NEWSLETTER
HYDREF 2011 AUTUMN
Contents
1.
Introduction
by John Smith
2.
A Book at Bedtime
by Jeff Davies
3.
A First Marathon
by Ifan Richards
4.
The Crucial Guide to Christmas Cake Baking.
By Sheila Symonds
5.
Why Exercise?
By Sheila Symonds
6.
Snowdonia Marathon
by Juliet Edwards
7.
The Swazi Adventure Race
by Tony Hodgson
8.
Forthcoming Races
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1.
Introduction
by John Smith
Welcome to the Autumn Newsletter. If any of you are thinking “But I haven’t had the
summer one yet”, don’t panic, there wasn’t one as I had not had any input. I will issue them
in the future when I have got 5 or 6 pieces to go in, so don’t wait for me to ask for input, just
send it to me.
Another successful year draws to a close for the club. A feature this year has been the
excellent co-operation with the weather authorities. Apart from the Pen 10, which seems to
have had a bone pointed at it by a witch-doctor, all our races have had good weather. The
FRA running of the Aran race and recently Rhobell Fawr were particularly favourable.
Another happy customer!
Stuart Barnard of Pensby Runners surprised by the sunshine on Rhobell Fawr.
Congratulations to all our runners who have put in some splendid performances over the
summer / autumn. In particular the results in the Snowdonia Marathon and in the crosscountry league stand out, culminating in the men’s team winning the Meirionnydd Sports
Council “Team of the Year” award.
An excellent example of the spirit of the club was shown on the weekend of 12th / 13th
November. On the Saturday 21 members ran in the cross-country at Northop and on the
Sunday 16 ran at Rhobell Fawr plus many others marshalling, timekeeping, catering etc.
All this from a club with around 70 members!
So, try not to put on too many pounds over Christmas, as 2011 will be a difficult year to beat!
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2.
A Book at Bedtime
by Jeff Davies
I know you goats like nothing more than a quick dash up Cader before breakfast so here’s a
suggestion for your Santa stocking, with apologies if you’ve read it a hundred times.
‘Feet in the Clouds’ by Richard Askwith, currently £5.29 at Amazon.
It’s about fell-running and, as he himself puts it, ‘obsession’. No, it’s not another fatjournalist-decides-to-do-London-and-write-a-book-about-it but about his own fascination
with the hills [in this case the Lake District] and this lunatic thing some of you may have
heard of called the Bob Graham Round which apparently involves the foolish in attempting
[ah-good word that] to climb about 50 peaks in the Lakes in 24 hours.
I hasten to add I’m no fell-runner [tried it once, didn’t like it; which is a way of saying I was
hopeless at it] but I enjoyed this book immensely and do recommend it strongly. It does help
if you’ve done some running [!!!] and if you’ve ever been to the Lakes, I guess that would
help too. Perhaps you’ve stood in Keswick High St and stared up at Skiddaw and thought
‘That’s a long way up’ which is true [it’s over 3000’] but you’ll be in for a shock when you
find out the record for the there and back again race. Does tend to make you feel a mere
mortal.
A great book about running generally though. It’s well-written and not without humour.
Every other chapter is a kind of history of fell-running which I think is pretty big in the
Lakes. He even goes in search of the legendary Jos Naylor, a chapter I particularly liked. I
won’t let on whether he achieves his goal or not but it’ll make you think twice about
moaning next time you hit some small incline!!
3.
A First Marathon
by Ifan Richards
When I checked my e-mails about a month and a half ago, I saw Andrea's message about her
unfortunate pull-out of the Snowdonia Marathon and the opportunity she was giving to
someone else, I thought instantly "why the hell not" I had nothing else on that weekend so it
had to be done.
I have to be honest the Marathon distance has never really appealed to me, I don’t know
why??? Long distance on the mountains yes!!! 23miles of Yorkshire 3 peaks fells, 24 miles
and 11000ft of Slovenian Alps, Yes Please!! but 26.2 miles of constant tarmac pounding and
obsession of PB's...............No thanks!!
Having heard so much about this event though and knowing there was a bit of mud on it
albeit near the end I was tempted to give it a go, so a phone call to Andrea and my spot was
secured.
Training however was non existent!!!! I was training obviously, but the priority was and still
is the N.Wales x-c series for the club and Duathlons I'll be competing in over winter.
Training is consisting of 6-10 mile runs at intensity, Bike sessions of 1.5-2hrs and Duathlon
specific sessions 10k, 30k bike, 10-5k. So endurance training has been a no go area.
The day came and the weather was as expected, heavy rain, gale force winds and all the rest
of it......Great, at least it won’t be hot.
Es and I picked up Mark Atherton and headed over to Llanberis. We drove from Beddgelert
and back tracked the route to Llanberis via Pen y Pass and Nant Peris and got the first half
re-capped and the chatting was full of what we were going to do and the minute miling we
should be doing etc etc.
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We arrived at Llanberis and went to sign on. A great feeling walking in to the atmosphere of
2000 like-minded people and the buzz was flowing through the crowd.
Awesome pre-event interviews with S4C which was nerve wrecking but fun to do!! but it
was time now to put all that behind and get ready for the nitty gritty!!! The rain and wind
lashed down as Mark and I was changing and we were looking at each other and just said,
Hell Yea!!
We made our way to the start area and the amount of people was amazing!!
I lined up about 100 back knowing that the event was a marathon and not a sprint, and the
miles was not in the legs for any heroic nonsense!!
Off went the hooter and we were off, I started with a lad from Wrexham AC who I know
quite well and knew that he had put in some serious miles of training for the race but knew
he wasn’t that fast a runner so stuck with him. Steadily we picked up the pace and within a
mile and very little effort we were gaining places to the foot of Pen Y Pass. I pegged it back a
bit up the pass knowing that effort so soon in the race would put an early end to my race. I
got to the top of the Pass in good fresh condition, took on some water and descended the road
and track down Cwm Dyli. I exited back to the main road and kept it steady, Es was there for
me at mile 8 and passed me a gel, then I kept it going to Beddgelert and the half marathon
point comfortably at 6.30 miling.
The second climb of the day started, a slow 2 mile drag from Beddgelert and I think my pace
from the previous 6 miles was having a effect, and I heard Sue shout from the other side of
the road and thankfully she passed me a gel and gave me a shout out and I got my head down
and kept it going. Having got that climb out of the way I picked my pace up again but was
struggling to keep 6.20 and was tapping out more like 6.40 but was happy with it.
From mile 15 to 20 was a bit of a blur................sort of blank haze!! and can’t really
remember what the hell was going on!!!
I got woken up on mile 21 when my hat hooked on to a thorn bush and was whipped off my
head. I was running with my mate from Wrexham AC and two others but the hat was my
favourite and wasn't cheap either so decided to turn back and pick it up. I bent down to pick it
up ok, but the effort to stand back up was crazy, my legs were in instant lock- up, creased!! I
stretched them out and rubbed them for a minute and finally got going again, but was
struggling to stay on the 6min miling zone. Es caught me up and passed me a drink and a gel
which was a welcome sight and some words of encouragement from Es got me firing again.
Mile 22 and the dreaded hill from Waunfawr up and over Bwlch y Groes was upon me!! I put
my head down and grafted my way up and up and up to the 23 mile marker and the steepest
part. I looked at my Garmin and knew only 3 mile to go, 20mins of suffering left!! but as it
levelled out and the tarmac turned gradually to terrain more familiar to me I got a second
wind and my pace picked up back to 6.20miling and I was eating up the rejects of the leading
groups. I hit the 25 mile marker in full flight knowing my descent was strong and gained
about 12 places on the descent and salvaged a bit of lost time.
I hit the final straight to be greeted by Es on course and she tried her best to run alongside me
but the combination of my adrenaline and her trousers falling down due to the weight of
water in the bottom of them I left her for the line to finish in a time of 03:08:22 and 32nd
overall.
A great feeling to be greeted by Es at the line and the many 100's of people that lined the
street.
A 30 second rest and it was interview time again!! Ah well it's all good publicity for our
fantastic club!!
Many thanks to Es for her support on the day, and to Sue for her encouragement. A fantastic
feeling too, knowing that Meirionnydd had a great bunch of runners taking part in this great
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race and the emotions and suffering we all experienced....we experienced together!! That’s it
now I'm officially a convert, or at least really willing to give another marathon a go.
A massive Da Iawn to all that took part and a massive Diolch yn Fawr to all the supporters
we had out cheering us on in the terrible conditions.
4.
The Crucial Guide to Christmas Cake Baking.
By Sheila Symonds
Now nearing Yuletide our thoughts turn to the preparation of Homemade
Festive Fare, your guests always appreciate that special touch of home
Cooking.
There are one or two very simple points to bear in mind. It is probably best
To get the rest of the family & the cat/dog/children out of the house for
The day so that you can fully turn your attention to the job in hand.
Prepare a comprehensive list of ingredients and it goes without saying that
You will need a varied selection of spirits to keep that festive mood
Uppermost in your mind to ensure all will go with a swing.
Cover the Budgie's cage, and take the phone off the hook.
Arrange spirits in a convenient row for ease of access.
Sample the whisky to check for quality.
Take a large bowl. Check the whisky again, to ensue it is of the required
quality pour one level cup & test drink. Repeat.
Turn on the electric mixer, beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.
Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and beat again. Check the whisky again in case it
has deteriorated.
Beat two leggs and add to the bowl, chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Mix
on the tuner.
If the fired druit gets stuck in the beaterers pry loose with the telephone.
Or a screwdriver. Wipe up the blood.
Check the whisky again, try a single malt.
Next sift 2 cups of salt - or something - who cares?
Now sift the lemon juice and strain the nuts. Add one table. Or Spoon.
Or sugar or whatever you can lay your hands on.
Grease the oven.
Turn the cake tin up to 350 degrees.
Don't forget to beat up the turner.
Toss the bowl out of the window.
Check the whisky again and lie down before you fall down.
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5.
Why Exercise?
By Sheila Symonds
It is well documented that for every minute you exercise, you add a
minute to your life. This enables you, at 85 years of age, to spend an
additional 5 months in a nursing home at £4000 per month!
My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was 60. Now
she's 97 years old and we don't know where she is!
The only reason I would take up exercising is so that I could hear
heavy breathing again.
I joined a health club last year and spent about 400 quid. Haven't lost
a pound. Apparently you have to show up.
I have to exercise early in the morning before my brain sorts out what
I'm doing.
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I like long walks... especially when they are taken by people who annoy
me.
I have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.
The advantage of exercising every day is that you die healthier.
If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.
And last, but not least, I don't exercise because it makes the ice jump
right out of my glass!
You could run this over to your friends but why
not just e-mail it to them!
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6.
Snowdonia Marathon
by Juliet Edwards
I am not sure why I had to have another go at the Snowdonia marathon. 3000+ feet of
upwind and rain almost guaranteed, too misty to appreciate the fine views, not to mention all
the trials and tribulations of training and panicking for any marathon.
Which training programme should I follow? There are thousands to choose from on the
internet. Stick to one seemed fairly sensible, but sense deserted me so I took the easiest bits
of 2 plans and tried to convince myself I was still doing enough. I still needed to get my
excuses in early so I cut my knee open on a fell run. This was a great opportunity to
experience the NHS from the other side as well as introducing tapering early into the training
plan.
So I followed a training plan of sorts, managed a few long runs and tapered seriously. What
should I wear for the big day? Black plastic bin bag at the start or flimsy windproof
top...black plastic was so 2008 (year of 60mph gales), it was quite popular again this time.
What should I eat? Detailed research on jelly babies, fruit pastilles and dried apricots has
been disappointing and I was wary of gloopy gels ....but not all gels turn to concrete in your
stomach thank goodness. Gels it had to be.
On race day the mixture of anxiety and excitement slowly builds as everyone wanders down
to the start. 1400+ mainly happy runners trying to play down expectations. What do the
books say? Oh yes, start slow then speed up in the second half and something about having a
burst of energy to finish the last few miles. I started too fast, that is compared to a marathon
slithering snail, then thought no, no, this is only the first up, and slowed down. A steady
climb up to Pen y Pass and then a lovely downhill towards Pen y Gwryd hotel before turning
right towards Beddgelert. Very soon you are on a muddy track, this is downhill, remove
brain, go for it, but no, quite a few runners were jogging gingerly. Normal surface was
resumed after about 2km as we climbed back onto the main road. Then it was a steady run to
Beddgelert. Chatting/gasping to other runners for the next few miles, I had no idea whether I
was sticking to my pre-race steady pace plan.
The main thing about approaching Beddgelert is thinking “nearly half way there” and seeing
the crowds. Then there is the Meirionnydd lay by, I couldn’t see the official plaque but I am
sure there will be one soon.....in memory of those who have selflessly sacrificed a soggy
Saturday to support their mad club runners, may we be eternally grateful .
I felt good at this stage, the gels were working and I almost, dare I say, cruised the next few
miles. However, it is an awfully long way past Rhyd Ddu and on to Waunfawr; you have
plenty of time to think about the FINAL climb. This time I was not hallucinating about jelly
babies, I just tried to concentrate on plodding very slowly to the quarry, trying desperately
not to slow down to a walk. Beyond the quarry it was very windy and extremely slippery
underfoot before the final downhill dash. I believe a gentleman behind me was having some
trouble with cramp or similar affliction as he repeatedly wailed “f--- you legs--- you legs”.
Then we were in Llanberis, it happened too soon, where was the dog-leg or final detour to
add on the agony? We were on the final run in, this was too good to be true, and I managed
BOTH feet to be off the ground in my finish line photo. A PB? I wondered loony as a
slightly deranged marathon runner, murmuring “I can’t believe it!” Brilliant.
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7.
The Swazi Adventure Race
by Tony Hodgson
It started with a phone call months ago from my son Sam in Swaziland, when we were
planning our trip out there to help him for 7 weeks at Guba, his Permaculture training centre.
“While you’re here there’s a little adventure race in Malolotja. Do you fancy it?” How could
I refuse the chance of extreme silliness? “It’s only a 70km one!” Adventure races are a fairly
common thing in Southern Africa & some go on for days & can be up to 500kms of biking,
running, canoeing, climbing, throwing yourself off clifftops into python pools etc, so this
seemed like a stroll in the park. In addition it was to be in a bit of Swaziland’s heavenly
highlands. Malolotja (rhymes with gotcha) is a nature reserve covering some of the highest
peaks in the country and the most beautiful rivers & valleys. In addition the birdlife &
plantlife is incredibly diverse & lovely with a good number of wild buck, wildebeest & other
beasties.
So that is why we were awoken at 3.30AM yesterday morning in a backpackers hostel
which was a converted stable, by a cacophony of loud farting, nose blowing, throat clearing,
flushing, & bicycle maintenance noises. And that was all from just one bloke, a hairy
Afrikaaner from over the border. By 4am the whole stable full of racers were joining in so we
blearily arose as the race started at 5am. YES FOLKS 5AM!!
The morning was cold & misty. Yes colder than the Rhobell race 2weeks before in the
Welsh Winter. We stuffed a bit of cereal down (groan, no tea) and got our rucksacks packed
for the day & then away in a pack on the bikes for a 20kms bash through the foothills of
Ngwenya Mountain. Swaziland is not a flat place! The cloud settled on my specs as we
plummeted down the descents. I tried to keep my teammate in view as instructed. But Sam is
a bit good on a bike and I struggled for an hour until the sun burned through & cleared the
old goggles. After hills down, of course uphills follow, & before long we were shedding
clothing like pole-dancers and sucking on the bladder tubes with gusto. We flew over rocks,
through streams, past waving kids outside smoking huts. The rock is mostly soap-stone in
this part & is used for carving handcrafts. It is also very slippery when wet & the tyres spun
& bucked as we climbed. The ride ended with a long descent towards the river gorge. We
knew we’d have to get back up eventually.
We dumped the bikes to start the next section of trekking & gorge walking. It started with a
long trot & clamber down to the river with broad flat banks of beautiful flowers & trees. The
valley narrowed as we travelled downstream & became a very narrow gorge. These are the
famous Malolotja Potholes which we had to negotiate. They are a series of pools with
waterfalls & rapids. It became rather crowded all of a sudden as nervous teams edged down
between boulders & trees. We had our first swim at the second hole as towering cliffs came
right to the waters edge. The third was a slide down a rope & a drop into the rapids. More
scrambling & sliding on the very slick boulders of the river bed. “Yuk I hate leeches”, I heard
someone say. Just what we needed.
More sliding down rapids, jumping into pools & at last emerge at the last pool checkpoint
and punch our card. We’ve done well & gained a few places. You’d never get race insurance
for that in the UK. Even Graeme couldn’t do a risk assessment for that! Then commences the
massive climb back up to the bikes. We’re relieved to find we’re well matched when it comes
to climbing, and find ourselves passing half a dozen pairs on the ascent. At the bikes we bolt
our last butties down & then off again on the next leg - the Canopy Tour.
This is a series of zip wires criss-crossing a gorge of a small tributary of the main river. We
descend again to the start wearing our horribly heavy harnesses, pulleys & ropes. I needed a
pee but couldn’t possibly get to that tackle so had to wait. The rides were amazing as we flew
high above the native forest in the valley After 4 zips we had to cross a very wobbly
suspension bridge high above the treetops & then a massive rocky scramble in the sun back
up to the bikes.
1
0
We were now very hungry and it was 2pm & our next food stash was a long 24 kms away
back up the hill. I mostly pushed my bike up the steep hills as Sam pegged away at his
pedals. After a long hour we left the park & crossed the road & travelled through some very
nice terrain with lots of traditional Swazi homesteads, cattle, goats & kids asking for
sweeties. We’d long devoured the last sweets but one little gang helped us push up a
horrendous hill as our legs turned to jelly, our hands ached & clothes dried hard with salt. We
egged each other on with talk of chips & cold beer & even overtook a couple more tiring
teams. We turned a corner to see the sight we craved; Hawane dam where our canoe trip was
to be. Oh & the other butties
So there we were soon after as the sun dropped, paddling madly across the lake looking for
checkpoint markers. It was quite a relief not to be leg powered & I must admit it was fun &
we overtook another pair of zigzagging weary souls. Back at the bikes we threw reluctant
legs over saddles for the last 3kms to the finish. Pain - what pain? All gone, the home stretch
and the mud road flew under our wheels. The large inflatable finish arch approached as we
pushed for the line, then we collapsed on the grass in a heap.
We’d done it in 12hrs 15mins. The winning pair 8hrs 29mins- awesomely fit young men
with rippling bits all over. I think we were 16th out of 44 starting pairs. Needless to say the
beer was cool & delicious, and we’re still eating anything that comes close to our mouths a
day later. We can hardly walk, & if we do it again I’ll do more bike training & Sam says he’ll
do some training & make more butties.
I would recommend this race to anyone of unsound mind & a complete disregard for their
own safety. Have a look at it on line at www.kineticgear.co.za & look for Swazi Adventure.
See you all in January!! Happy Christmas.
8.
Forthcoming races.
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1
North Wales Cross Country League remaining dates:14th January
4th February
Lilleshall / Telford
Oswestry
December 2011
Sun 4th Helena Tipping 10k, Wrexham.
Sat 10th Welsh inter-region and masters cross-country - Builth Wells.
Sun 4th Cardington Cracker, 9m, 2,600ft.
Sun 18th Corndon 3 Peaks fell race, 5.8m, 1,850ft.
Sun 18th Telford 10k.
Mon 26th Jubilee Plunge, Moel Famau.
Mon 26th Chester Walls Race.
A selection for 2012.
Jan 2nd 5k and 10k New Year Fun Runs from Ynys Maengwyn Caravan Park, Tywyn.
Jan 21st Twin Piers 10k Colwyn Bay.
Jan 29th N Wales cross-country championships - Rhug.
Feb 11th Tarrenhendre
Feb 12th Nick Beer 10k Llandudno.
Feb 19th Wrexham Village Bakery Half Marathon.
March 24th Ras y Aran.
Apr 28th North Wales 10mile Road Champs Wrexham.
Apr 28th Yorkshire 3 Peaks Race.
May 13th Shell Chester half marathon.
May 13th Market Drayton 10k.
June 23rd Half and full trail marathons in Coed y Brenin