NEWSLETTER
HYDREF 2010 AUTUMN
Contents
1.
Introduction
by John Smith
2.
Notes from the Chair
by Sue Nicholls
3.
Snowdonia Marathon
by Glyn Rowlands
4.
Cardiff Half Marathon(ish)
by Adam Preston
5.
Book Review
by Tony Hodgson
6.
Istanbul 2010
by Juliet Edwards
7
Forthcoming Races
1.
Introduction
by John Smith
At last I have managed to get a Newsletter out in the correct season, must be some sort of PB.
The weather has helped here as it has been to cold to do anything in the garden or in my various
shed hide-aways. However it has been brilliant running in nice crisp or powder snow over the last
few days, and your fell-shoes don’t get muddy!
Thankyou to everyone that has contributed to this issue, everything large or small is welcome.
2.
Notes from the Chair
by Sue Nicholls
Welcome to the slightly belated autumn edition of our news letter, - don’t blame John, its all my
fault for being late with this report. The good news though is that as with every other news letter so
far this year there is plenty of good news to report. Our men’s cross country team continue to excel
and are currently top of division two whilst the ladies are also gradually creeping up the division.
Only two more races to go so if any of you can compete in them your support really would be
helpful and appreciated.
Apart from team competitions we have again seen excellent individual performances resulting in a
number of our runners being selected to represent N. Wales in various age categories, - good luck
to all of you.
Wednesday night training sessions are as popular as ever even in this dreadfully cold weather and
we are continuing to attract new members almost on a weekly basis. Little could we have known
four years ago when the club was set up how far we would come in such a short time, so heartfelt
thanks to everyone who gives their time and effort so generously. No doubt there are lots I have
forgotten to report but if you have anything you want to say or report on send an e-mail to John for
the next news letter, (to be published at the end of February). In the meantime I would like to wish
all of you a merry Christmas, all the best for the New Year and keep on running.
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3.
Snowdonia Marathon
My First and Last Marathon
by Glyn Rowlands
As I lay sleepless in the early hours of Sunday morning, I turned the run over in my mind again and
again. All the little incidents, emotions and thoughts of the day ran through my head. So when I
got up I thought I had better write it all down.
When I finally crossed the line, I just wanted to burst into tears. Tears of joy, tears of relief, tears
of misery, it could have been any of these.
All my life the idea of one day running a marathon has burrowing away at the back of my mind.
But I never really believed I could do it. Over the years I thought I had buried the idea. I even
stopped watching the London Marathon on TV to keep the idea away.
A few years ago I started to try to increase the length of my normal jogs of 30-45 minutes in
Tottenham. But I found it really hard to run for much more than an hour. Too many aches and
pains. Some physiotherapy treatment helped. But having a running partner to inspire me and
moving to Dolgellau changed everything. After all those repetitive plods along the tow path of the
River Lea, with climbing the bridge over the tube line, as my only hill training; suddenly it was a
joy to be running in the hills around Dolgellau.
Joining the club was a great help too. I had always imagined that running clubs were only for
“athletes”, and I was never one of those. But everyone in Clwb Rhedeg Meirionnydd has been so
welcoming and friendly. It has been lovely to see how the club embraces all types of runners. I
would never have been able to run the marathon without the club and those Wednesday evening
runs. I remember one particular Wednesday night last autumn. The rain was so heavy, the night
was pitch black with the little light from my head torch bouncing back off the driving rain. I
couldn’t see where I was going at all, and worried I would run into the side of the road. I would
never have been out on a night like that without being with the club.
My running turned from being a bit of a chore to keep fit, into a pleasure. I started to run in a few
races and entered a half marathon in February. Slowly the idea of running a marathon grew in my
mind. Finally finishing the Rhayader 20 mile road race in less than 3 hours, gave me the
confidence to enter the Snowdonia Marathon. It also gave me an appreciation of the challenge that
lay ahead. Last October I watched the Snowdonia Marathon and decided then - in the driving wind
and rain – that it ever I ran a marathon it would be this one.
So during the summer I started to build up on the longer runs, guided by my wise trainer. Usually I
started out from Arthog past the Cregennen Lakes and over Ffordd Ddu towards Llanegryn. This
culminated a month before the race in a 20 mile run. It was a relief then to start reducing the runs,
whilst keeping my fingers crossed that injury or a cold wouldn’t stop me running.
Predictably the weather turned wet and windy in the days before the race. As we drove up out of
Blaenau Ffestiniog on the Friday night, it absolutely chucked it down. My sense of foreboding
grew. Luckily the day itself begun with only occasional showers and we actually started the race in
the dry.
To begin with I really enjoyed the race. Being in such a crowd with such supportive spectators,
made it feel almost like fun. I seemed to cross Pen y Pas in no time at all. As I descended from the
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pass, the first shower started, but I was still happy. As I turned off the main road as we passed Pen
y Gwryd, I heard my name being called and turned to see a member of our club waiving me on.
I was caught in two minds during the race. I knew it was important not to start too fast and be
pulled along by other runners. In the lead up to the race I had heard a piece of advice which
seemed very sound. Think of yourself running slowly – then run slower. On the other hand I was
fairly certain I would slow down in the latter stages. So I thought, as long as I feel comfortable, it is
OK to go a bit faster; and anyway, the faster you go the quicker you finish.
One or two things irritated me along the way. There were a number of cyclists, who seemed to
acting as support for their mates. They weaved their way in and out of the runners and cars. I
found it very distracting. And when one whizzed past my left shoulder, nearly hitting me, I was
annoyed. I didn’t want to end my run, having been run over by a cyclist. Then I noticed the
tendency of people to drop their sachets and bar wrappers along the way. I even saw one runner –
wearing the shirt of a club of the area, lob a bottle into the nearby field. This made me quite cross.
I felt like remonstrating with him. I still had the energy to do it then, but quickly calculated I might
need that energy later. So I merely muttered under my breath. I think those irritations did me
good; they took my mind off other distractions and fired me up a bit.
Well so far so good. I still felt fine as we passed through Beddgelert and the half way point. I was
pleased to see I passed the 14 mile marker in something under 2 hours. I still felt good enough to
appreciate the stunning beauty of the autumn scenery and particularly the colours of the trees as we
climbed out of Beddgelert.
Slowly everything began to change. Firstly I began to forget which mile marker I had just passed –
the need to know was becoming more insistent, just as I was losing the capacity to remember
properly. I had planned before the race to eat one bar after each hour, knowing how important it
was not to run out of energy in the later stages of the race.
Two hours in and I started the second bar. But the thing I feared the most began to happen, I
started to feel sick. As I passed Rhyd Ddu, the idea of finishing that second bar was abandoned.
An attempt at sucking on a few sweets also proved impossible. I was just going to have to grin and
bear it. My focus increasingly became on not throwing up.
Little by little I was slowing down as the nausea vied with the growing soreness and stiffness in my
legs, to be the bigger cause of my growing misery. For the first half of the race, I had been fairly
regularly passing people. But now slowly I was beginning to be passed by others. As we came to
Waunfawr I began to get quite desperate. I was horrified and dismayed that I was reduced to a
walk even before we left the main road, beginning the long climb back to Llanberis. The only
comfort was that pretty soon almost everyone else was walking too. Now it was just the speed of
the walking that varied.
I can’t quite decide what my lowest moment was, but it was somewhere on the long climb as a
sharp shower turned into a flurry of hail. It wasn’t really that steep and I couldn’t quite belief I
couldn’t run up it. (The next section has been removed on the advice of my editor “too much
information” she said).
The support along the way was fantastic. Later on there were less people, but the support was even
more important and supportive. I particularly remember one man, standing a little way before the
final summit, calmly announcing that that we had just over 400 metres more to go before reaching
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the top, round the bend we could see, then he said it undulates for a bit, before descending all the
way to the finish. He was completely accurate. A far cry from other less helpful comments in
other races, when a steward announces you have made the last climb, just before you start climbing
again. The smallest bump becomes very steep when you are very tired.
The drink stations with the young cadets offering chocolate as well as drinks were also particularly
appreciated in the later stages. As I ran I always tried to respond to applauding spectators with a
thumbs up. Somewhere around 18 miles I ran out of the energy to do this.
Somewhere up that last hill I lost the will to continue. I had imagined myself before the race,
gritting my teeth, undertaking a serious “visualisation” exercise, and keeping going. Now I felt so
bad I just didn’t care anymore. Only the thought that I could probably walk my way back, if
necessary, kept me going. All thought of finishing within a certain time was gone. On a couple of
the flatter sections before the final summit I tried to break into a slow trot. It felt almost
impossible, my body was seizing up. Things were getting serious.
My God it felt bleak up there. It was very cold. Everyone was having a hard time of it, although a
few runners still came past, so I passed a few who had come to a halt. One runner was writhing in
agony from cramp. I couldn’t look. I began to get cold, in my now sodden clothes, as the
temperature dropped and the wind got up as we climbed.
I think the thought of finally reaching that summit kept me going. Oh Yes! I felt as I began to
descend. My mood lifted. I would make it now. Yes it really hurt but it was possible to jog
gingerly down the hill. I was very careful coming down that muddy track, not wishing to fall at
such a late stage.
Picture by Alastair Tye
One runner bumped past me, saying sorry in a friendly way “I couldn’t stop”. The bleak hill top
gave way to grassy fields; the number of spectators grew again. Only four bends to go one shouted.
But when I finally reached the High Road, my heart sunk again momentarily – it looked an awfully
long way to the finish line, and I didn’t want someone to come whizzing past me at the last stage.
But now I could dig in and ran for the line. As I neared the line a sudden wave of emotion swept
through me and I could feel myself about to burst into tears.
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Finally I crossed the line. A slate coaster was then thrust into my hand. How curious, the very last
thing I wanted at that moment. Holding back the tears I struggled back to the car to get out of my
wet clothes and have some hot soup before I got too cold.
I then went back to watch other finishers. I am always amazed by the variety of styles of finishes
you get, even towards the end of a race. Some move at a slow jog, where you can feel the effort of
determination that is needed for every step. Some make extravagant gestures to friends and family
who are waiting for them. But what really gets me are those who literally sprint the last 100 yards
– that really isn’t right at all! Why have they still got all that energy left?
After a while I turn to go, still keeping hold of that thought I nursed during the long climb out of
Waunfawr – never, never again! Do you believe me? Do I believe myself?
4.
Cardiff Half Marathon(ish)
by Adam Preston
At the beginning of September Jan and I registered for the Cardiff half marathon on Sunday 17th
October. The race date came round quick, especially with the Pen 10 and cross country races in
early October. However, all was not well and a cold virus turned the warm-up races into unpleasurable experiences and instilled dread at the thought of the upcoming jaunt to Cardiff. Jan
developed a phantom bug in sympathy with me in the week leading up to the big day and although
the race fees and hotel had already been paid we attempted to sell them off so we wouldn't have to
drag our sorry bodies around the streets of Cardiff.
Unfortunately, none of you lovely fellow running club members took up our wonderful offer and
we finally set off along the A470 at midday on Saturday. We had only travelled a mile when we
realised we would have to stop and have lunch sometime soon. Jan suggested the Brigands Inn at
Mallwyd and we enjoyed a chip-free high carbohydrate lunch, and Jan managed to limit herself to
just the one large glass of Merlot.
We progressed on our merry way and as we neared the town of Builth Wells Jan turned the topic of
conversation onto the Welsh Cob Horse Sales that were being held at the Royal Welsh Show
Ground that weekend, and how her late Fathers friends would all be at the sale, and “Oh, how much
she would love to spend just half an hour with them and reflect on times gone by”.
Needless to say, thirty minutes turned into ninety, and one drink turned into three. However, I
would have been amazed if she had stuck to the original promise of thirty minutes! Never mind,
'everyone was lovely' and we were finally continuing on our final leg of the journey, or were we?
Within five minutes of leaving the Cob Sale and with virtually a bottle of red wine consumed Jan
was saying how lovely it would be to return to the sale, continue to renew old acquaintances, AND
SLEEP IN THE CAR (even though we had no sleeping bags or bedding). Not your best idea Jan! I
managed to withstand Jan's tempting idea and we finally arrived at The Angel Hotel in the early
evening.
We checked-in to a very nice room and set off in search of a local hostelry to 'carb-up'. We visited a
few establishments and finally settled for a Mexican culinary experience. It was during the evening
that I first had a suspicion that Jan was taking tomorrow’s race seriously as she was drinking halves
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of lager to my pints! She finally got a bit bleary-eyed around 10pm and we headed back for an
early night.
A good night’s sleep was met with the alarm at seven am, and by eight o'clock we were walking to
the race start on a beautiful fresh morning. The fifteen minute walk was a perfect warm-up and we
arrived in plenty of time to savour the relaxed atmosphere of the event (preparation is everything!).
I had decided at the start of the week to run with Jan and keep her company (I had heard there were
a considerable number of public houses on the race route and thought she may need some
persuading to run past). We positioned ourselves just behind the 1:45 pace setter, in an attempt to
avoid the majority of running traffic, and we were shortly on our way.
Jan secretly wanted to complete the event in sub two hours. I was in charge of the watch and had
expected some choice words and phrases throughout the course of the morning. The plan was to
pace at nine minute miles and we were bang on track at six miles as we made our way through the
commercial, residential and parks of the capital. Jan was looking remarkably fresh so when she
increased her pace slightly I decided to keep uncharacteristically quiet. She continued to push on
down towards Cardiff Bay and didn't really start to complain until about mile twelve, at which
point I knew she was easily going to break the two hour target, however I refrained from informing
her how well she was doing as she may have taken the opportunity to stop for a 'quick half'! The
last mile was one of those cruel affairs where you have to run past the finish line on the opposite
side of the road, do a U-turn, and finally reach your goal. With fifty yards left I informed Jan that if
she sprinted she would come in under 1:52 and off she went, as though somebody had said 'Happy
Hour' was just about to end!
Jan officially crossed the line in a very pleasing 1:51:52, with myself a whole second behind.
Within ten minutes of finishing we were heading back to the car to get changed, go for something
to eat, and go shopping! After a mere three hours shopping we were on our way back along the
A470 heading towards the beautiful mountains. The conversation on the journey home consisted of
lots of running talk and numerous déjà-vu moments with Jan re-iterating a number of statements
and questions that she had only mentioned the previous day on the way to Cardiff, following the
visit to the Cob Sale! Not sure why she couldn't remember the conversation we had had only
yesterday?
Following our reservations about heading south to take part in the event we ended up having a very
enjoyable and satisfying weekend and would recommend the race to anyone due to the relaxed
atmosphere and interesting, constantly changing race route.
Other local athletes taking part included; Dylan Jones in a fantastic time of 1:19:44; Rhian Jones in
1:46:11; Sandra Williams in 1:51:19; Jaspa Wynne Williams in 1:57:49; Jaqueline Fowler in
2:08:50 and Haydn Fowler in 2:21:36.
Well done to everyone.
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5.
Book Review
by Tony Hodgson
"Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall
This is a book we should all read. It's about a heavy injury ridden runner in the states who
explores a new (or perhaps old is a better word) way of running; Barefoot! He runs with the
amazing Tamahuara tribe in the Copper canyons of Mexico & a crazy gringo known as Caballa
Blanca (White Horse). It's a travel book, runner’s ramblings, scientific analysis of running trends &
more. Basically he challenges the entire basis on which modern running shoes have been built for
the last 30yrs & concludes that wrapping our feet in cushioning & motion control causes more
injury not less, & that the powerful shoe companies know it but will lose too much if it gets out!!
I've devoured it in a few days & couldn't put it down. I believe he also has a website on the topic.
Fascinating read, -put it on your prezzy list. Enjoy. (only £4.48 at Amazon)
6.
Istanbul 2010
by Juliet Edwards
Istanbul, the 5th largest city in the world, a wonderful mix of cultures and the only place (I think) to
run a marathon from one continent to another. A small but enthusiastic group from Meirionnydd
spent a week sightseeing, shopping and soaking in the atmosphere..... we had an awful lot of rain.
The Big Orange Hotel was situated just outside the centre of the old city. The rooftop
restaurant/aquaplaning area had great views of the Blue Mosque and across the Bosphorus.
Evenings were spent searching out the best food around – kebabs, freshly caught fish and .......rice
pudding .We had to suffer strawberry smokes on our quest, as well as not learning the art of how to
cheat at cards. Sue even received a marriage proposal from Antonio “I own all these hotels
“Banderas.
Wandering round the city we saw some of the 300 monuments built by Suleiman the Magnificent
and learnt how the city was surrendered to Mehmet the Conqueror.
Race day arrived with an early morning thunderstorm. Graeme’s good knee became decidedly
dodgy and so we were down to 3 runners. The 15km and marathon races started together on the
Asian side, first crossing the massive suspension bridge to Europe. The routes were mainly flat and,
apparently, we passed many sites of historical interest ( I don’t do sightseeing very well after the
first few miles!).
Tom the Terrific was 26th overall in the 15km race in a time of 56 minutes 42secs, Nich the Not so
Bad managed a fine time of 75 minutes 02secs. Then there was time to relax, have a cup of tea,
wander round the bazaar etc, whilst the marathon continued. Finally I trundled in with a time of
4 hours 9minutes 07secs.
Many thanks to Sue, Mary and Graeme for their very vocal support.
So, if you need a holiday with retail therapy and a race included, why not try Istanbul?
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7.
Forthcoming Races
December
Sun 5th Cardington Cracker nr Church Stretton 9m/2600ft
Sun 5th Aberystwyth (Cambrian News) 10k road race.
Sun 5th Helena Tipping 10k Wrexham.
Sun 12 Mortimers Forest Hill Race, Nr Ludlow 10m/1600ft
Sun 12th Welsh Inter regional and masters cross country champs Builth Wells
Sun 19th Telford 10k
Sun 26th Tyn y Groes hill race 2.5m 700ft.
Mon 27th Jubilee Plunge fell race, Moel Famau 2.5m 1,350ft (down only).
January
Sat 22nd Cross Country League -Telford - to be confirmed.
Sat 15th Club Xmas party, Dolgellau Golf Club.
Sat 15th Twin Piers 10k Colwyn Bay
Sat 22nd Cross-Country League -Telford Lilleshall- to be confirmed.
Sun 23rd Menai Mini Marathon.
Sat 29th North Wales cross-country championships at Rhug near Corwen.
February
Sat 5th Cross Country League - Marches School Oswestry.
Sat 19th Welsh National cross-country championships.
Sat 12th 2011 Tarrenhendre 6m 2,000ft
For those who like to plan ahead
Sun 22nd May Llandudno 10m. Entries open now at
http://www.runbritain.com/onlineentry/event/llandudno-10-mile/
9th July British Fell Running Championship race on the Aran course.
23rd July Snowdon International Mountain Race. Entries open on ????? at
http://snowdonrace.co.uk
Sat 20th August Tywyn Race the Train events. Entries open now at
http://www.racethetrain.com/
16th October Cardiff Half Marathon. Entries open now at
http://www.cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk/
?? November Snowdonia Marathon. Entries open on the 1st of January at
http://www.snowdoniamarathon.com/