

One last ascent

Nearly there...

Trainee fell runners

At the trig point - Jenny with E group!

Version 2

E group doing a bit of fell descent

Look at that style...

Nina descending well

Fast descent

Nearly down...

WHat a great day!

Jenny, Neil, Wendy

More mud-mincing

Hydration Jenny-style

Mel and her shadow..

Cool Jordan

Nina after a 'mishap'

Gemma and Mildred

Mud-cam girl...

Ballerina?

Jane

Sam

The bride

Savitri

Nearly back

Margaret ... I wonder where this picture might go

Presentation time..

Gemma and Jenny

Jenny and the card/present

What is this...

Open it up...

The thank yous

The two bridesmaids

Neil, Jenny & Gemma

E group on White Nancy

Dubious biscuits

Nellie and Ali

White Nancy waiting for E group arrival

... here they come

Jenny seems pleased to see somebody

E Group

Approaching White Nancy

The start

Jenny is pleased!

Presentation

Jenny with the two bridesmaids

The biscuits again ...