Hi there
Hope you are all well and enjoying the signs of early spring. The lighter nights are on their way which I am sure we are all looking forward to.
Cross Country – Winter Season
Thank you to everyone who took part in the winter events. Chris Grubb and David Bannister came 2nd in ther age category and Kate Green took first place in hers. Well done – great results for a small club.
Thank you also to Rachel who got some press coverage for us as well. https://www.ledburyreporter.co.uk/news/19946023.ledbury-runners-pick-prizes-last-race-winter-season/
Cross Country – Summer season
The plans for this are now underway so please watch this space. The July race will be part of the League championship this year. These are held on Wednesday evening during the summer months.
To encourage you to consider Cross country both in the summer and next winter, here are some words from Jayne.
Cross Country – Doesn’t those two little word strike fear into your heart?
As you probably know, I hated sport at school and during cross country you’d find me hiding somewhere, probably smoking. I hated it. Why would anyone want to put themselves through it? Getting hot, sweaty and muddy – yuck!
Fast forward a few years, I love it! I started running cross country when I was around 26 years of age and I ran, with my Dad, for West Bromwich Harriers. I wasn’t fast, but I was required to make up the ladies’ team. I could write a book on what happened to me during those races, from missing the start but going for it anyway to loosing my trainers and sitting down to put them back on again. Not a big deal if you a speedy but when you are last, it took guts to continue running. Sorry if that makes me sound big-headed, but it did and I quite often felt sick with fear.
Fast forward a few more years, a lot had changed. I moved house, changed running clubs. I was still running but never ventured to the cross country races. For this years winter season, I decided something had to change. I was going to run all the races I could. I work a lot of Sundays, so I was probably not holding out much hope of having to do them. As it happens, I was able to run three of them and I still love it. So much so, I even ran Rotherwas on my 50th Birthday, fuelled by the gin I had consumed the day before. The hardest was Presteigne and even though I crossed the line last cursing, I still loved it.
So why don’t more of us run them. Is it because we don’t like getting muddy? Is it because we fear being last? They are too tough? Held on a Sunday morning and you enjoy the lie in? Here are somethings to consider:
They are free!
Who cares if you are last, you’re beating everyone who is not running!
Great team spirit!
Mud washes off!
Tough= better fitness, making other runs easier!
Sundays are for living, you can get home and feel great all day!
Oh, some Harriers bake some fantastic cakes!
Couch to 5K
We are nearly at the end of our Couch to 5K course. Their graduation run will be held at Hereford parkrun on 12th March. Please do come along and support the runners. This run will also be part of the League as will the Newent parkrun on the same day.
We look forward to welcoming the graduates from this course to our main Tuesday night running groups when they finish. The groups meet at 6;30 for a 6:45pm start from the Rugby club every Tuesday unless we say otherwise – eg Pub Runs in the Summer.
Committee news
We are about to complete our reaffiliation to England Athletics in the next month. There have been some changes this year and we need to sign up to meet the Club Standards that have been set. To this end, we need two Welfare Officers. Mark Lister has kindly agreed to take one position but we have one vacancy. If you are interested in finding out more about what it involves either please come to our meeting on Thursday evening 3rd March at 8pm at the Rugby Club or email me at helen@greendawnaccounting.co.uk. You will need to undertake 2 on-line training courses which will be paid for by the club.
We will also be discussing the summer cross-country events as we have been asked if we could host one this year.
If you would like to have some input into the running of your club, please do come along on Thursday. We will be delighted to see you!
Magnificent Eastnor Castle Run – 3rd April
We have had a great response to the race this year with 170 people signed up already. This is in the main thanks to Rachel and her great social media posts. Please keep sharing them with everyone who might be interested.
We will need marshalls on the day and helpers to set out the course on the day before. If you can help, please let either myself or Chris Law know.
We will be holding our Tuesday Night club run on 29th March at Eastnor Deer Park so it will give you a taste of part or all of the route that our racers will take.
Wine Tasting
If you would like to join in the wine tasting to be held at Hays Wines on 4th March, please can you let Jo Taylor Greig know as soon as possible. Cost is £12 and is payable to the Harriers bank account. Jo’s email address is jotaylorgreig@gmail.com
“Every time I enter this race, I cross the finish line saying never again! December 2021, a friend messaged me to say she was entering and would I run it with her, she had only just started running. I said yes and duly entered. This friend had only just taken up running so I thought I wouldn’t be too far behind her. The I saw her results for Hereford 10K, 52 minutes – I knew there was not way we would be running together!
The weather on the morning of the race was wet! It had poured over night and was still raining. I knew it was going to be well and truly muddy- I love mud. A friend picked me up, we collected our numbers and then went back to the car to change our trainers. My friend then discovered she had left her trail trainers at home but fair play, she was still going to run. I told her I’d stick with her and we’d run together.
The race, if you don’t know it, runs around Haugh Woods in Woolhope. It lives up to its name as it is muddy and woody. What is missing from the title is the hilliness of the race. What it should be named is Hilly, Muddy Woody 6.
I tried to catch up with as many Harriers as I could, but only saw Sarah, Nick, Rachel and David, who were wearing the latest fashion – a bin bag, Steve, Ian and Mark. So a group photo was not possible. I think the rain made us all hide away until the start of the race.
During the race, I stayed with my friend without the trail trainers. I must say, I’m pretty impressed that she took on the challenge to continue with running. Not sure I would have done. The race, I felt, was easier then previous years. Due to felling of trees, we didn’t have the final muddy descent and climb back up (not that I’m complaining.) The mud was muddier and the brook deeper, but I loved it all the same. I didn’t finish saying never again. So who is going to join me next year?
I would like to say a big thank you to all the friendly encouraging marshals and to the tail runner who supported us all the way round. This is such a friendly race, and no one should be nervous about giving it ago.
As for the friend who persuaded me to join her, she sadly twisted her ankle a mile in and ended up being treated by the first aiders…Thankfully she only has a swollen ankle, so will recover and be back running soon.”
Think that’s all for now. Any other contributions to up-coming newsletters are welcome.
Helen