December 2011 by Swinton Running Club

Swinton Running Club V O L U M E

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Race Reviews

Chester Santa Dash - Sunday 11th December 2011

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Chester Santa Dash

Halloween Hellraiser

Ulverston 10K

Stockport 10

Tatton Yule Yomp

Hurst Green Turkey Trail

Telford 10K

Ribble 10K

Calf Strains

Children’s Christmas Party

Beginners Group

Up and Coming Races

CLGP 2012

Central Lancashire 5K

Cross Country Series

Cross Country Champs

Club Championships

Committee Meeting

Notice of AGM

Social Events

Starlight Express

Race Results

Contacts

Having been banned from running for so long and watching how everybody else in the whole world was racing I was starting to get very itchy feet. Working in Chester I was inundated with fliers for the Santa Dash that participants could run, jog or in my case saunter around the 4k course. I soon coerced my work colleagues into doing the dash with me so we all paid our entrance fee, collected our Santa outfits and eagerly awaited the big day. The Dash was to start at 9.30am so it was another early rise for me to head over to Chester. Driving to the start was comical and everybody was dressed in the usual red suit and seemingly in very festive spirits. My crew consisted of Wendy, Carol, Kirsten, Alan and me. The ladies all had to have red nails and keep up the glamour so we spent 5 minutes after we parked painting the nails of those that weren’t done. The dash had around 1500 entrants so there was a massive sea of red at the start, seems everybody wanted to be part of the Swinton group. We were soon off on our nice steady walk which took us through the centre of Chester with lots of locals cheering us on. There were plenty of marshals all with bags or boxes of sweets for the Dashers. There was music playing and live bands en route which added to the fab atmosphere. The end took us back along the river to where we started and the 5 of us did a little run through the finish. All participants were to be given a medal but unfortunately somebody from the organisation team forgot to bring them so we headed off home forsaking our complimentary cup of tea and mince pie to get out of the rain and get me home in time to transform into a reindeer for the children’s party later that same day. The Santa dash was a lot of fun, even as a walker and is suitable for all members of the family. The money raised goes to a good cause and everybody involved in organising it and participating in it looked to be having a great time. I would definitely do a Santa Dash again but hopefully running it next time.

Sharen

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CHESTER SANTA DASH - SUNDAY 11

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Race Reviews

Halloween Hellraiser 9 Mile Race - Sunday 30th October 2011 The race started bright and early from the rugby club in Nantwich. A bit too early for those of us who had been out at Halloween parties the night before. Brian, who had talked me into the race, was looking far more sprightly than me and making me feel duty bound not to embarrass myself as he only started running a few months ago. There seems to be a bit of a tradition of dressing up in Halloween costume for this race and at the starting line there was a good crew of witches and several pumpkins. The evil, bloodstained nurse at the back looked a bit dodgy so we thought wed better avoid spraining anything. I’m not at my most imaginative at nine in the morning so I decided just to scare the good folks of Cheshire by putting on my Swinton vest and going as ‘someone from Salford’. The race started out along a country lane but we quite quickly turned off into fields and at first it got a bit congested with queues to get over stiles before the runners gradually spread out. The first part of the run was mainly over ploughed or grassy fields so it was quite tough going underfoot. After a few miles the only real hill of the race took us up to run through a churchyard over a path made of gravestones for extra Halloween atmosphere. Shortly after this there was a water station and the route took a loop out along a long lane and back round through the adjacent field. The rest of the route mainly alternated between rough fields and country lanes, with one particularly nice stretch along the side of a small lake. In the world of running the word ‘hell’ seems to generally be a code word for lots of mud. This race has true potential to be a total mud fest but as there hadn’t been much rain it wasn’t too mucky. They did manage to provide a fair bit of special cow mud in several of the fields to make up for that. At one point we actually ran through a field that was still full of cows so if you find cows scary this might be a race to avoid. There was no danger in this case though. The cows just lay down chewing and giving me the same kind of appalled look that Dave does when I get up at 7 to go for a run. Chasing any of us was clearly the last thing on their minds. Thanks to the rough terrain this was a tougher race than I had expected from the flat Nantwich countryside but we did get a lovely bottle of commemorative beer at the end- (and a fantastic dinner from Brian’s wife but I'm not sure she’d want to advertise that to all competitors.)

Grace Full results available here

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Ulverston Christmas Pudding 10K - Sunday 4th December 2011 At my time of life and advanced stage of physical decrepitude, I like to choose my races partly on the basis of non athletic factors. For example, the Gin Pit 5 = Pasties and the Birchwood 10K = Fluffy Towels (of which I now have the full colour set, sad person that I am). So when I saw a flyer in the club for the Ulverston Christmas Pudding 10K, it ticked all the right boxes. Firstly it promised a prize different from the usual ill-fitting tee shirt. Secondly it was in a town in which me and my wife, Christine, have spent many happy times since discovering it when our eldest daughter got her first journalist’s job on the North West Evening Mail in Barrow. I therefore promptly entered and booked a cottage for the weekend. At this point my younger daughter, Laura, who has started running at the club in the Marsh-Sutcliffe Nursery Group, decided to do the race as well, fresh from her scintillating performance in the Women’s 5 mile run the previous week (I think that was what she told me to put in!). So Christine and I departed on the Friday night and Laura and two year old Katie left husband and Dad working and joined us on the Saturday. Ulverston is a quirky little town as befitting the birthplace of Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy fame, with strong links to Quakerism and Buddhism and a giant monument that looks like a lighthouse on Hoad Hill, rising above the town. It has two cracking gastro pubs , the Farmers and the Rose and Crown, both under the same ownership, and it was in these that we did our race preparation and recuperation. In between we let Katie run riot in the cottage where she discovered an old Tom and Gerry video and one cartoon in particular which we must have watched 10 times whenever she got fed up and uttered the order, ‘Watch cat and baby now’. The other odd thing about Ulverston is that it decided to let Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK) build a whacking great chemical plant in what must be one of the most beautiful parts of Morecambe Bay. It stands there all silver pipes and plumes of smoke like something out of a James Bond film in the middle of fantastic coastal scenery. Of course, GSK put a lot back into the local economy and were the sponsors of the race we had come to do. Ah yes the race! I suppose I had better get onto that. Sunday morning dawned bright and early with Katie jumping on the bed at 7am and shouting ‘Grandad/Grandma out of bed’ followed by the inevitable ‘Watch cat and baby now’. Neither Christine nor Katie thought much of the idea of standing in the freezing rain and cold cheering us on so we dropped them off at an indoor play centre while we drove to the start of the race at the GSK Social Club virtually on the shore of Morecambe Bay. There were plenty of runners and we all lined up in the chemical plant car park for the start where GSK representatives dished out the free performance enhancing drugs (only joking, I had already taken mine). The first mile involved running back towards Ulverston with a biting wind from Morecambe Bay whipping round your legs and other parts of your anatomy and followed a very aptly named, Watery Lane, which lived up to its name with lots of puddles and squally showers making for not very pleasant running conditions. I maintained a reasonable pace, at least I managed to burn off a man wearing a silly green top hat and running gear, which made me feel better. The wind then eased off as we turned onto the coast road towards Bardsea and went through an area strangely named on the race map as Outcast. Apparently this was where Lepers were sent in bygone times to live away from the town and not be a burden on the state (perhaps our increasingly privatised NHS might find some lessons here!) SWINTON

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We continued along the coast road to the 3 mile mark then did a loop into the grounds of Conishead Priory, a beautiful old building and now a Buddhist retreat. I don’t know whether it was the transcendental vibes from the Buddhists that did it or the fact that my brain was now numbed by the cold and wind but I now felt good and for the last 2miles I floated past lots of runners( well about 3 to be honest ) and finished strongly in 50.54 by my watch. Laura came in shortly after with a good time of 59.40 in her first 10k for many years and we were both well pleased, especially as we got the promised Christmas puddings at the finish. We re-joined Christine and Katie who by now were feeding ducks and in Christine’s hardened view had expended more energy than us whizzing down slides, through tunnels and in and out of ball pools, so we needn’t expect any sympathy for our tiredness. Then it was back to the cottage for a nice hot shower then into the Rose and Crown for some food, beer, wine and in Laura’s case a well deserved whisky. We then completed the day by a visit to Wax Lyrical Candle Factory Shop where Laura and Christine bought up the shop (what is it about women and candles?) and Katie and I snoozed in the car. We stayed overnight and came back the next day via a trip to the Lakes Aquarium. All in all a great trip and the race wasn’t bad either! Would I do it again? Certainly. After all I am one of GSK’s best customers (statins, reflux tablets, other medication etc.) So I ought to support them. But I still think they are missing a trick in not including some of their performance enhancing products in the race goody bags! That would really bring in the entrants.

Pete Marsh Full results available here

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Stockport 10 - Sunday 11th December 2011 The Stockport 10 marked the last race in this year's club championship and saw a good turn out of Swinton runners (even if several of them did hide in their cars/ the refreshment tent/ the loos until literally seconds before the gun went - apparently they melt in the rain). The weather was miserable, cold, blustery and pouring down by the start - conditions I actually quite like for running in! Lauren and I had a quick warm up jog round the track listening to fascinating facts about Stockport (there's a hat museum) from the compere who literally never stopped talking and being amazed by the guy whose warm up pace seemed to be a flat out sprint. After several attempts by the organisers to get the start gantry up only for it to threaten to blow away, they gave up and called us all to the line. For some reason I decided that I'd start the race next to Lauren, the fact that she is considerably quicker than me having apparently escaped me. It probably worked quite well in the end as we started by running two and a bit laps of the track and space was at a premium. Being a little further forward than I really ought to have been meant that I ended up running at quite a comfortable pace. We were soon headed off into the park (encouraged by a marshal telling us that we were looking good, as I said to the guy next to me, we'd be in trouble if we were looking anything otherwise after less than half a mile!) and then onto the streets of Stockport. The course is not the most inspiring, mainly housing estates with a short section on what was essentially a muddy farm track through some fields. There are a couple of notable hills - one first is about 5 miles in and probably constitutes two hills, firstly a reasonably gentle but fairly long climb then, just as you think it's all over, you round a bend and spot the second part of the hill which is short but notably much more steep (it reminded me of Agecroft). To give you some idea, when I looked at my mile splits at the end (thanks to the wonders of the Garmin) I dropped from consistent 8.10 minute miles to a 9.48 minute mile between miles 5 and 6! The second hill comes right at the end. It's not particularly steep but does seem to go on forever (or maybe I was just tired by then!) Much to my amusement Steve Doxey popped up on the other side of the road as I was on my way up the final hill clearly on his cool down. It was nice to have some encouragement but faintly embarrassing when he reappeared at the entrance to the park having run all the way down and back up the hill in the time it had taken me (running at race pace) to get half way up! The course may have been a little dull but the marshals were fantastic remaining cheerful despite the filthy weather. There were several classic marshal comments being used ("downhill from here", "nearly there now", "you can catch him") which are never true. My favourite was the marshal at about mile 7 who told us we were nearly there and when challenged on this point changed this to half way there. The poor lady running next to me clearly believed this second comment and looked quite worried (as I would have been faced with another 7 miles at that point) so I kindly informed her of our actual distance. There were some fantastic Swinton performances on the day. Lauren was not only 9th lady but also won her age category in a fantastic new 10 mile PB and Steve Doxey also won his age category in an amazing 29th place overall (I should have guessed he'd done well given that he'd nearly finished his cool down before I could finish the race!) Mike "I don't do hills or mud" Horton proclaimed to have actually enjoyed himself and there were lots of spot prizes won and lots of happy (if slightly damp) runners at the end. I was personally delighted to make it in just under 1 hour 24 minutes for a hard earned 5 second PB and very pleased to get home for a hot bath before I underwent my transformation to a reindeer for the children's Christmas do. SWINTON

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This was the first time I've run the Stockport 10 but I think it may feature in my race diary again - it's long, it has hills in and it takes place in December when you're pretty much guaranteed rubbish weather. What more could you want of a race?

Rebecca Full results available here

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Tatton Yule Yomp 10k - Sunday 11th December 2011 Whilst most Swintoners were completing the final race of the club calendar at Stockport, some of us less hardy souls opted for the more gentile surroundings of Tatton Park, and the opportunity to amble around a gentle undulating 10k rural course as opposed to 10 mile road race with hills! Preparations for the race was based on the misguided information that the course wasn’t actually in the park itself but set around the roads and paths circling around Tatton and Knutsford Village. The first rule of running of making yourself aware of the course itself was failed miserably. Anyway setting off from Didsbury, courtesy of Nicky driving and Fiona map reading, we ominously viewed the dark rain leaden clouds drifting in from the west and apparently looking to set over the Cheshire countryside. Parking in Knutsford village it appeared quite empty and wondered whether the predicted storm and biting cold had deterred the Cheshire set from turning out. Soon meeting up with Paulette, Andy having dropped her off and decided it was too cold to watch, and not normally renowned for warming up before hand, the just above freezing temperature encouraged all of us to break into a brisk jog to the start at the gate to Tatton Park. The realisation then dawned that this was not a road race but a trail on a very muddy course with road shoes. (thank you to Wilmslow running club for that misinformation, if you are reading this Simon Fenton!) A narrow lane enabled somewhere approaching 1000 runners to congregate and set off at a brisk pace into the Park and towards the lake. A couple of deer looked up to see what the commotion was about but soon resumed their grazing. The course turned sharply back around the lake at which point the rain started and with the wind blowing against us it soon impacted in a sudden drop of pace. The course zig zagged through the Park, up gentle slopes and down muddy trails, intermittently broken by gravel path, and was so cold that it wasn’t until about 8k that I began to feel warm. Eventually coming out of the park onto Tatton Road and with a little over a mile to the finish, I felt comfortable putting in a shift without fear of losing my footing. The finish at Egerton Youth Club was accompanied by musicians from the Royal Northern College of Music, and was well supported by a throng of local villagers and friends of runners alike. A goodie bag from the sponsors, ‘Warburtons’ the bakers included a loaf as well as a ceremonial medal. The weather was now pretty horrible and the thought did cross the mind that I was glad I wasn’t running Stockport and still had another 4 miles to go. We all agreed that it was a great event, very scenic, and well organised. Definitely one to enjoy if you like 10ks and certainly one to do in trail shoes or spikes. The Sunday afternoon pint of Erdinger was well deserved! Phil Full results available here

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TATTON YULE YOMP 10K - SUNDAY 11

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Race Reviews

Hurst Green Turkey Trail Race - Sunday 18th December 2011 ICE

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It was a difficult decision and very sad day, but after so many let-downs over the years, I had finally decided to sack my long term running buddy Phil Summers. Sorry Phil, but I now have a new man in my life, (not like that) some of you may know him as the Badgercat. Swinton’s elite had gone on a secret running mission to Telford so my new bestest running partner and I had decided that the Hurst Green Turkey trail 5 miler looked interesting. Phil take note; the day before the race, Paul sent me text to check that we were still going and on race day morning itself, another to say be careful as the road outside his house was icy. It was just so fantastic to have some-one as keen and committed as me for a change. The journey up to the hills near Clitheroe was interesting, firstly Pauls witty banter was much more enjoyable than my ex running partners and as we approached the hills, the snow and ice started to get worse. We passed a Porsche that had slid into another car at the bottom of an icy dip and then it occurred to me that before I left, I hadn’t even checked if the race was still on. Paul’s navigational skills were much better than Phil’s so we found the Bayley Arms without too much trouble and with the outside temperature at just above freezing; we bolted into the warmth of the pub. As it turned out, this was the fastest either of us would move all day. A bonus was it was warm and had United v QPR on the TV, a great excuse to stay inside for as long as possible. The first sign of trouble was when the lady at the registration desk said that the start had been moved to the other side of the hill due the icy conditions. Clitheroe county council obviously doesn’t bother gritting any of its roads so we slowly slid down the icy hill to the start. I wasn’t worried about the race itself as it was only a 5 miler! Around 150 runners gathered as the guy started to give the race instructions; “The first mile or so is very icy so be careful” mmm not great. “When you are on the fell part, there are some really bad areas, if you want to drop out just tell a marshal” slightly concerned… “There used to be a bridge……” now very concerned. Undeterred, Paul and I discussed tactics. Firstly if either of us broke the course record and finished under 27 mins, we agreed to share the £100 bonus. We wouldn’t however share any of other prizes just to maintain that competitive edge. A guy from Salford called Andi Jones looked quite useful so the race plan was to tuck in just behind and then use Paul’s legendary finishing burst to take him on the line. Great tactics, but they didn’t quite go to plan as Andi had built a 20 minute lead, finished, warmed down and had a cup of tea before Paul even kicked into second gear on the home straight, perhaps next time eh! The race started on an upward road that was covered in ice and snow, it was a little difficult to get any traction especially for those “larger gents” in the field. The fancy dress Elf and Smurf had sped off and after about a mile or so we moved onto the fell, a mixture of snow,

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ice, slush and mud where the sun had been. Sharen, this really should be the first race in your 2012 diary as you would love it. I was so glad that I had my trail shoes on, unfortunately Paul didn’t and was to pay the price later….. The initial climb was approx. 2.5 miles and the hardest work, once we started the descent we entered a wooded section, the course here was quite hard to follow as it was really dark and we had to jump the same brook about 4 or 5 times, one trip or missed jump could have been very nasty. Out of the woods, I then passed two girls who were sat on the side, one was crying. I thought about asking if they were OK but didn’t bother. In my defence, there were plenty of marshals on the course so I figured they would be OK. More importantly, I was ahead of Paul so cracked on. The pace increased on the descent at the same time as the dodgy muddy track got worse. You just had to plough through and hope for the best and after a couple of near disasters, the path narrowed and the finish arrived pretty much without warning. Thanks purely to my trail shoes, I had managed to finish ahead of Paul and as I waited at the finish line a couple of first aid marshals set off with blankets to help an injured runner. Was it for the girls or had perhaps the Badgercat come to grief? Just when I started to get concerned, that famous finishing sprint came into view although he looked like he’d just emerged from the bog of doom. Apparently, he had fallen right in front of a lady with a camcorder so of course, every possible effort is currently been made to track down a copy. Rest assured Mr Hart is on the case. The race had been shortened to 4.6 miles and we really didn’t care about the time as we both said that it was really enjoyable in a strange hellrunner sort of way and deffo one for the diary next year. How about a team Swinton outing? There is even a fancy dress theme so can you imagine Rudolf Squirrel chops and the children’s Xmas party girls running in those outfits!! We didn’t hang around for the presentation as I had a date with a couple of beers and Paul had a date with a couple of meals, all well-earned of course!

Dave W Full results available here

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HURST GREEN TURKEY T RAIL RACE - SUNDAY 1 8

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Telford 10K - Sunday 18th December 2011 I like to race in Shropshire as it gives me a chance to catch up with friends there. The Telford 10k is a special race for me as I got my PB (41:57) there back in 2007. For various reasons, I haven’t been able to take part in it for the last few years, but this year there was no reason not to so I signed up. I have been running pretty well for the last few months, enjoying a PB at Stockport 10 mile race only last week. This week however, I suffered a little with my usual sore throat – or ‘end-of-term-itis’ as it has come to be known. Adam, Patrick and I were going down to Telford to meet with friends on the Saturday before the race and had a hotel booked for the night, so dropping out was never really an option. Sadly, Rebecca and Steve did have to pull out due to illness. Sunday morning was a bright, crisp wintery day – no complaints there; my favourite running weather. There were actually two separate races: elite (40mins and under) followed by the masses. I watched the elite start and saw them again at the 5K mark. Wow! Some of those guys and girls could move! Then I went back to the start to warm up and get ready for my race. I wanted to get quite close to the start line as there were lots of runners taking part and I remembered that the paths were fairly narrow. I got it completely wrong and ended up bundled right in the middle of the pack, so you can imagine my frustration for the first mile as I tried to pass people and increase my speed. After about a mile, things calmed down a little and I was running pretty well. I enjoyed the 2-lap course of Telford Town Park. A lot of it is flat with just one slight uphill and one slight downhill on each lap. As is to be expected, I didn’t see many familiar faces. In fact, there was just one – Chris O’Loughlin – who told us he is returning to the club in the New Year. It will be good to see Chris back at SRC again. The race went reasonably well for me and I crossed the line in 42:38 by my watch. No PB but the nearest I’ve been for a few years, so I’m happy with that. I’ve decided 10k is not my favourite distance; I think 10 miles or half-marathons are more my cup of tea! That said, I’ll try to return for this one next year and put myself right at the front.

Loz Full results available here

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TELFORD 10K - SUNDAY 18

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Ribble 10K - Tuesday 27th December 2011 I wasn’t sure about doing a race so soon after Christmas. My preparation included the Man United Santa Run 5k (in proper red and white Santa suit, Paul and Claire please note), the Tatton Yule Yomp, in which I was overtaken by a Troupe (the proper collective name according toThe Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words) of elves and countless other Christmas characters and the inevitable overeating and drinking of Christmas itself. Anyway, the day dawned – cloudy, not too cold and not too windy. We picked up Phil on the way to Clitheroe, taking a slight detour back to Phil’s house to pick up his race number. The drive was scenic, taking us over the moors and, disconcertingly, as we were only about 10 minutes away from the race car park, through what seemed to be cloud. The start of the race is just by Roefield Leisure Centre and swimming pool, so there’s a large indoor area to register/pick up timing chips/buy running gear or get refreshments. Swinton, as usual, had a good turn out – ten runners in total. The race had been promoted as a fast course and incorporated the 2011 Northern Athletics 10K Road Championships (won by Altrincham (men) and Blackburn (women)). Participants were mainly club runners and there were 898 finishers, including eight who came in under 30 minutes, one of whom was Alistair Brownlee, triathlon hope for London 2012 (who ran a PB). The winner was Jonny Mellor in 29 mins 10secs with the first woman - Katrina Wootton of Bedford & County home in 33.58. Emma and Rebecca had been on a recce to check out the last bit of the course and had discovered that there was a hill almost at the end. They had also discovered the secret women’s toilet – thanks both. We gathered at the start line and then spent quite a few minutes shuffling backwards, presumably to allow the elite runners (who had an area at the front cordoned off for them) to get into place. Then, no speeches, just a peep and we were off. The course is traffic free and wide all the way round, so there were no bottle necks, even at the beginning. I would describe it as nicely undulating – great for downhill recovery after uphill effort – and great expansive rural views all the way round. Apart from the odd nauseous interlude, brought on by too much rich food I suspect, I felt good and tried to maintain a steady pace. There’s a section of the course – probably a couple of hundred meters or so – where you double back on yourself and so can see people in front and behind providing the opportunity of gasping out an encouraging word or wave to the other Swinton runners (in my case, mostly ahead of me). There are kilometre markers all the way round plus, right at the end, you cross the river and then see a 400m to go sign which I thought was a great help – just one lap of the track to sprint. Being a bit of a plodder, I was delighted with my time, knocking almost 2½ minutes off my PB. So maybe there’s something to be said for another helping of Christmas pud…. Thanks to Blackburn Harriers & Athletic Club for a well-organised event, great running by all Swinton runners and well done to Emma and Andy for their PBs.

Paulette Full results available here SWINTON

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RIBBLE 10K - TUESDAY 27

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Calf Strain - A Common Sports Injury Three weeks ago I decided to run the Preston 10 mile race along with Mike and Paul. It ticked the long run box and was good preparation for the Wesham 10k a week later. It was quite a chilly day but my warm up consisted of a small jog to the start line and then standing still until the start (not good). I wanted to start strong and try to maintain it through the race. Mike had gone past me at the 1 mile mark and I had spent the next 4 miles watching Mike’s back getting further away. I stuck to my own pace and was happy to go through the 5 mile mark just a little out of my target time. So with Emma shouting encouragement, I pushed on and was then going past a steady stream of runners which felt good. At mile 7 I felt what I thought was cramp in both my calves. No problem I thought as I have often cramped in runs and ran through it. The pain in my right leg just kept getting worse with every stride. My pace began to drop and runners started to go past me. I struggled on and reached the 9 mile mark where I dug in and picked my pace up until the finish. I limped up to Mike and Emma to wait for Paul (who was also running in some pain). I thought nothing of it but as the days ticked past I realised that maybe it was more than a mild strain. Usually after a week of no running I am back on the roads again but not this time. Mike and Emma had both told me that they had been to see Maria Lowe who treats sports specific injuries. So I decided to book an appointment and went to see if she could find out what the problem was. It did not take her long to diagnose a calf tear in the centre of my right calf. Treatment soon followed, firstly with manipulation which culminated with Maria applying her elbow right in the middle of my damaged calf, and then putting her full body weight behind it. “OH MY GOD!” I screamed to myself as beads of sweat tricked down my forehead. Good job I was on my front and Maria could not see the tears of pain welling up in my eyes as she continued to work on my leg. “I must warm up! I must warm up!” I told myself over and over again like a mantra. Acupuncture and ultrasound followed (much less painful), then she gave me some exercises and stretches to do plus lots of advice. A second visit to Maria followed where she quickly pinpointed my sore overworked muscles around the tear and dually applied the elbow of terror on them. But Maria knows her stuff and things are now improving. Wesham, Wythenshawe XC and Stockport 10 all missed along with track, hills and training runs. But with cross training, treatment and rest I can see things are on the right track. It’s the longest time I have been of due to injury and although warming up doesn’t guarantee I won’t get injured again, I think I will be warming up properly in the future. Hope all you injured runners out there mend quickly with a special mention to Sharen and Kate who both must be climbing the walls by now. Now for some light reading: a few facts I have dredged up about calf strains.

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W HAT HAPPENS TO THE M US CLE W HEN YOU EXPE RIENCE A CALF S TRAIN ?

A calf strain is an injury to the gastrocnemius muscle -- a "muscle strain." When a muscle is strained, the muscle is stretched too far. Less severe strains pull the muscle beyond its normal excursion. More severe strains tear the muscle fibers and can even cause a complete tear of the muscle. Most commonly, calf strains are minor tears of some muscle fibers, but the bulk of the muscle tissue remains intact. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF A CALF STRAIN?

An acute calf strain can be quite painful, depending on the severity of the injury. Calf strains are usually graded as follows: Grade I Calf Strain:

Mild discomfort, often minimal disability. Usually minimal or no limits to activity. Grade II Calf Strain:

Moderate discomfort with walking, and limited ability to perform activities, such as running and jumping; may have swelling and bruising associated. Grade III Calf Strain:

Severe injury that can cause inability to walk. Often patients complain of muscle spasm, swelling and significant bruising. Calf strains are most common in men between the ages of 30 and 50. Typically, individuals who sustain a calf strain notice a sudden, sharp pain in the back of the leg. The most common muscle to injure when a calf strain occurs is the medial gastrocnemius. This muscle is on the inner side of the back of the leg. The injury usually occurs just above the midpoint of the leg (between the knee and ankle). This area of the calf becomes tender and swollen when a muscle strain occurs. WHAT IS THE TREATMENT FOR A CALF STRAIN?

Treatment of a calf strain is usually guided by the severity of the injury. Resting a pulled calf muscle is the key to successful treatment. As a general rule of thumb, if you have a calf strain, you can do activities that don't aggravate your injury. You should rest until you are pain free to allow the injured muscle to heal. Resting inadequately may prolong your recovery. The following are the common treatments used for calf strains: Rest

It is important to rest following the injury to allow the injured muscle to properly heal. Allow pain to guide your level of activity; this means that activities that cause symptoms should be avoided. Stretching

Gentle stretching is helpful, but it should not be painful. Stretching excessively can be harmful and slow the healing process. There are some simple calf stretches that can help you along your rehab. Ice the Injury

Apply ice to the injured area in the acute phase (first 48 hours after injury) and then after activities. Ice will help calm the inflammatory response and stimulate blood flow to the area.

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Heat Applications

Before activities, gentle heating can help loosen the muscle. Apply a heat pack to the calf prior to stretching or exercising. As a general rule of thumb, remember to heat the area before and ice after; learn to know when to ice and when to heat an injury. Anti-inflammatory Medications

Oral anti-inflammatory medications (such as Ibuprofen, Aleve or Motrin) can help relieve symptoms of pain and also calm the inflammation. Physical Therapy

Physical therapists can be helpful in guiding treatment that may speed your recovery. Some people find modalities, such as ultrasound, therapeutic massage and specific exercises, particularly helpful. You should see your physician to determine if these would be appropriate for your condition. HOW LONG WILL A CALF STRAIN TAKE TO HEAL?

The length of time needed for healing a calf strain depends on the severity of the injury. A typical grade I calf strain will heal in 7 to 10 days, a grade II injury within about 4 to 6 weeks, and a grade III calf strain within about 3 months. The most common injury is a grade II calf strain that takes about 6 weeks for complete healing.

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Childrens Christmas Party - Sunday 11th December 2011 I would like to thank everyone involved in organising and helping with this fabulous event. Firstly, thanks to Steve, Ads and Emma for their help and support with the organisation. A big mention for Sharen, Rebecca and Paul VC for being game enough to dress up and help. Thanks also to the Cricket Club for use of the room and for organising the bar for us. This event wouldn’t be the same without ‘Magic Mark’ who will be invited back for many years to come. He was superb again. I’m sure all the children enjoyed the party; they certainly seemed to! They were very nicely behaved and got on extremely well with one another – lots of credit to them. Lastly, thanks to all who throughout the year have bought pies, donated to the football cards, given donations for mugs etc. These funds meant we could afford Magic Mark and didn’t need to ask the parents to contribute to the cost of the party. Hope you have all had a Happy Christmas and wishing you a peaceful and healthy 2012.

Loz x

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Up and Coming Races Monday 2nd January 3rd Central Lancashire New Year Half Marathon Sunday 8th January Belle Vue - Hit the Trail

Sunday 5th February Blackburn “Winter Warmer” 10K Dewsbury 10K The Asics Alsager 5 Saturday 11th February ManchesterArea Clayton Vale XC

Sunday 8 January Garstang 10K

Sunday 12th February Mad Dog Seaside 10K Southport

Sunday 15th January ManchesterArea Woodbank Park XC

Saturday 18th February Standish Hall Trail Race

Sunday 22 January Inskip Derby Arms Half Marathon Saturday 28th January Northern Cross Country Championships - Pontefract Sunday 29th January Chernobyl 10K

Sunday 19th February Central Lancashire 5K (CLGP) 17th Village Bakery Half Marathon Saturday 26th February 23rd Great North West Half Marathon Terry Nortley 10 Mile Trail Race - Radcliffe Lostock 6

Sunday 29th January Meltham 10K

Please confirm any dates before entering, just in case of any typos

Training for a Marathon in April or May then try

Inskip Derby Arms Half Marathon Sunday 22nd January at 10:30am

Heaton Park - Park Run Every Saturday at 9am this 5km run is organised - free!!. All you have to do is let them know you're coming in advance. It has been suggested that it could become a Swinton regular event on the first Saturday of each month. Web page link Lucozade Sport have a van at the run every 4 to 5 weeks, giving away lots of freebies and advice.

Race Calendar Web Sites Look for all those local and not so local races on these web sites  Swinton RC Forum  Fetch  John Schofield  SoftSport SWINTON

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The wonderful Fetch does it all (running log, routes, race log, leagues, logs shoe miles, blogs, fetchmail & more!!) its a great place full of nice running types, a proper online community, its the place to see and be seen, AND its free!! King Fetch (Ian) is very good at responding to member requests about new site content and there are now a total of 13 Swinton Members using the site! Fetch (in my opinion Fetch has the Class!). Andrew

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Race Series

Central Lancashire Grand Prix Series 2012 This years Central Lancashire Grand Prix races are fast approaching, with new races and another one new club Leigh Harriers. The website is http://centrallancsgrandprix.blogspot.com although a new catchier address and site are coming soon. There will be a results service around the site and each club is expected to provide race reviews of its own races at least. Other contributions will be gratefully accepted by Gary Stevens. The first CLGP race is hosted by Bolton Harriers. The Central Lancashire 5K is on Sunday, 19th February, based at Leverhulme Park, Long Lane, Bolton.

Date

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Sunday, 19th February

Central Lancashire 5K

Sunday, 5th March

The Trotters 5

Sunday, 15th April

Radcliffe 10km

Wednesday, 16th May

Horwich 5

Wednesday, 13th June

Three Sisters 5K Trail Race

Wednesday, 1th August

Chorley 4.4 Trail

Sunday, 12th August Sunday 9th September Sunday, 30th September

NVAC 10km at Bisham Pennington Flash 5Mile Trail Race 2nd Swinton 10 Mile Road Race

Sunday, 7th October U S E FU L CL GP LI N K S Central Lancashire Grand Prix Web Site Swinton Running Club Website UK Results ( on-line entries ) SportSoft ( on-line entries )

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Race Series

Manchester Area XC Series

The cross country season is almost upon us, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to clean both the mud and the rust off those spikes. The series consists of 5 Cross Country races in and around the Greater Manchester area. Date

Race nd

Saturday, 22 October 2011

Heaton Park, Manchester

Sherdley Park, St. Helens

Wythenshawe Park, Manchester

Woodbank Park, Stockport

Sunday, 13 November 2011 Saturday, 3 December 2011 Sunday, 15 January 2012 th

Saturday, 11 February 2012

Clayton Vale, Manchester

Next manchesterarea XC Match

15rh January 2012

Woodbank Park, Stockport

Woodbank Park Turncroft Lane Offerton Stockport SK1 4JR

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CLUB CROSS COUNTRY C HAMPIONSHIP 2011/2012

Lauren has already wrapped up the Ladies prize, but in the Mens it still quite open CROSS

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The club also as a Club Championship for Cross Country based on the ManchesterArea Cross Country League. The championship will be the best of 3 race results from the 5 races in the league. Scoring is done the same has in the Central Lancashire Grand Prix, 1 point for first, 2 points for second, 3 points for third etc. The leading Lady and Man will received the trophy at the end of the season. If you find any mistakes in the scoring or the results please let me know. Cross Country Championship 2011/2012 Results to date SWINTON

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PROVISIONAL MENS CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP 2011 RESULTS

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PROVISIONAL LADIES CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP 201 1 RESULTS

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Committee Meetings Regular meetings are now being held on the second Wednesday of every month at the club after pack runs. Notes from the October meeting below. The minutes for November will be approved at the December meeting and appear in that months Newsletter. Remember any member may sit in the meeting.

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Social Events Pie Night - Last Wednesday of the Month Last Wednesday of every month

Pie Night Next one 25th January 2012 Special Offer’s to Members Special Discount Rate for Swinton Running Club Members To match the offer made by both Prestwich and Leigh Road Physiotherapy Clinics, our very own Shirley Duckworth-Oates has lowered her rates. Shirley Duckworth-Oates MBCA, MSTAT, MATI Bsc Hons(Healthcare);Bsc Hons (Chiro); Msc.(Psych) Doctor of Chiropractic and Teacher of the Alexander Technique Telephone 0161 773 3395 Treatment rate for Swinton Running Club members: £25 (normally £35)

Special Discount Rate for Swinton Running Club Members

The usual price per session is £35, SRC members, on production of a current English Athletics card, will only pay £25. This offer is available at both the Leigh Road and Prestwich clinics. Anyone who wants to access the service but does not yet have their card can contact Barbara who will contact the clinic on their behalf. Please check there website for more details

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Social Events

Starlight Express is showing at the Lowry Theatre from 19th June until 30th June 2012. Rebecca and I are definitely going to go and see it. If anyone else is interested in joining us, please let me know by 7th January and tell me any dates you can't go on.

Loz You can catch Lauren either at the club or email her at laurenmarsden@hotmail.com Further detail available on the Lowry website

http://www.thelowry.com/event/starlight-express SWINTON

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Race Results Corner Full race results can now be found on both the Swinton Running Club Website and the forum If you have ran a race and cannot find the details on either site please let me know.

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Secretary Steve Doxey Treasurer Ian Thomas Membership Secretary Barbara Bayliss Social Secretary Jonathan Mellor Club Captain Steve Doxey Ladies Captain Rebecca Mills Web Site & Forums Steve Hart Swinton Running Club is proud of its friendliness and welcomes newcomers to come down and meet us for a run, to see if we meet your expectations. We meet at 7:30pm on Mondays and Wednesday at Swinton Moorside Cricket Club. The club can provide you with the opportunity to train and compete at whatever level you choose. We are affiliated with England Athletics for Road, Fell and Cross Country running. We have members from fun runners up to International level - all enjoying taking part in a sport that provides the chance for everyone to find the event that suits them best. We regularly compete in local races at all age and ability levels. Some members just come down to the club to run and don't want to enter races, but prefer to train with like minded people and enjoy the social side of being with a club.

We hope that you enjoy this occasional newsletter. If you are sick of it clogging up your in box, let me know and I will take you off the circulation list.

Steve If you have any race reports, photos, announcements or any news that would be of interest to the others members please let just know.

Lauren Website Forums

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