Malvern Joggers

Old Club News
Voted Club of the Year 2012
By Malvern Hills District Council Sports Awards
Rewarding and Recognising Sports Achievements

Charly's's Blog from 03 May 2013

Can you set a pace ?
Do you know the difference between four, and relaxed ten ? New recruits are required to lead an occasional run on a Wednesday evening Try out a route lasting approximately an hour and then volunteer to lead a group of Joggers on one of our club nights. Venues are in the Newsletter and on the Website. Common sense and a GSOH is all that is required and be able to identify the approx' run/jog/walk speed. Best new run will receive a prize at our Christmas party.
Please contact Jayne Ackroyd: jayne.ackroyd@mac.com,
if interested.

Calendar and club runs
GENTLE JOGGERS SUNDAY RUN
This Sunday 5th May we will be running from the same place HANLEY SWAN At the same time 9am. Different route. 4 mile or 6 mile route. Forecast is fine so come and join us.
Jenny F

The race calendar is at http://www.malvernjoggers.co.uk/Page_Race_Calendar.html
The definitive list of Wednesday evening venues is at http://www.malvernjoggers.co.uk/index.php
Next week, 8th May (VE Day in 1945) it’s Hanley Castle - meet by the Three Kings.
Other events: Fri 10th May – Curry outing at Vasai

RACE REPORTS
Kymin Dash
By Julie Caseley
2013 saw a welcome return of the Kymin Dash after a 2 year break. An April date as opposed to July and a new route superbly organised and executed by the Spirit of Monmouth Running Club. The first male and female to the summit at the Round House received the prize of King and Queen of the Hill. The course covered 7 miles of mixed terrain. The start was a 10-15 minute walk from the Monmouth School Sports Club which also served as the race HQ and the finish. The course started out flat for around 100 metres before climbing the Kymin road to the Round House, a local viewpoint at around 850ft. The opening mile or so certainly gave our lungs a workout but what goes up must also come down and a gentle descent through fields and the bluebell carpeted forest tracks was a welcome break before a long flat finish along the Hadnock Road adjacent to the River Wye into the Monmouth School Sports Club. The race was championchip timed with excellent marshalling and organisation by the Spirit of Monmouth Running Club. Finished in 1:01:43.

Two Malvern Joggers
on the fells Two Malvern Joggers and three local Mercia Fell Runners, myself, Matt Scriven and Richard Lloyd) travelled to the Yorkshire Dales for the annual Three Peaks Fell Race last weekend. Although I’m a paid up MJ I run in Mercia colours as my 1st claim club. It’s a daunting prospect with 24 miles of varied terrain talking in the summits of Pen y Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough. As fell races go it’s a big one with 750 taking the start at Horton in Ribblesdale of which 670 finished. We’re all old hands at this event and all had personal scores to settle with the event. It was my fifth peaks and although times are largely irrelevant in fell races I’d come very close to 3.5 hours on two occasions so was determined to dip under this time. Richard Love has a love/hate relationship with the race, never really doing as well as he’s capable of doing and recent injuries meant prospects looked dim. John has never cracked the four hour mark with 4.10 being his best to date. We emerged from our tents to cold wind and frosty conditions and once we’d signed on at the start took to the warmth of the car and glumly watched the black clouds scudding along while deciding how many layers might be needed. I opted for short sleeves but took to the start in my waterproof top. The climb of Pen y Ghent with fresh legs is never too bad but the icy deluge of sleet on the rocky descent was rather unwelcome (Rhayader Lakes anyone?). This chilled to the bone instantly, but fortunately
Matt Scriven this was short lived and the sun shone for most of the rest. There’s a long traverse across the moors to Ribblehead which gives time to eat and drink before Whernside is tackled. Anyone who has done the Three Peaks Walk will have taken the gentle walk up the paved track to the summit. No such luxury for the fell race. It’s straight up the near vertical southern flank. This was particularly wet this year after recent deep snow had melted and as usual the last few hundred metres required all fours and a head for heights. Hauling myself over the top I checked in on schedule and about 35th place, feeling battered but still OK. The descent is very difficult with shattered legs and many succumb to cramp and falls on the rocky “path” down. Once the descent is over the final climb of Ingleborough begins straight away with a gentle rise across grass before continuing across an impressive section of lime stone pavement. The path gets steeper until it climbs vertically on ladder-like steps cut into the rock, then it’s onto the rock strewn plateau for the check point. The descent form here is hell on earth. Five miles to the finish on very uneven rocky ground of varying steepness. It’s seen many hopes dashed among those who’ve not gauged their effort well. I knew I was going OK and the sub 3-30 was do-able. With a mile or so to go I was glancing at the watch while trying to stave off cramp and stay upright, eventually emerging onto Horton Playing Field to cross the line with 3.29.23 in 28th place. Job done!
Matt Scriven was next in after 3.51 (108th) his best to date. John missed his 4 hours by five minutes but was still well up on previous times so no shame there with 200th place. Richard put his injuries aside and declared himself fit to start training after 4 hours 48 mins (474th). Richard Lloyd came in a few minutes down on Richard despite having nothing more than a two hour run as his build up. Just for context, the winning time was 2 hours 54 mins. Fastest woman was young star Jasmine Paris in 3 hours 33 mins. The beers and curry in Settle that night were richly deserved and never tasted so good.
By Jon Newey

FRIMLEY PARK RUN
Last weekend we were staying down in Ascot and I decided to try a local Park Run. I was hoping it would be in Windsor Park but there is not one there. The nearest was at Frimley Park. It was strange to gather for the start of a run and not see one familiar face but everyone was friendly. There were over 320 runners and a fair few dogs. The run was a two lap course going round a large playing field, along the side of a canal, through a wood and across another large playing area back to the pavilion area. It was a most enjoyable course, the paths were wide, flat and due to recent dry weather mudfree. When looking at the results later I noticed the lady who beat me in my age bracket was Paula Fudge - a now-retired champion marathon runner. A most enjoyable experience.
Jenny Field

Two more joggers
London Marathon 2013
After 5 years of trying and being rejected by the ballot, myself and my husband finally got a place in the London Marathon and it meant that we could run it together, which is something my husband said we could do since I watched him run it in the first year we were dating! Sunday morning dawned and after a relatively decent night's sleep (surprisingly, maybe the glass of wine helped?!) we headed off to Greenwich in glorious sunshine with tutus, wings and wands in hand ready to get suited up before the start! I ran for a charity called the Little Princess Trust so decided to dress up as a pink fairy and my husband got to be a 'London Pride Beer fairy' largely due to the fact that we had a stack of spare London Pride beer mats and figured we may as well put them to good use! It certainly helped having the costumes to get the support and cheers of the crowd and there were plenty of shouts for 'Come on, you big fairy', fortunately being directed at my husband, rather than me. The crowd support was fantastic and continuous and we were never short of support or children holding their hands out for high fives, what an immense boost it is having them shouting out your name (even if they do pronounce it strangely!) Around 19/20 miles I felt myself waning (when I realised my goal of 4hrs 30mins was not to be a reality) but my ever present London Pride beer fairy was there to talk me back into it and encourage me to focus on the crowds and just enjoy it! Which we did! The costumes certainly got the attention of the BBC as we were interviewed by Colin Jackson in Mile 25 (unfortunately it was red button coverage by the time we got there!). We made it around in 4hrs 35mins and although I may have said 'never again' when I crossed that line, I am certainly thinking about when I might do another one...although maybe not for a couple of years!
Isla Taylor

Run to the Hills – 2nd June– 7 till 7
I attach something to go out with the blog this week if possible please. It is simply a list of those who have ‘volunteered themselves’ already!! I’m aware that not all MJ’s use Facebook, so here’s their opportunity to see who’s down for taking part already. THE MORE THE MERRIER!! PS WATCH OUT FOR AN ‘EVENT PREVIEW’ IN THE MALVERN GAZETTE, OUT TODAY!! Steve Ollis More details in the last newsletter

Future events
Whitebrook Windup 9th June
Dear Runners, On June 9th Whitebrook Village Hall are hosting the 3rd Whitebrook Wind-Up Half Marathon and 10k.The all off-road races take place in beautiful Wye Valley countryside and there's a refreshment tent and unlimited parking. For videos, photos and reviews of previous events, see www.whitebrookwindup.com. We look forward to seeing you in June! Matthew Hall Race Organiser for Whitebrook Village Hall Committee

Bromyard Gala Round the Downs Race 30th June
I would be very grateful if you could circulate this info to your members. It was a longstanding event for many years but then ran out of steam. It has been revived in the last three years and is regaining its reputation as a charming testing attractive run. (I have an entry form I can email you - Charly)The route is described at http://gb.mapometer.com/running/route_3063656.html With best wishes, Peter Stewart ( Race Director)

Cheltenham's half marathon… is an exciting new road-race taking place on Sunday 15th September 2013. Entries are now open and if you get in quick you can save £5 on the entry fee, with their half marathon Early Bird promotion! There will be a prize for the Top Running Club and Top 3 Men and Top 3 Women! More at http://www.cheltenhamhalf.co.uk/

And finally
All the places in the ballot for the 2014 Virgin London Marathon went within the first few hours and it had closed by lunchtime on Monday. According to a major national charity, the chances of getting into the London marathon through the ballot are just 1 in 11. (Thanks to SB !)

Charly's Blog from 26 April 2013

London Marathon
Having trained in sub-zero temperatures for 4 months, it came as a bit of a shock to the system to be running the London Marathon in such warm conditions. The trip from the hotel to the Green Start was quiet and relaxing - I think we must have caught an earlier train than in previous years! The atmosphere was great; meeting up with fellow Joggers and recognising members of other clubs. We were all in our starting pens just before 10am when we observed a 30 second silence for the dead and injured at the Boston Marathon - it was very poignant. The race itself was busy as usual with just under 35,000 runners but everyone was in good spirits and the miles ticked by. I was hitting my splits at half way and 20 miles but had to dig very deep in the last 2-3 miles in order to break 4 hours and get another Good for Age place next year. Many thanks to the cheerers - Paul, Louise Cowling, the Halliday family and anyone else who shouted at me; it was very much appreciated. The spectators this year seemed even bigger and more vocal than ever. Well done to everyone who ran - we all did extremely well.
By Julie Caseley

Gentle Sunday Run
Jenny says: Very good turn out last Sunday and we had a very enjoyable run. Some of us did 4 miles, some did 5 miles in perfect weather. I will not be available next Sunday but the route is simple, so gather at HANLEY SWAN pond at 9 am and enjoy your run. Cheers Jenny

10th May 7.30pm Vasai
You don't have to have done a marathon to join in the fun! Contact lynda@malvernjoggers.co.uk by Friday 3rd of May to reserve your seat

London—more
Just a quick email to say a BIG Thank You to the Malvern Joggers for my place in the Virgin Lodon Marathon. I had a fantastic weekend in London and the Marathon was an amazing experience. I was really pleased with my time of 3hrs 47 minutes and 35 seconds. I have only done one marathon before which was Snowdonia last year. I know you can't really compare them as one is very hilly and the other is flat but I knocked 47 mins off my time. Only 5 weeks until my next marathon which is the Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon in Nepal. Thank you once again for the fantastic opportunity and the support from my friends at Malvern Joggers. Best regards Carolyne Sanders.

Alison Findlay writes:
As anyone who reads the Malvern Gazette will probably know I did the London Marathon last Sunday! Here are a few 'thoughts from the back of the field'. It was a beautiful morning, there was an unfamiliar sun in the sky and the trains were packed as I made my way to the start. I was in the last pen and it took about 20 mins to get over the start. The crowds were amazing the whole way round. I was overtaken by a shark, a rhino and a camel in the first few miles, but did catch them back up later! I stuck to my plan of 'just keep plodding' and 4 hours and 49 mins later I made it round in 1 piece! I didn't see any of the other, much faster, joggers - well done 1 and all! I have just about recovered and can even manage stairs again now. I have raised an amazing amount of money for the charities (Birmingham Children's Hospital and Birmingham Ronald McDonald House) and am very grateful to the lovely, generous people of Malvern. If anyone would still like to donate, it's not too late. Just go to www.virginmoneygiving.com/alisonfindlay and it explains why these charities mean so much to me. Thank you.

Stuart Brown says:
2013 was my 12th London marathon. I was lucky enough to get a place through my other club, Black Pear Joggers. This immediately caused a moral dilemma, which club vest should I run in? This I resolved by running again for the Anthony Nolan Trust, a charity who organise a worldwide database of bone marrow donors available for Leukaemia sufferers.
Having missed some long training runs I had to play catch up and did my last long run just two weeks before London, the Scenic Six followed by a 15 mile run home afterwards.
The weather on race day was pretty much perfect for me, sunny and cool. I saw Arthur, Roodey and Andy Badham at the start and we swapped excuses. The silence at the start was perfect, you could have heard a pin drop, while we remembered those killed and injured in Boston just a week before. My target was to finish in under 3½ hours. From pen 3 it took just a minute to cross the line. With Cathy Spence’s Garmin, I set out to maintain a steady pace of 8 min/miles, holding back in the early miles and working progressively harder from half way. At about 18 miles I caught up with the 3.30 pacer and from then on just hung onto him. His time keeping was second perfect which gave me the 60 seconds to spare. I had nothing left during the last two miles unlike the Gorilla that flew past along the embankment! Having the pacer in sight really kept me going and I managed 3:28:42. Thanks to everyone who shared all those cold winter training runs, especially Lynn for organising the hill reps and speed sessions and Crampy for the long runs.

Change of editor and secretary
Dear Joggers,
This is just to let you know that I have, with great regret, resigned as Secretary of the club.
The reason for my resignation is because of differences with the Committee over a number of issues, which have been brought to a head by the end of the membership year.
I am continuing to deal with membership matters until a new Membership Secretary has been appointed, so if you have any questions about membership, feel free to contact me for the time being.
I have also resigned as Editor of the Newsletter and I am pleased to say that Charly Lowndes has taken over this role. This is his first Newsletter and I look forward to watching its development over the coming weeks. Please support him by sending him race reports and any other training, social or other snippets of information which might be of interest to club members.
Although I shall not have any official role within the club I will still be an active member and look forward to Wednesday evening runs and other activities (when I have recovered from my knee operation).
Best wishes,
Geoff

From The Chairman
My thanks go to Geoff who has been such a stalwart of the Club over the last few years - he has put in an immense amount of hard graft and produced databases of everything MJ - in fact he has done so much we have had to co-opt three people to fill his shoes! Firstly Charly who is looking after all the internal communications which is of course cen-tred around our award winning Newsletter. Next is a new recruit Jane Ridgley who is looking after the press side of things (hope you saw the recent Worcester News and Malvern Gazette features - I just can't think who is it that Arthur reminds me of?). Finally Tanya Croft who has the unenviable task of working with Geoff's immense databases and will be taking over (go gentle please as it will take some time to come up to speed with the detail) the membership secretary role.
Please do promote our race on the 12th of June with your work colleagues and friends as this may be the first race in the UK to finish with a free curry to entrants and stewards.
Happy Jogging
Carl

Many thanks
To Geoff for making it so easy for me to take over the Newsletter. I hope to live up to the high stand-ards he and others have set over the short time I’ve been a Jogger. I don’t know everyone yet, especially anyone who runs faster than a relaxed 10 (who was it who called out “they don’t look very relaxed” last Wednesday ?), but please do get in touch if you have any comments, and better still, any exciting news and photos to share.
Deadline: Fridays, 1700
Charly Lowndes
charly@malvernjoggers.co.uk

PLEASE CAN YOU HELP WITH THE MALVERN JOGGERS RACE ON WEDNESDAY 12TH JUNE?
Our annual race is on Wednesday evening 12th June. The format is as in previous years,
Based at Welland Village Hall with a 10k course around Castlemorton Common. We need 30+ marshals and help with water stations, car parking and registration. If you are new to the club this is a great way to get involved. Many thanks to the Joggers who have already volunteered to help with our race on 12th June. We are still looking for more volunteers. Please email Stuart@MalvernJoggers.co.uk if you can help. If you ran the race last year please give priority to helping this time. Many Thanks, Stuart Brown for the Race Committee

Geoff's Blog from 19 April 2013

ARE YOU GETTING IT REGULARLY?
Some people have complained that they sometimes do not get the Newsletter. This may be because the e-mail has been blocked by their e-mail service provider.
If you have this problem, just go into your e-mail account settings, look for “Spam” or “Blocked Senders” and make sure that
mailer@malvernjoggers.co.uk
is not listed. If it is, remove it, following the instructions in “Help” and bliss should be yours again!

STOP PRESS
From Paul Webb
I have had to withdraw my entry from this years London marathon due to injury and have a room booked at the Ibis Styles hotel directly opposite the Excel Centre that I now no longer require. Room is paid for in full and includes breakfast for two and free to any one that can use it, do you know anyone that still needs a room? If so then please pass on my details;
Paul Webb - 07831 471 540 / stablebarn@hotmail.com

10TH Anniversary Celebrations
From Lynda Broadway
Did you know that 2013 is the 10th anniversary of Malvern Joggers first run.
To celebrate this momentous occasion a 10th anniversary party will be held on Friday 12 July at the Plough and Harrow , Guarlford
More details will follow soon, but in the meantime, make sure to put the date in your diary!

PLEASE CAN YOU HELP WITH THE MALVERN JOGGERS RACE ON WEDNESDAY 12TH JUNE?
Our annual race is on Wednesday evening 12th June. The format is as in previous years, based at Welland Village Hall with a 10k course around Castlemorton Common.
We need 30+ marshals and help with water stations, car parking and registration. If you are new to the club this is a great way to get involved.
If you are able to help please email stuart@MalvernJoggers.co.uk, tell me which job you prefer and let me have your mobile number and e-mail.
If you ran the race last year please give priority to helping this time.
Many Thanks,
Stuart Brown for the Race Committee

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RACE SCHEDULE
12 May Crowle 10K
26 May Crocodile 8
2 June Magic Roundabout 10K
23 June Malvern ½ & 5K
7 July Evesham Vale 10K
13 July Devil's Chimney Chase (Cheltenham)
4 August Tenbury 10k
10 August Stourbridge Stumble 10k
22 September Waseley Wobbler 8.5 miles
29 September Upton Bishop Big Dipper
12 October Worcestershire Beacon Race

SPEED TRAINING
From Lynn
Hi Guys! I want to say a big thank you to all who have religiously attended my speed sessions each week for the last few months. The programme has now come to an end, but if anyone fancies a few reps up and down Cowleigh Bank next Tuesday (and a few after that) then I will be on Link Top Car park at 6pm. You just need enthusiasm and a real want to improve............. and you will!!
I have really enjoyed the last few months and I would like to wish everyone who are doing Marathons, London or any other, the best of luck and most of all a really enjoyable day.
Hope to see some of you back with me! Love, Lynn

EASTNOR 7
From Julie Casely
It was a bit of a nippy day with a brisk wind blowing last Sunday for this 7ish miles run from Eastnor Deer Park. The route took us along footpaths, tracks and through woodland as well as over a quarry-like rock path that seemed to go on forever. There was also a bit of mud and water for good measure cul-minating in the climb to the Obelisk. Well done to everyone who tackled this gruelling and challenging event and congratulations to Sam Burnage for winning his vet category.

GENTLE JOGGERS SUNDAY RUN
From Jenny Field
This Sunday 21st April at 9am. we will again run from Hanley Swan pond. It will be a gentle continuous jog round a 4 mile route with an option of an extra mile part of the way round for the more energetic. Home in time to watch the London Marathon and get inspired to aim for 20 odd more miles!
Cheers
Jenny

GOOD LUCK TO ALL MALVERN JOGGERS WHO ARE RUNNING IN THE LONDON MARATHON ON SUNDAY
HAVE A GREAT DAY!

MALVERN HILLS ULTRA
Visit the website - www.ultrarunningltd.co.uk
Would be great to get some Joggers to join us. I have several spaces on the following legs:
Holt Castle to The Crown Inn at Martley - Distance 7.43miles starting 7am (1 space)
Martley to the New Inn at Storridge - Distance 9.93 miles starting approx 9.30am (1 space)
And then the reverse ie: New Inn Storrdige to Crown at Martley 9.93 miles (3 spaces) and the last leg is Martley to Holt Castle 7.43 miles (3 spaces). Start times are approx 5pm and 8pm respectively as we are a slow bunch!!!
I also have one free space that I can split or offer to someone who needs funding?
Thanks for your help
Anne Worrallo-Hickman
Country House Occasions LLP
Tel: 07590 536768
anne@countryhouseoccasions.co.uk

Geoff's Blog from 05 April 2013

Forest of Dean ½ Marathon
From Julie Caseley
Following the postponement of the recent Forest of Dean Half Marathon, I have decided to drop this race from the Champions League. This is because competitors had 3 options - run on the rearranged date of 7 April, transfer their number to the Autumn Forest of Dean Half Marathon or defer their place until Forest of Dean Half Marathon 2014. The fact that the 7 April is also the date of the Scenic 6 (our next Championship League race) complicates things as some people had entered
both and are having to make a choice, some have decided to run in September and I'm sure some would have deferred till next year. This makes it impossible for me to allocate points fairly or indeed sort out who's doing what. However, if another suitable race could be added to the Champions league.

GENTLE JOGGERS SUNDAY RUN
From Jenny Field
Hi Everyone,
I will be doing a regular Sunday morning run for Gentle Joggers starting on Sunday 14th APRIL at 9.00.
We will be doing a gentle 4 mile run and gradually over a few weeks increasing the distance to 6 miles. The runs will be suitable for anyone who is in the walk/run group or in the continuous run group. Or anyone just wanting a gentle jog on a Sunday morning.
The Venue for Sunday 14th will be Hanley Swan Pond.
Jenny Field

NEXT LEAGUE RACE
Peopleton Scenic Six Sunday 7 April
Distance 6 miles Venue Peopleton village Hall Time 11:00 Entry £9, £11 unaffiliated + £3 on the day Entry form
Peopleton Scenic 6 entry form
Website cambaevents.co.uk

Marathon Relay event in aid of Malvern Special Families
Event announcement:
· Marathon relay charity event on 2nd June 2013, a Steve 'Bob Geldof' Ollis production
· It is a fundraiser for a local charity - Malvern Special Families
· It will consist of a nonstop relay to circuit North Hill, starting and finishing at The Brewers Arms, West Malvern
· It will be over a 12 hour period, between 7am and 7pm
· Each 'leg' is 2.6 miles in length
· To take part, we suggest that a minimum donation of £5 is made on the day
· You can complete as many legs as you wish, at your own pace, whether walking, jogging or running...as a family, as a team or solo. It's entirely up to you!!
· Also on the same day, there will be tea and coffee, free to all entrants, raffles, food (Sue serves a lovely breakfast, as well as 'bacon butties' from 9am...perhaps earlier as a 'one off') plus a great feel good atmosphere whilst we all raise bucket loads of cash for this worthwhile cause
If you would like to take part, please either state your desired start time on the event Facebook page, or email me with the same on steve.ollis@virgin.net.
Thanks for your support!!

NEW “Explorer” Training Route
Each month a new training route of about 5 miles will be published in the Newsletter. The aim is to try and find routes are a bit different from our usual runs and may not be familiar to all our members.
Anyone can run these routes at their own time and their own pace - there will be no prizes for the fastest times.
However, along the route there are a couple of questions, the answers to which can be found by running the route. E-mail your answers to these questions to
geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk
Correct answers will go into a draw and the winner of the draw will receive a £10 voucher to spend at Runaround Sports in Worcester
To get a detailed map of the route, including directions and the questions, which can be printed out, follow this link :
Routeplanner@malvernjoggers.co.uk
You can also download the route to your Garmin.The question for April are:-
Who was the wife of George Vernon Dent M.B.E?
What is the name of the cottage at the meeting of two tracks?
You can edit the route, or create your own routes to share with other members of the club by signing on to Good Run Guide with the user name routeplanner@malvernjoggers.co.uk and the password which is e-mailed to all members.
To print the route. Click the “Print” button then choose the Map Type (Footpath or Street Map work best). Make sure the “Show Distance Markers” and “Include Directions ” are checked, then click the “Next “ button to get a print preview and finally, print the map (Ctrl+P is a good shortcut).
To download to a Garmin, click the button and follow the directions on screen.

Geoff's Blog from 29 March 2013

Club Night Working Group
Following the discussion at the A.G.M. about club nights, the Committee asked for volunteers to form a working group to look at ways to improve the Wednesday night running experience.
The Working Group volunteers are:
Gillian McCann
Annie Robson
Jenny Field
Mark Cooke
Geoff Field
At their first meeting on Wednesday night, the Group decided to canvass opinions and are planning a questionnaire that will be sent out to all club members in the near future.
Watch this space!

Extraordinary General Meeting
At the E.G.M on Wednesday night the following motions were passed:
Member Registration with England Athletics
That paragraph 5.3 of the constitution should be deleted. Paragraph 5.3 currently reads:
“5.3 Members will be registered with England Athletics in accordance with the rules of England Athletics.”
Quorum for General Meetings
That paragraph 7.5 of the constitution should be amended to read:
“7.5 A quorum of one fifth of the current senior membership (over 16 years of age) of the Club is required to constitute a General Meeting. For the purpose of calculating a quorum, members casting a proxy vote shall be counted as if they were present at the meeting.”
Voting
That paragraph 7.6 of the constitution should be amended to read:
“7.6 Voting at a General Meeting shall be by show of hands unless the committee decides that a ballot should be held for a specific vote. Notice that voting is to be by ballot must be notified to members no later than two weeks before the date of the meeting. Proxy votes must be lodged with the Secretary in writing or by e-mail not less than 48 hours before the meeting. A majority of more than fifty per cent of senior members present (including proxy votes) shall be required to pass a resolution of the General Meeting. The Chairman shall have a casting vote in the event of a tie.”
A copy of the amended constitution will be posted on the website shortly.

Little Princess Trust
From Isla Whitmore
On the marathon training point, I am running for a charity called the Little Princess Trust which is based in Hereford (started up by my school) and makes real hair wigs for children suffering from cancer and other diseases which result in them losing their hair and I was wondering if I could trouble you to possibly include a plea for donations/sponsorship in the next club newsletter? My justgiving page is:
justgiving.com/IslaWhitmore.

Easter Monday Bunny Run
From Paul Newman
Malvern to Ledbury run through the beautiful Worcestershire countryside all abilities welcome approx. 9/11 miles (depending on how often Lynda gets us lost) with lunch at the Prince of Wales in Ledbury and train home. Bring your Purse/wallet and meet us at 10.am outside Malvern college sports centre on Easter MONDAY! 31st March

NEW “Explorer” Training Route
Each month a new training route of about 5 miles will be published in the Newsletter. The aim is to try and find routes are a bit different from our usual runs and may not be familiar to all our members.
Anyone can run these routes at their own time and their own pace - there will be no prizes for the fastest times.
However, along the route there are a couple of questions, the answers to which can be found by running the route. E-mail your answers to these questions to
geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk
Correct answers will go into a draw and the winner of the draw will receive a £10 voucher to spend at Runaround Sports in Worcester
To get a detailed map of the routeroute, including directions and the questions, which can be printed out, follow this link:
Routeplanner@malvernjoggers.co.uk
You can also download the route to your Garmin.The question for April are:-
Who was the wife of George Vernon Dent M.B.E?
What is the name of the cottage at the meeting of two tracks?
To print the route. Click the “Print” button then choose the Map Type (Footpath or Street Map work best). Make sure the “Show Distance Markers” and “Include Directions ” are checked, then click the “Next “ button to get a print preview and finally, print the map (Ctrl+P is a good shortcut).
To download to a Garmin, click the button and follow the directions on screen
You can edit the route, or create your own routes to share with other members of the club by signing on to Good Run Guide with the user name routeplanner@malvernjoggers.co.uk and the password which is e-mailed to all members.

Reading Half Marathon
From Julie Caseley
The Reading Half Marathon is a big event with not only 17,500 people running the half marathon but there is also The Green Park Challenge 5k, a wheelchair event and a Corporate Challenge. The half marathon was also the first race in the UKA Grand Prix series as well as the England Half Marathon championships. The logistics of putting on this race are enormous with no parking close to the start so car parking spaces have to be pre-booked and a bus shuttle service ferries runners to and from the start/finish. The finish is in the wonderful Madejski Football Stadium and the cheering crowds made that last 200m feel fantastic.
The day started with pouring rain and although our hotel was only 15 mins walk away, we got quite wet getting to the stadium and there was no area in which to stay dry and warm. By time I got to the start and waited 15 or so minutes for the gun to go off, I was freezing cold and soaking wet. The start was steady with so many runners but once I got into it, it was quite enjoyable. By 5 miles I'd warmed up but knew I was well off the pace for a PB so just decided to enjoy the run by which time the rain had stopped. Unfortunately the rain started hammering down again at about 8/9 miles and didn't stop for the rest of the day.
Paul and Samantha saw me enter the stadium but a space blanket at the finish hardly seemed adequate for so many cold and wet runners (the medal was nice though!). I was so happy to meet up with Paul so I could at least put dry clothes over wet in an attempt to keep warm enough for the 15 min walk back to the hotel. That particulular shower never felt so good!! :-) Samantha was disappointed not to run this but as she was recovering from a chest infection and on antibiotics, it was the right decision in the end. Well done to Phil Jackson, Alison Webb, Kareen Mann and Annie Robson.

Pdeal Show
We are having another Pedal Show at Easter during the Holidays, we have run several events like it and it has proved to be very popular. We would like people to attend, its undercover at the Malvern Showground, so rain should not put anyone off. We are working with a team from York called Get Cycling CIC who will provide all the funky bikes to try along with a selection from our shop.
They have a wide selection of what they call 'megabikes'. These are mainly multiseat, human-powered machines which come with their own professional 'driver'. They usually bring one of them along to their larger public bike try-out roadshows, but can also supply such cycles in their own right. Their menagerie changes from time to time, as they discover new cycles, or construct them ourselves. They also have pedal-powered Scalextric racing games, KMX Kart Shows, and people-mover Rickshaw services.
http://www.getcycling.org.uk/index.php
Please check out their website for more information.. and hopefully see you there on Saturday. Please pass on the information to any one you feel would benefit or enjoy the morning out.
Tanya Trotman

Geoff's Blog from 22 March 2013

Extraordinary General Meeting
Final reminder about the E.G.M. on Wednesday. If you are not able to get to Malvern St. James for the normal Club run, you have until Sunday night to cast a vote by proxy. There are three motions, which are detailed on the proxy voting form, which is sent as an attachment to the newsletter. To submit your proxy vote, return the form (or simply state your voting preferences in an e-mail to: geoff@malvernjoggers.uk
Remember, you cannot cast a blanket vote for all three motions - you must clearly state “Agree” or “Disagree” for each motion.

Committee Minutes
Minutes of the last Committee Meeting are attached to the newsletter and will shortly be available on the website:
malvernjoggers.co.uk/Committee
Usual caveats apply - the draft minutes have been reviewed by the Committee, but are subject to sign-off at the next meeting on 15 April

The Malvern Ultra!!
From Neil Humpage
Lynda Broadway Mike and I met with Steven Worrall; the organiser of the Malvern Ultra. And we have come to an agreement on team sizes and entry fee's (joggers rate's!!)
We are aiming to enter the relay event, that's teams of 6 at £20 per person, the ultra is on the 4th of May. The fee includes, food and drink at check points, a pasta meal at the end, a great T-shirt and a proper bling medal!!
The route is just over 50 miles and split in to 6 sections from 6 to 12 miles in length. Oh and if anyone wants to do it solo, the price is £40, that's for Steve Roode. We would like to enter at least 5 teams so we need 30 willing runners to put their names below, but more would be good! We will sort out who is in which teams at a later date, after you have paid!! For now I just need names. The plan is for each team to be split in to three pairs of runners, and each pair will run two stages

Three Peaks Challenge
blackpearjoggers.org.uk
The National Three Peaks Challenge is a well known phrase amongst the more adventurous.
This challenge involves walking the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours.
So are you up for it?
Tracy Kennish, Black Pear Jogger, is organising an event on the weekend of August 31st – September 1st 2013 and you are more than welcome to join in.
Three Peaks Challenge
blackpearjoggers.org

Summer Venues
Thanks to all of you who voted for locations for our summer runs.
The final schedule of venues is:
1st Wednesday British Camp
2nd Wednesday Hanley Swan / Hanley Castle
(alternate months, starting April 10 at Hanley Swan)
3rd Wednesday Gullet Quarry (Swinyard car park)
4th Wednesday West of England Quarry
5th Wednesday May 29 - Colwall Village Hall
July 31 - Tank Quarry

Summer Car Parking
Concessionary passes for Conservators car parks (e.g. British Camp, Swinyard, West of England and Tank Quarry) are now available in Malvern Tourist Information Office at the unchanged price of £2.
To get a pass you need to apply at the T.I.O. with evidence of residence in a W14 post code (Council tax bill or utili-ties bill are acceptable).

Car Sharing
If you don’t qualify for a concessionary pass, or need help with transport , we may be able to help with car sharing. If you can make it to Malvern St. James by 6:30 p.m. we may be able to give you a lift to the start and bring you back after the run (and maybe a post run drink)
To register for this (either for a lift, or as a driver) e-mail to mailto:
geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk

Rhayader Round the Lakes 20 mile
From Lynda Broadway
After carb loading and a brew in a lay-by in wales we headed off to Shirley's B & B for a peaceful evening and an early night, Race day started with a lovely welsh breakfast to ready us for the 20 miles ahead. On arrival at race HQ it was hard to believe the weather that lay ahead of us ! Slight rain cleared up for a nice start to the race but at about four miles from the start ( half way up the long incline) the heavens opened and attacked us with stinging hail stones for a few miles,this quickly turned to heavy snow fall and the gorgeous scenery was lost to all for at least half an hour while the snow continued to settle. As the snow stopped the road became slushy and we ran through cold streams and puddles running up and down slopes became more difficult however Mike was spurred on by the ladies bottoms ahead, this is where we met Carol alias by her own admission Mrs Wrinkly bum renamed crinkly bottom by Mike after passing each other many times in the last quarter of the race to be finally beaten by her (well done Carol ).
The race took us through woodland and along the reservoirs over hill tops and down dales and valleys with some stunning scenery along the way during the last few miles it was hard to believe the hour of blizzards we had endured I even asked Mike if we had really been through it or was it a dream.
Well done to all runners especially Malvern Joggers Amanda Duncan, Tony, Roodie ,Megz, Andy, Bert, Jules, Mike, myself and both Johns for taking part in this highly-recommended, difficult, well organised and well worth doing race.

From Derek Goodman
A group of 15 of us (and a dog) set off from Rose Bank Gardens Mal-vern in the pouring rain for a walk arranged by Jenny Field over the Malverns & down to Colwall before ending up in the Nags Head for some light refreshment.
Having walked from our own house in Charles Way to meet up with everyone, we continued upwards, which seemed like forever, before reaching the Wyche Cutting. We then proceeded past the Chase Inn & down a very wet, muddy track eventually ending up by Picton’s Nursery. We then headed to the pub via West Malvern. Whilst it rained when we commenced the walk Jen-ny organised some most welcome sunshine for our coffee break. A most enjoyable lunch & the odd pint was downed. Once again an excellent day with very enjoyable company. Thank you Jenny for the time & effort spent in organising the day for us all; we are very much aware of the amount of time this takes.

Geoff's Blog from 15 March 2013

Extraordinary General Meeting
From the Committee
The Committee is calling an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club at the Club Night on Wednesday 27 March.. This is to make a necessary change to the constitution in order to allow for members who choose not to be affiliated to England Athletics. We are also taking the opportunity to propose some changes to the rules for conduct of General Meetings as a result of feedback from the Annual General meeting in December.
Members will be sent voting instructions and details of the changes recommended by the Committee.
In order to reduce the time taken for the E.G.M. so that we can get on with the important task of running, please make sure you are familiar with the recommendations and if any clarification is required please e-mail your query to the Secretary at
geoff@malvernjoggers.uk

Summer Club Nights
Thanks to all of you who submitted your votes for summer club night venues.
The voting is now closed and the Committee will announce the final selection shortly.
The first run out in the country will be on 3 April.
Don’t forget, those of you who live in Malvern can get concessionary carparking tickets from the Tourist Information Office for only £2. Tickets should be available from the end of next week and you will need to show proof of residence and car registration number.
Anyone willing to provide car-sharing is invited to meet at Malvern St. James at 6:30. Please let me know if you want to participate.- geoff@malvernjoggers.uk

Discount at Run-around Sports
Runaround Sports in Worcester have kindly agreed to extend the 10% discount they offer to England Athletics members to all members of Malvern Joggers.
To claim the discount, you will need to provide proof of club membership by producing a copy of your club record.
If you need a copy of your record just e-mail the Secretary
runaroundsports.co.uk

Bike Ride - Saturday 23 March
From Geoff Field
A gentle ride to the Boat at Ashle-worth for lunch and a leisurely meander back to Malvern — total distance about 40 miles.
Start at MSJ at 10:00, back by 3 — 4:00
NB this will be an easy ride, as I am still troubled with my knee, so no speed merchants, please.
To sign up for the ride, e-mail me at geoff.field@lineone.net
For detailed routemap, see http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteMap/MyRoutes/325385

Walk in the Hills
From Jenny Field
Tomorrow’s walk is now fully subscribed .
Those of you who are coming. Meet in Rosebank Gardens at 9:00

NEXT LEAGUE RACE
Forest of Dean ½ Marathon
24 March
Distance: ½ marathon
Venue: Speech House, Coleford
Time: 10:00
Entry: Closed
Route: http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteMap/MyRoutes/168882
Website: forestofdean-halfmarathon.co.uk

If you want your training run, social activity or whatever included in the diary, please make sure it is posted in the Forum, or e-mail details to geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk

2013 Membership Renewals
Still time to renew your membership before the end of March deadline expires.
Membership is £15 (£10 for U/16’s) for unaffiliated runners, or £20 if you wish to register as affiliated with England Athletics.
A membership form is attached to the newsletter e-mail or you can download one from the “membership” page of the website.

Geoff's Blog from 08 March 2013

Extraordinary General Meeting
From the Committee
The Committee is calling an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club at the Club Night on Wednesday 27 March. This is to make a necessary change to the constitution in order to allow for members who choose not to be affiliated to England Athletics. We are also taking the opportunity to propose some changes to the rules for conduct of General Meetings as a result of feedback from the Annual General meeting in December.
Members will be sent voting instructions and details of the changes recommended by the Committee.
In order to reduce the time taken for the E.G.M. so that we can get on with the important task of running, please make sure you are familiar with the recommendations and if any clarification is required please e-mail your query to the Secretary at
geoff@malvernjoggers.uk

2013 Membership Renewals
Because of the delays in finalising this year’s membership fees, the Committee has decided to extend the renewal period until the end of March. This means that if you haven’t had time to renew your membership yet, you will still be eligible to participate in the draw for London Marathon places and in the League Table.
You will also be able to vote at the Extraordinary Meeting on 27 March.
Membership is £15 (£10 for U/16’s) for unaffiliated runners, or £20 if you wish to register as affiliated with England Athletics.
You can download a membership form from the “membership” page of the website

Summer Club Night Venues
Still time to vote for this year’s venues. Choose 5 locations from the following list
Callow End
British Camp
Lower Howsell Road
Hanley Swan
Barnards Green / Guarlford Road
Swinyard car park / Gullet Quarry
West of England Quarry
Tank Quarry
Hanley Castle
Colwall Village Hall
Send your votes ranked 1 to 5 in order of preference to Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk (using the attached form if possible)

Sunday 11 mile Run
From Neil Humpage
This weeks Sunday (10/03/13) run for all abilities is an off road run of around 11 miles. Meet 9.00am at British camp car park, bring a drink ect and wear trail shoes, it could get muddy in places!! And I'm sure you can guess there will be some hills, but I will keeps us away from the very steepest inclines :-)

Gentle Joggers Sunday Runs
Advance notice from Jenny Field
Hi all Gentle Joggers.
After Easter I will be leading a run on Sunday mornings.
These runs will be a continuous slow run covering between 4-6 miles. Very relaxed with lots of chat, mustering and occasional mud etc.. I am expecting the sessions to take between 1-2 hours.

Bike Ride
From Geoff Field
A gentle ride to the Boat at Ashleworth for lunch and a leisurely meander back to Malvern—total distance about 40 mile
Start at MSJ at 10:00, back by 3— 4:00
NB this will be an easy ride, as I am still troubled with my knee, so no speed merchants, please.
To sign up for the ride, e-mail me at geoff.field@lineone.net

A Walk in the Hills
From Jenny Field
The next Joggers walk will be on Saturday March 16th. It will be a local walk this time. We can not ignore our own splendid walking environment!
The start will be from Rose Bank Gardens at about 9:00 and we will end up at the Nags Head for lunch. Please let me know if you would like to join us and I will e-mail you the details and the arrangements for pre-ordering lunch.
jennifer.field@lineone.net

Champions League Races
The schedule of League races for the next few months is as follows:
24 March Forest of Dean ½ marathon
7 April Peopleton Scenic Six
14 April Eastnor 7
12 May Crowle 10k
26 May Crocodile 8
2 June Magic Roundabout 10k
23 June Malvern Half Marathon (points will be awarded for both the 5k and Half Marathon as if they were two separate races)
7 July - Evesham Vale 10k
13 July - Devil's Chimney Chase 10k

NEXT LEAGUE RACE
Forest of Dean ½ Marathon Sunday 24 March
Distance Half marathon Venue Speech House, Forest of Dean Time 10:00 start Entry £18 affiliated, £20 unaffiliated No entries on the day Entry form www.forestofdean-halfmarathonenter
Website forestofdean-halfmarathon.co.uk

Geoff's Blog from 03 March 2013

Newsletter Night
From Geoff Field
From next week the Newsletter will be sent out on a Friday night, instead of Sunday night. It is hoped this will have two benefits:
Details of weekend runs will be circulated in plenty of time for people to be able to plan
It will give people who have taken part in races and other activities to send in race reports—the Sunday evening deadline made this difficult
I will try and pick up run details, etc. from the Website Forum and from Facebook, but if you could e-mail me any information it would be helpful.
Deadline for contributions is 6 p.m. on Friday nights.

Top Barn Duathlon
From Terry Tuckley
Jo Brett, Dave Brett and Terry Tuckley were The Malvern Joggers team at today’s Top Barn off road Duathlon. 5k run,15k bike, 3k run.
Although the weather was nearly perfect —albeit a bit parky — and the course was dry, it consisted of lots of single track, off cambers, bumpy fields, tree roots, steep uphills and scary downhills where quite a bit of bike carry-ing was necessary.A great day out and a very well organised event, but probably the toughest event of this type I have completed yet.

March Hair Raiser
From Julie Caseley
Eight Joggers travelled the 50 miles to the March Hair Raiser on what turned out to be good conditions for a race. The course was 6.4 miles long but, for a Malvern Jogger, would have been considered very flat. The big debate beforehand was trainers or trail shoes. I swapped between the two twice but opted for trail shoes in the end. It wasn't necessary as the course was virtually bone dry. However, apparently it was a different story a couple of weeks ago! Well done to everyone who took part and the souvenir Morf will be very useful.
Gillian McCann and I both won our age categories.

The Malvern Ultra!!
From Neil Humpage
On Friday night myself, Lynda Broadway and Mike met with Steven Worrall; the organiser of the Mal-vern Ultra. And we have come to an agreement on team sizes and entry fee's (joggers rate's!!)
We are aiming to enter the relay event, that's teams of 6 at £20 per person, the ultra is on the 4th of May. The fee includes, food and drink at check points, a pasta meal at the end, a great T-shirt and a proper bling medal!!
The route is just over 50 miles and split in to 6 sections from 6 to 12 miles in length Oh and if anyone wants to do it solo, the price is £40, that's for Steve Roode. We would like to enter at least 5 teams so we need 30 willing runners to put their names below, but more would be good! We will sort out who is in which teams at a later date, after you have paid!! For now I just need names. The plan is for each team to be split in to three pairs of runners, and each pair will run two stages. So if you are interested e-mail me, and we will get the ball rolling :-)

Sunday 24th March 2013, 10 a.m. start Strictly no entries on the day
Course
The race course for 2013 will be the same as in 2012, favouring forest trails and minimising road crossings. The officially-measured half-marathon course (13 miles 192.5 yards) is run on way-marked trails laid out by the Forestry Commission. Special permission has been given to stage the race over this course.
The course begins at Speech House and then follows the trails in a clockwise direction through the Forest of Dean to return to the finish at Speech House. The multi-terrain route will be fully signed and marshalled, and marked by yellow paint on the ground. Mile-markers are provided. The route generally uses well-maintained tracks with gentle inclines.
The race will be led by lead cyclists. The one road crossings on the route will be controlled by police and marshals. There are three water stations at ap-proximately 5 km intervals, and drinks will be available at the finish.

Extraordinary General Meeting
From the Committee
The Committee is calling an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Club at the Club Night on Wednesday 27 March.. This is to make a necessary change to the constitution in order to allow for members who choose not to be affiliated to England Athletics. We are also taking the opportunity to propose some changes to the rules for conduct of General Meetings as a result of feedback from the Annual General meeting in December.
Members will be sent voting instructions and details of the changes recommended by the Committee.
In order to reduce the time taken for the E.G.M. so that we can get on with the important task of run-ning, please make sure you are familiar with the recommendations and if any clarification is required please e-mail your query to the Secretary at
geoff@malvernjoggers.uk

Blymhill 10K
From Lynda Broadway
Beautiful sunny march morning for the post-poned off road 10k a fairly flat mixed terrain race starting in a ploughed field ( a sprint start was not possible
Running through muddy sections (mike lost his shoe and had to go back for it but still beat me )and woodland a well marshalled well or-ganised race with cakes galore and a snood in-stead of a medal highly reccomended and thor-oughly enjoyed by us both

Champions League Races
The schedule of League races for the next few months is as follows:
7 April Peopleton Scenic Six
14 April Eastnor 7
12 May Crowle 10k
26 May Crocodile 8
2 June Magic Roundabout 10k
23 June Malvern Half Marathon (points will be awarded for both the 5k and Half Marathon as if they were two separate races)
7 July - Evesham Vale 10k
13 July - Devil's Chimney Chase 10k

Summer Club Night Venues
Cast your vote for this year’s venues by choos-ing your 5 favourites from the following list
Callow End
British Camp
Lower Howsell Road
Hanley Swan
Barnards Green / Guarlford Road
Swinyard car park / Gullet Quarry
West of England Quarry
Tank Quarry
Hanley Castle
Colwall Village Hall
Send your votes to Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk (using the attached form if possible)

Free Health & Fitness Apps
From The Educational App Store
I thought I'd reach out to you because I would like to inform you about a series of free apps that I would like to share with your community and also to present a proposal for a collaboration.
We have a growing Health and Fit-ness category and are also running an app promotion alongside Runtastic, the app that tracks your workout in order to improve health and fitness outcomes.
Within our community we have over 70,000 students, parents and professionals in the UK who read our blog and go on our website in order to identify the best apps that will help them to improve their learning outcomes. We are always looking to feature practical cases of mobile app users in our blog and if you would like to be featured as a result of using one of our apps (or the Runtastic app in this case), do contact me and we can write a feature of your club for our audience.
In the meantime, feel free to share our current Runtastic promo codes with your community which can be found here:
educationalappstore

Geoff's Blog from 24 February 2013

Road Relay Championships
From Julie Casely
The men's and women's Road Relay Championships will be held at Sutton Park on Saturday, 23 March 2013. Details are below. Runners have to be first claim members of an EA registered club and runners must have a valid England Athletics number. We need a minimum of 6 runners for the women's race and a team of 12 for the men's race, running distances specified below. Athletes are not allowed to run more than one leg.
Please let me know if you are interested so I can make the application as the closing date is Monday, 4 March 2013
MIDLAND MEN’S 12 Stage Road Relay Championship, Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield (8 x 2.995 miles and 4 x 5.38 miles) - Saturday 23 March 2013 – Start 12.00 noon
MIDLAND WOMEN’S 6 Stage Road Relay Championship, Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield (6 x 2.995 miles) - Saturday 23 March 2013 – Start 12.20pm.
Many thanks, Julie Julie@MalvernJoggers.Co.UK

JOGGERS ON TOUR
From Lynda Broadway
If anyone is interested in accommodation for the Snowdon Marathon I currently have 3 beds available for the weekend at Bens bunkhouse 5 minutes walk from the start of the race for further details please email me Lynda@malvernjoggers.co.uk on or before 28th February
Thanks Geoff could you also please ad to the Summer ball request that this is the final reminder to get in touch if they are interested.

Biomechanics Trials (running barefoot!)
From Richard Dilworth
Hi Guys. Thanks very much for allowing me to address you all before the run tonight & to tell you about the biomechanics trials I am running for the dissertation of my sport & exercise science degree.
The dates & times of the trials are
• Sunday 24th Feb, 10.30am - 12pm;
• Monday 25th Feb, 4.30pm - 6pm &
• Friday 1st March, 3.30 - 6pm.
The trials will take place in the activity hall, Riverside centre, Hylton Rd Worcester. If you are able to vounteer then please contact me on dilr23_11@uni.worc.ac.uk to be able. If you know anyone else who might be interested please forward my e-mail address on to them. I would like to thank the group who allowed me to run with them tonight. It was just what I needed after returning to running following two weeks of illness. Thanks guys. I hope to see you again soon & to be able to join you for another run.
With kind regards Richard Dilworth
dilr23_11@uni.worc.ac.uk

2013 Membership Renewals
Still time to renew your membership before the end of February deadline expires.
Membership is £15 (£10 for U/16’s) for unaffiliated run-ners, or £20 if you wish to register as affiliated with Eng-land Athletics.
A membership form is attached to the newsletter e-mail or you can download one from the “membership” page of the website.

Sports Massage - Special Offer for MJ's Members
Jenni Cross, Qualified Sports Massage Therapist and Bodyworker, is offering fellow MJ's a £10 reduction on her normal hourly rate.
We all know that prevention is better than cure and regular sports massage can prevent injury and aid the runners recovery. Are you preparing for a spring marathon?
For just £25 give your body a sports massage workout and feel the difference. If you don't feel the benefit, then there's no charge.
Contact Jenni on 07887 523 966 to book your appointment at her dedicated treatment room.

NEXT LEAGUE RACE
March Hair Raiser
Sunday 3 March
Distance 6½ miles
Venue Kingswinford, Albrighton
Time 11:00 start
Entry £8 affiliated, £10 unaffiliated
+ £2 on the day
Entry form
www.wolvesandbilstonac.co.uk

Pensford 10K
Sunday 28 April
Distance 10K
Venue Pensford, near Bristol
Time 13:00 start
Entry £11 affiliated, £13 unaffiliated
+ £2 on the day
Entry form

Geoff's Blog from 17 February 2013

The best donut - Muddy Woody 2013
From Sam Burnage
A gaggle of Malvern Joggers turned out to join the wildeyed men and women of Herefordshire for this race which does what it says on the tin - it's muddy and it's in a wood.
Around 200 runners lined up before the Wye Valley Runners sent us on our way in their usual organised way.The race goes up and down, then up and down and then up and down. The challenge is to stay upright!
There is one stream crossing which is a good chance to clean the mud off your shoes but then there is a small hill which was so muddy I found myself pulling myself up it with my hands clawing at the did seem particularly muddy this year after a completely frozen run last year.
The sun was shining and the mood was cheery as I ran along the home straight covered in bramble scratches and caked in mud - I finished 13th, a couple of places down from last year and quickly scooted off to the organiser's tent where there is a donut and a cup of tea for every finisher - the best donut you will ever taste!
Well done to all the MJs who took part, see you same place, same time next year!

Road Relay Championships
From Your Race Captain, Julie Casely
The men's and women's Road Relay Championships will be held at Sutton Park on Saturday, 23 March 2013. Details are below. Runners have to be first claim members of an EA registered club and runners must have a valid England Athletics number. We need a minimum of 6 runners for the women's race and a team of 12 for the men's race, running distances specified below. Athletes are not allowed to run more than one leg. Please let me know if you are interested so I can make the application as the closing date is Monday, 4 March 2013
MIDLAND MEN’S 12 Stage Road Relay Championship Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield (8 x 2.995 miles and 4 x 5.38 miles) - Saturday 23 March 2013 – Start 12.00 noon
MIDLAND WOMEN’S 6 Stage Road Relay Championship Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield (6 x 2.995 miles) - Saturday 23 March 2013 – Start 12.20pm
Julie@MalvernJoggers.Co.UK

Minutes of committee meeting
From Geoff Field, Secretary
A specially convened meeting of the committee was held on 6 February to review this year’s membership subscription policy.
The draft minutes (subject to approval at the next meeting on 25 February) will be on the committee page shortly.

Gloucester 10k – 10th Feb 2013
By Annie Robson
6 Malvern Joggers took part in the first ever 10k road race in Gloucester yesterday morning amidst driving rain and very cold conditions! A 9am start meant an early morning for us all but we were rewarded with a very well organised run with great marshalls and an extremely efficient results service – a text came to my phone with my result within a minute of me crossing the line!
First jogger home was Jay Dowding in a very impressive 38:10 in 7th place overall, followed by Daniel Badger in 46:28. Carolyne Sanders came 3rd in her age category and Ian Laydon had a great run after being injured for a while. First race experience for Helen Hay Main – a relative newcomer to joggers who has been bitten by the bug. And bringing up the rear (as usual!) I made it back in 64:47. We were very wet and very cold but as always had the joggers spirit in bucketfuls and all pleased with ourselves for just getting up and doing it!
Would do it again – the course was a little dull – didn't know there were so many car sales rooms or fast food outlets in Gloucester!!! And the best bit was gliding up the slight incline that a lot of others were describing as a hill!!!! Pah!

Hello Malvern Joggers,
My name is David Drosman, and I am a clinical psychology student in the Ph.D. program at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in San Francisco. I am conducting a research project about the experiences, thoughts, and feelings of individuals who run for at least 75 minutes a week and have done so for the last 6 months. I am writing to ask whether I can recruit people from your website to anonymously participate in my online survey consisting of a few questionnaires that take about 25 minutes to complete. A copy of my announcement is included below. If you need more information, please feel free to email me with any questions. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you,
David Drosman

Participants Needed for a Research Study on the Experiences, Thoughts, and Feelings of Individuals who have run for at least 75 minutes a week for the last 6 months.
I am recruiting participants for a study of runners’ thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and behaviors. Participants must be at least 18 years of age and have run for at least 75 minutes a week for the last 6 months. Your participation would consist of filling out a few brief online questionnaires that will take approximately 25 minutes to complete. If you would like to participate in this research, please click on the link provided: https://alliant.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6PuFq1s1B5QopJr. Please e-mail me at runningstudy2012@gmail com to request the password to gain access to the study. You will be entered in a raffle, at your request, with a chance to win one of four $20 gift certificates to Amazon.com.
Thank you for your time and interest.
Carl has completed the questionnaire and his feedback is—”it did not take too long and if it helps somebody and the sport then take 10 minutes and have a go”

Ullswater 18 & 33 mile Trail Runs
Please note that ashmei will be holding it's first 18 mile Trail run and 33 mile Ultra Trail run on the 18th August 2013 around the stunning lake of Ullswater.
We would like to invite your club to take part in this event and can offer you 15% discount for each entry if can pull a team of 3 or more runners to take part. Could you please pass the details of our race to your members and hope to see you in August.
If you would like to enter the race, please e-mail me back at Ruby@blue-associates.co.uk so that I can forward you the discount code and instructions how to enter.
http://www.ashmei.com

Geoff's Blog from 10 February 2013

Venues
Last opportunity to get in your nominations for summer running venues. Suggestions so far are:
Callow End - The Old Bush
Colwall - The Chase
British Camp - The Malvern Hills Hotel
Lower Howsell - Road The New Inn
Hanley Swan - The Swan
Barnards Green / Guarlford Road - The Bluebell
Swinyard car park / Gullet Quarry - The Plume of Feathers
West of England Quarry - The Brewer's Arms
Tank Quarry - The Retired Soldier
Hanley Castle - The Three Kings
If there is another venue you would like to be considered, just e-mail me, bearing in mind
adequate car parking
plenty of options for running routes
safety (e.g. not on a busy main road
And a friendly pub for after-run socialising is an added bonus
Closing date is officially today, but ideas received in the next week will be accepted
The final list will be sent out for members to vote on before the end of the month.

Summer Ball
From Lynda
Hi All
I am currently looking for a venue for our summer ball to celebrate our 10th birthday and need a rough idea of numbers can you please email me if you would be interested to lynda.broadway@aol.com or let me know on 07976482699.
Thank you all
Regards Lynda

Membership Renewals
You should have received an e-mail from Carl confirming this year’s membership terms, so don’t delay in getting your subs in before the end of February in order to qualify for your Jan / Feb race results to count in the Club League and to be in the London Marathon Club Entry draw. Latest membership forms are attached, or are available on the website

Wednesday Night Refreshments
Variety being the spice of life, Lynda has sug-gested the following venues for post-run re-freshment after the Wednesday club run
13th Feb The Nags Head
20th Feb The Great Malvern
27th Feb The Morgan
6th Mar The Retired Soldier
13th Mar Wetherspoons
20th Mar The Nags Head
27th Mar The Great Malvern
Can’t promise they will all provide sandwiches and chips a la Retired Soldier

League Races
League races for the next couple of months will be:
3 Mar - March Hair Raiser
24 Mar - Forest of Dean ½ Marathon
7 Apr - Peopleton Scenic 6
14 Apr - Eastnor 7
12 May - Crowle 10k
I’ll try and post information about these (and other events) in the Newsletter.
There hasn’t been any take-up for a bus to go to the March Hair Raiser, so this suggestion has been canned .

For Dog Lovers
From Geoff
We have been approached by the Forest of Dean Canni-X club to see if we would be interested in a reciprocal run.
The idea would be to host an 8-10 run in the hills on a Sunday and they would do something similar in the Forest.
If anyone is interested, let me know and I’ll liaise with Forest of Dean to agree a date and a route

New on the Website
Finding it difficult to keep track of what runs are on offer at the weekend?
The forum is a great place to see who is run-ning where and when, but to make it even eas-ier for you, Pete Cowling has put a new box on the Home page headed “More Club Runs.”
Keep an eye open for runs that might suit you—and how about sending in a report of your run to jazz up the Newsletter a bit—photo’s too!

Farewell from an old Stager
I'm not going to be renewing my membership this year. There seems little point since I just don't get to Malvern these days. I've been a member for 6 years and the club played a huge role in my development as a runner. I'm espe-cially grateful to Chris Barker who was always so helpful and supportive, especially in the ear-ly days.
All the best,
Phil Jackson

The Joggers Walking Group Latest Outing
From Jenny Field
On Saturday, 14 Joggers or ex-Joggers plus 2 friends a boy and a dog gathered at Little Witley village hall car park for our first walk of the year. It was arranged and led by Ian and Cathy Baker to mark Cathy’s significant birthday.
We set of from the car park along lanes at first and then down footpaths across fields and through or-chards. The weather had been forecast for rain and it was a little drizzly at first but then just turned to misty. Underfoot was muddy, very muddy but as Ian said EVERY time anyone groaned about it 'We had been warned! I did manage to fall over almost flat on my face but no harm done as mud is so nice and soft to fall into!
We had a welcome coffee break in Wichenford churchyard and then continued on a circular route back, via lots more mud, to the village hall. I'm a little vague about the actual route as I think Ian was at a cou-ple of points, thank goodness for GPS. We were a little late at the The Crown in Hallow which was our lunch venue but that was no problem. We all had a very good lunch and a few beers and wished the birthday girl many happy returns.
Another good day out in the fresh air and great company. Watch this space for news of the next outing.

ROCK UP IN RED
From Megz Judge
Hey Guys! as most of you know MSJ sports and fitness centre is holding their annual charity event for
British Heart Foundation on the Friday 22nd February! SO ROCK UP IN RED! and join our triathlon
starting from 7am in the morning 4 hours in the pool, ten minute slots, then 11am 4 hours bike, ten minute
slots again and 3pm treadmill 4 hours ten minute slot, so come in and sign up and donate today
and the theme is rock up in red!! there is also a cake sale through out the day and in the evening we
have a live band night in our juice bar (which sells alcohol) and having a raffles and auction, prizes are
fab winning memberships to Warriors tickets! if anyone have any unwanted things they can donate for
our raffle we be very grateful! everyone is welcome so please come along and join the party!

Forthcoming Race
Muddy Wood 6
Next League race is the Muddy Wood 6 on Sunday
17th.
Entry forms available from the website - click
on the following link:
Muddy Wood 6

Geoff's Blog from 03 February 2013

Membership
From Geoff Field
All members should have received an e-mail about this year’s membership subscriptions. This has changed since last week’s newsletter and provides even better value for members.
Club membership fees for this year are £15 for Seniors and £10 for Juniors. Members will not have to register with England Athletics, but if they do the club will give them a £5 reduction on the £10 registration fees.
EA registration fees will be collected in April.
Membership renewals should be with me by 28 February in order to:
* qualify for the Virgin London Marathon Club Draw
* allow your club league performances for Jan/Feb to be counted in the final results

Committee Meeting—minutes
The minutes of the last meeting are on the web site. As usual, they are pending approval at the next meeting, but have been given provisional approval by the attendees.
Please not that the item headed England Athletics Affiliation & Membership has been superseded — see above section on membership.

Summer Ball
From Lynda
Hi All
I am currently looking for a venue for our summer ball to celebrate our 10th birthday and need a rough idea of numbers can you please email me if you would be interested to Lynda@MalvernJoggers.Co.UK or let me know on 07976482699.

From Julie, our Race Captain — she’s been busy this week!
NTRIX t-shirts
First of all, thank you to everyone who had entered the cancelled Not the Roman IX and let me know their names and t-shirt sizes so I could arrange for them to be delivered to me. They have now arrived so I will bring them along to Joggers on Wednesday.

Gloucestershire Cross Country League
Only 3 Malvern Joggers ran in the last of the season races yesterday at Plock Court, Gloucester - myself, Amanda Dawson and Chris Jolley. Sorry if I've missed anyone (especially the juniors) as the results are not up yet. The ladies had to run 3 small laps (rather than 2 large ones) as part of the course was under water. The men had to run 4 small laps instead of 3 large ones. The course was very flat but a bit 'sticky' in places! The organisers worked very hard in order to be able to present all the medals to the winners in the juniors, seniors, veterans and teams. It was well worth staying to collect Barry Swindells' medal for 1st vet over 70. I will bring it along to Joggers on Wednesday.

The Stourbridge Stagger 10 miles
Well done to everyone who turned up at Stourbridge for the Stagger this morning - Sam Burnage, Megan Judge, Steve Roode, Rachel Labdon and Carolyne Sanders - hope I've got everyone! Alison Hughes ran in the Ladies Only 7k race. The 10 mile course was challenging with hills aplenty and mud to die for!! Well done to Alison who won her age category - I have an envelope for you that I will bring along to Joggers on Wednesday.

County Cross Country Championships on Peachfield Common - 5 January 2013
I have 2 medals to hand out - gold for Emma Gooderham (1st FV40) and silver for Ian Dyson (2nd MV60) - well done to both of you. I will bring them along to Joggers on Wednesday.
Thank you.
Julie

Trail Runner Magazine
Anyone seen the latest issue (No 12) of Trail Runner magazine? I haven’t myself, but I am told that there is an article in there about Malvern Joggers, featuring the end-to-end run.
If you have got a copy, let me know and I’ll include it in next weeks newsletter.

Upcoming Races
Sunday 12 May
Venue: Bromsgrove Rugby Club, Finstall Road, Bromsgrove
Distance: 10K plus 5K
Start: 11am (11:05 for 5K)
Entry fee: £9 - unattached; £8.50 - affiliated £10 on the day.

Geoff's Blog from 27 January 2013

Winter snow at MSJ
This was the scene at Malvern St. James on Wednesday evening which led to the cancellation of the Club Run. This was the first (and hopefully, only) time club night has been cancelled this year. Last year we had two cancellations, so fingers crossed.

Not the Roman IX
From Julie Casely
Malvern Joggers who entered the above race will have heard via email by now that the race will not be rescheduled. I, for one, will not be going to Stratford to collect my "free" t-shirt but are prepared to put in a small order to SimplyRun so they can send my t-shirt with my order. However, I think that if I can let them know how many and sizes of t-shirts together with names of entrants, they might send them all with my order. Please email me asap with the above information, if you have not already claimed your running t-shirt from NTRIX and I'll see what I can do.
Thank you,
Julie

50 Shades of Green!! –
From Annie robson
Next Saturday (2nd February) is my 50th parkrun and it's become a bit of a tradition at Worcester to mark the occasion. So it would be great to see as many joggers there as possible all wearing something green (shouldn't be difficult!) It would be amazing to get 50 people there wearing something green to mark the occasion. I know many of you have registered for parkrun so please come along next week if you can. For those that haven't registered maybe next week could be your first week. It's a mainly off road 5k course through Worcester Country Park woods. For those who are training for something it could be classed as a great short speed session and for the rest of us it's just the best way to start a weekend! The parkrun team are an amazing bunch of people and i'd love to show my support and thanks to them as parkrun has undoubtedly helped my running along in the last year and half. So let's do it joggers style and descend upon them in a mass sea of green!. I can also promise homemade cakes! Hope to see as many of you there as possible.
Many Thanks
Annie

Summer Venues
Last chance to nominate venues for summer runs. Suggestions received so far are:
The Bush, Callow End
Tank Quarry, North Malvern
The Chase, Colwall
Swinyard car park, Gullet Quarry
Malvern Hills Hotel, British Camp
Bluebell, Guarlford
New Inn, Lower Howsell Road
The Three Kings, Hanley Castle
Swan, Hanley Swan
So if your favourite venue is not listed, or if you have any ideas that we have not tried before, please e-mail to geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk

Club Nights Working Group
And also – the last chance to put your name forward for the working group looking into managing club runs on a Wednesday night. We have several volunteers already, but if you want to be considered, please e-mail to geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk

Brutal Events
Bit late for the Snowdon Marathon, but if you haven’t seen the Brutal Events website it might be worth a visit – event listings, training advice and a newsletter, from which this is an extract.
How to run your first mountain marathon
(inc. 16 week training plan)
Marathons are hard enough without throwing mountains into the mix, but they can be an amazing experience that you won’t forget. So how do you prepare yourself to take on this super tough challenge?
Read more
www.brutalevents.co.uk

Forthcoming Races
This is a new section in which I will post details of forthcoming races received from other clubs. To find out more, follow the hyperlink.
Shobdon Wood 6
Sunday 21 April
Organised by Croft Ambrey Running Club
Shobdon Wood, Shobdon, Herefordshire (grid ref: 392637)
Venue: Shobdon Wood, Shobdon, Herefordshire (grid ref: 392637)
Distance: Approximately 6 miles – all off road along forestry tracks, paths
Start: 11am
Entry fee: £10 - unattached; £8 - club members
http://herefordcouriers.com/2013/01/22/shobdon-wood-21st-april/

Geoff's Blog from 20 January 2013

Membership
From Geoff Field
Don’t forget to renew your membership for 2013!
Membership fees for this year are £20 for Seniors and £15 for Juniors. The Seniors membership form is attached and is on the website (you can still use an old form, but it will say membership is £15, instead of £20). Junior members should get their forms from their coaches).
Membership renewals should be with me by 28 February in order to:
• qualify for the Virgin London Marathon Club Draw
• allow your club league performances for Jan/Feb to be counted in the final results

Not the Roman IX
From Julie Casely
Today’s “Not the Roman IX” Champions League race was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. I'll see when they re-arrange it for and make a decision as to whether to keep it on the League or scratch it completely. I’ll keep you informed

Champions League
From Julie Casely
The following races will be on the Champions League:
• The March Hair Raiser (3 March),
• Forest of Dean Half Marathon (24 March)
• Peopleton Scenic 6 (7 April)
• Eastnor 7 (14 April)
• Crowle 10k (12 May)

The March Hair Raiser is at Albrighton, Wolverhampton and we are considering laying on a coach to ease the travelling, which would be subsidised by the club (as for Bath ½ and Lake Vyrnwy ½ last year). If you are interested, let me know be e-mail to Julie@MalvernJoggers.Co.UK

Muddy Wood 6 entry offer
From Simeon Foreman
I may have a place available for the Muddy Woody 6 if anyone is interested. Please email
simeon@iloverunning.co.uk

Sponsorship Agreement with Vasai Restaurant
For 2013 we have been fortunate to enter into a sponsorship agreement with Vasai Indian Restaurant in Malvern Link.
Vasai are sponsoring the club to the tune of £500, plus sponsorship in kind, such as post-race refreshment. In return Malvern Joggers will promote Vasai as our main race sponsor.
Also, as part of the deal, Vasai are to give exclusive membership cards entitling Malvern Joggers to a discount of 15% on food and drinks at the restaurant.
To launch this agreement, Lynda Broadway is hosting a meal at Vasai on 30th Jan

Venues
It may be cold dark and snowing outside, but it is time to start thinking about running venues for our summer runs. We will again be putting the list out for members to vote on, but for now we are looking for suggestions for locations. We have many tried and tested venues, but are always on the look out for new ones. The principle criteria are:
• adequate car parking
• plenty of options for running routes
• safety (e.g. not on a busy main road
And a friendly pub for after-run socialising is an added bonus
If you have any suggestions, please e-mail them to Geoff@MalvernJoggers.Co.UK by 10 February

Wednesday Club Nights
At the A.G.M. there were lots of ideas and suggestions for improving the management of club night runs to take account of the increase in numbers of runners.
The Committee would like to seek the input of members, particularly those who have actively been involved in managing runs on club nights. The issues that need to be addressed include:
• improving the safety and quality of runs
• supporting run leaders and encouraging new leaders
• route planning and pace
We are looking for a small group of not more than six people to form a working group to consider these and any other issues.
If you would like to be involved, please e-mail geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk to register an interest

Eastnor Castle Seven
From Duncan Cresswell
Dear Runners,
Ledbury & District Harriers are hosting the 7th running of the Magnificent Eastnor Castle Seven race this April.
Entries are now open and can be found at http://www.ledburyharriers.org.uk/magnificent-eastnor-castle-7.html
It’s a beautiful multi-terrain course with many prizes up for grabs.
We hope that many of you can make this year’s event on 14th April and we look forward to welcoming you on the day.
If you’re a Facebook user, why not also join our race FB page, where you’ll find photos from previous years and other bits of info www.facebook.com/MagnificentEastnorCastle7

From Burntwood Tri Club
Entries are now open for Burntwood Spring Aquathlon which will be held on Sunday 10th March at Burntwood Leisure Centre near Lichfield in Staffordshire.
As usual there are classes for all ages from Tristar Start (8 years old) upwards. The swim is in the Centre's modern 25m pool - you can even have a warm up in the children's pool. Tristars will complete a multi lap run on the Centre's playing fields, Youths and adults will complete a 4 lap course on quiet local roads. There are full changing facilities and a small cafe open from 9am.
More details of the race are available on the aquathlon page (under 'Our Races') of our Club website (http://www.burntwoodtriclub.org).
You can either enter online at http://www.entrycentral.com or on the entry form attached.

Geoff's Blog from 13 January 2013

Thank you
Jenny and I would like to say thank you for all the kind messages of support we have received following James’ stoke.
The good news is that he is now back at home with us and is well on the way to making a full recovery, with no indications that he will suffer any long-term consequences.

What we have learned is that high blood-pressure can be very dangerous and yet not many people know what their BP reading is. So if you don’t know, take some time to get it checked, either by your GP, or at a pharmacy who provides this service. Or you can buy a BP monitor from Boots for only £30 and check it yourself.

Beat the Bore race report
From Lynda and Mike
On a freezing cold Sunday morning we resisted the temptation to snuggle in the warmth of Mikes four poster and braved the -2.5?C cold to try and beat the Severn Bore. The terrain was rough in places - lots of mud, frozen ground, ice and water. We were slowed down by at least 6 stiles (breathing spots).
A fabulous event with lovely views along the river augmented by a couple of riders surfing the Bore as it came by. No we didn't beat it - not sure that anyone did.
At the finish we were welcomed by hot drinks and Muffins and a London double-decker bus to take us back to our cars. The medal was hand carved in drift wood collected and dried 1 month prior to the event and presented at the finish by the carpenter’s daughter. If you complete both events - 2nd one September 20th (night run) - you also get a certificate (not for entering as a couple as Julie and Amanda thought).
Well done to Mark, Scott, Amanda Dawson and Julie Caseley for braving the cold along with myself and Mike who beat me no - snidey comments, please.
Highly recommended enjoyable 7mile event.

Website Forum
It is good to see the web-site forum is starting to be used as the place to advertise ad-hoc runs being organised by club members, upcoming races, etc. If you haven’t tried it, log on at malvernjoggers.co.uk and go to the forum page. If it is the first time you have used it, you will need to register using your e-mail address, but this is easy and doesn’t take long. You can then look at the latest postings and add your own comments if you want to.

Geoff's Blog from 06 January 2013

From Your editor
Hi Joggers,
Sorry the newsletter is a bit thin this week.
Some of you will know that James (Jenny and my son) was taken into hospital on Boxing Day night with a stroke. At 33 years old, this is pretty young for this kind of incident and whilst it looks like he is going to make a full recovery, it has been a difficult couple of weeks for Jen and I and Joggers has had to take a bit of a back seat.
So this week’s newsletter is a just a cut-and-past of stuff that has been sent to me , so no reports of the Christmas Eve Beacon Run or the Great British Burn Off.
Jenny and I won’t be along for Wednesday night Club runs for a couple of weeks, and I must apologise to all of you who have sent me membership forms / enquiries. I will catch up with these over the next couple of weeks, but if you haven’t heard from me yet, please be patient.
Geoff

First Joggers night out at Vasai Indian restaurant
From Linda Broadway
Wednesday 30th January @ 8.30pm
3 courses for £10.99
To book please mail Lynda@MalvernJoggers.Co.UK to reserve your place
On or before 15th January (NO bookings will be taken after this deadline )

EA Membership & Registration
from Geoff Field, Membership Secretary
There is quite a bit of confusion about EA membership going forward, which is not surprising, since EA announced changes, then revoked those changes in order to have a period of consultation and now have issued a “broad brush” statement of their proposals, but no details. I will try and explain the current situation as clearly as I can.
• The Club is affiliated to England Athletics (Constitution para 4.3). The affiliation fee - currently £50 - is paid from club funds)
• All members of the club must be registered to EA (Constitution para 5.3)
• MJ annual membership fee is £15 (and has been since the club was started in 2004)
• In the past the individual member’s EA registration fee (£5) has been paid out of the club membership fee
• For 2013 the EA club affiliation fee will remain unchanged at £50. Individual registration will go up to £10.
• Individual athlete’s registration with EA has to be via an affiliated club
• EA have said that membership registration will continue to be managed through clubs. They have also said that the registration process will be unchanged, i.e. fees collected by clubs, who will register athletes and EA will issue membership cards. (The issue of cards in 2012 without an expiry date seems to be an anomaly and EA have acknowledged that they need to improve their processes).
In order to keep as many options open as possible, the Committee has decided to keep the Club membership fee fixed at £15 for 2013. Non-members will still be able to run with us on Wednesday nights. For the time being, members can still enter races as EA registered athletes, using the registration number that I have provided (if you have lost your registration no. let me know and I can send you a reminder).
At its simplest, to be a Malvern Jogger you must pay a £15 membership fee plus a £10 England Athletics registration fee (the situation for Juniors is a bit more complicated).
The Committee is meeting on 14 January to discuss these issues, among others, and I should be able to give you some more information after that, but in the meantime, please reflect that there is more to being a Malvern Jogger than just being able to get £2 off a race entry

Charity Quiz Night
From Annie Robson
Annie Robson is organising a quiz night at The Gloster Arms in Malvern Link to help raise money for the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust charity that she is supporting at the Reading Half Marathon.
Please see the attached poster.

Hereford 10K Race Report
From Julie Casely
Well done to the 18 Malvern Joggers who rolled out of bed on New Year's Day for this 10k race at Hereford. The start and finish were in a different location due to the fact that the towpath to the original start was flooded, as was the field where we usually park.
However, the rest of the course was still the same, undulating route even though it was a little long. Well done to Sam Burnage who was the first Jogger home, Gillian McCann who won the FV55 age category and I also won my age category (FV50).

Black Pear Christmas Party
Black Pear Joggers would like to invite you to their belated Christmas party at the Fownes Hotel in Worcester on Saturday 12th January at 7pm. Tickets are £21 each and are available, until 10am on Tuesday 8th January, online through our website at Blackpearjoggers.org.uk. The party is optional fancy dress with the theme being the letter m.
If you have any questions please contact Cat at social@blackpearjogers.org.uk.

Geoff's Blog from 23 December 2012

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR READERS
Here’s wishing all Malvern Joggers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
May the sun shine on all your runs
and when it doesn’t, may the rain be gentle
and when it isn’t, may the mud be warm
and when it isn’t, may the wind be behind you
and when it isn’t, may your route be downhill
and when it isn’t, Just keep going!

Run News
There will be no Club run from Malvern St. James Sports Hall on boxing day evening
But don’t forget the following:

Christmas Eve Beacon Run
This year’s Christmas Eve Beacon run will start from Rosebank Gardens (if you haven’t seen the new statue, it’s well worth a look).at 2:00 p.m. on 24 December.
Bring your own mince pies and a bottle of mulled wine (or find someone to share) to keep out the cold when you get to the summit.
All abilities catered for, so don’t miss this once-a-year event

Boxing Day Run
from Steve Roode
Just to let you know that Malvern Hash do a run on Boxing Day from the Cross keys at Suckley. It starts at 11.00am and is mainly cross country but at a pace to suit all runners. It goes over to Bringsty common and back and is about 9 miles in total. It’s open to all runners so just turn up, you can check the location out on www.malvernhash.co.uk/2.html

The Great British Burn Off - 28 December
from Cathy Spence
Sam and Cathy have decided they will be mostly eating and drinking over the next few weeks and so have decided to do another end to end run to burn off some of the turkey (nut roast in Sam's case!) before the New Year celebrations begin.
Some of you will remember this run fondly from last year...ice, gale force winds and hills. Ooooh can't wait!
So we will be meeting at 9am at the clock tower, North Malvern on 28 December, driving some cars to the other end of the hills and then running back. Then there will be hot soup for lunch at Sam and Cathy's house in Malvern Link before going home for a couple more mince pies in front of the fire.
All welcome, no one will be left behind (mainly because Cathy will be walking up most of the hills!) do come and join us for some seasonal torture.

England Athletics Affiliation
From Geoff Field
Here’s an extract from an e-mail I have received from EA:
“Following what we recognise to be an inadequate consultation process regarding affiliation we set up the three regional meetings and facilitated emailed submissions to hear views about this and the general concerns over consultation and representation in our sport.
Based on consideration of all the comments received we have made the following decisions. For the affiliation year commencing 1st April 2013 the following will apply:
• All individual athletes will pay a flat fee of £10 irrespective of age or discipline. (The £10 fee will also apply to the optional Under 11s scheme. Details on the benefits pack for this scheme will be communicated in the New Year.)
• The club and affiliated bodies registration fee will remain at £50.
• The processes for clubs to affiliate and register athletes will be as in the current year.
• Upgrades to the ‘Trinity’ member portal for clubs and athletes will be undertaken to make it more ‘user friendly’. We would like to thank those people who have given specific input on this matter.
At the consultation meetings we committed to transparency, this included a commitment to making information on comments and views given at the meetings available on the website. These are available at http://webmail.tiscali.co.uk/cp/ps/Mail/ExternalURLProxy?d=lineone.net&u=geoff.field&url=http://www.englandathletics.org/membership2013&urlHash=1.249292046435758E301 www.englandathletics.org/membership2013.

2013 Membership
Your Committee will be considering the implications of the change of policy from EA at its next meeting on 14 January, but don’t forget, in the meantime you can renew your club membership using the attached membership form. The annual subscription is £15 (£10 for Juniors), which does not include EA athlete registration

Christmas Lights Run
From Steve Roode
Many thanks to all of you who turned out in such horrid weather conditions to do the Christmas lights run. Special thanks go to Jules and Megz who led the route in my absence. We also had a first on the run as we had a support vehicle picking up any stragglers!! One kind lady from Langland’s Avenue donated £10 as she was so inspired by the singing – which we donated to a children’s charity box in Weatherspoons. We stopped off in my kitchen, 23 people made it a nice snug fit!! After that it was up to Jennie and Geoff’s for some more mulled wine and Mince pies – another quality Joggers night out. Also a special Mention to the best dressed Jogger Mr Steve Ollis aka The Christmas Tree!!!

A Message from the Blood Donation Service
Do you know someone
who could help us save lives?
Dear Geoffrey,
As a regular blood donor, you already know that you are helping to save and improve lives every time you give blood. Thank you for your generous support.
We also face a challenge to find new donors every year if we're to ensure there's always enough blood, and that challenge is now a particularly pressing one.
We've recently launched a 100 thousand new donors in 100 days campaign to encourage more people to come forward, and we're asking all existing donors to please spread the word in support of that campaign.
If you have a friend or family member who might be interested in giving blood, please forward this email to them or ask them to register as a blood donor by calling us or visiting our website as detailed below.
Thank you,
Jonathan Latham,
Assistant Director, Blood Donation

Geoff's Blog from 16 December 2012

2013 Membership

It’s that time again. The Club’s membership year starts on January 1st. A membership form for 2013 is attached.

Membership subscriptions are a little bit different for 2013, as those of you who attended the A.G.M. will be aware. Because England Athletics have withdrawn their proposals for club affiliation and athlete registration fees, we do not yet know what these will be.

In order that we can start our membership year, the Club annual membership fee will remain unchanged at £15 (£10 for juniors). This means that those of you paying by standing order do not need to take any action.

However, this year the Club fee will not include England Athletics’ registration fee (previously £5). A decision will be made about EA fees once their proposals have been published.

If you are already a club member, or if you join before May, you will still be registered with EA, so will still be entitled to the discounted race entry fee for affiliated members and other EA benefits.

Christmas Party
A fantastic turnout at this year’s Christmas party. Nearly a hundred people came to the Mountpleasant Hotel, which meant nearly half the senior members of the club were there.
Andy, Roodey, Carl and others were resplendent in Tuxedo and the ladies were even more glamorous.
Roodey and Andy compered the award presentations (too numerous to list) in their inimitable fahion and Carl announced the winners of the Club League – Julie Mitchell and Jerry Greer.
The hotel provided an excellent buffet supper, unspoiled by the presence of any greenery, and then the disco struck up for dancing until
midnight. Some hardy souls then went on elsewhere to continue celebrating – but the less said about that the better!
Many thanks to Julie, Andy, Steve and all the others who helped make this a really good night

London Marathon Draw
And the lucky winners of the draw for club places in the Virgin London Marathon 2013 were:
Carolyne Sanders
Arthur Lockyear
Andy Banham
The training starts here!

and for Gentle Joggers Joggers
Hi everyone, I will be glad to join in the Christmas Eve Beacon Run again this year and lead a slow gang up by a shorter route to the Beacon. Last year we arrived about the same time as the faster guys. It was good fun!
So gentle Joggers don't miss out come and join in - 2 pm at Rosebank gardens.
Jenny Field

The Great British Burn Off - 28 December
from Cathy Spence

Sam and Cathy have decided they will be mostly eating and drinking over the next few weeks and so have decided to do another end to end run to burn off some of the turkey (nut roast in Sam's case!) before the New Year celebrations begin.
Some of you will remember this run fondly from last year...ice, gale force winds and hills. Ooooh can't wait!
So we will be meeting at 9am at the clock tower, North Malvern on 28 December, driving some cars to the other end of the hills and then running back. Then there will be hot soup for lunch at Sam and Cathy's house in Malvern Link before going home for a couple more mince pies in front of the fire.
All welcome, no one will be left behind (mainly because Cathy will be walking up most of the hills!) do come and join us for some seasonal torture.

A.G.M. Minutes, etc.
The minutes of the A.G.M. are now available on the Website, along with the following documents:
Minutes of Committee meeting 8 October 2012 (approved)
Minutes of Committee meeting 23 November 2012 (draft)
Constitution (amended following A.G.M.)
2013 Membership form
Just log on to the website, follow the link to the Committee page and scroll down to the bottom. The membership form is on the Membership page.

Lisbon Marathon
From Vikki Sivvertsen - 3:17:44 (PB)
Lisbon is a beautiful city and I would recommend a weekend break there, however, I would not
Hilly and Chaotic:
The first 10 miles are very hilly, up and down, quite steep at times, with a steep one mile down hill to 11 miles. Then its 11 miles flat, out and back along the river, finishing with 4 miles of uphill to the finish. All of which made pacing very difficult. There were also quite a few cobbled areas to run across too. But the worst bit was the involvement of the half marathon. It starts one and a half hours after the marathon, at the marathon half way point! Stupid idea. I reached halfway in 1 hr 35 mins, yes, 5 mins after the half start, so I spent the next few miles ploughing my way through the slower of the half marathoners, there was quite a bit of bustling going on, quite a few fun runners. At the finish there were two funnels, one for the halves, one for the fulls, not clearly marked. I had to make eye contact with a marshal to find out which way to go.
Support and rewards:
On the plus side I did get a lot of support, my favourite of which was ‘go woman’ which I got quite a lot.. I liked that. The first thing I got given as I crossed the finish line was a hot cup of black tea (!!) then a hug off a man who finished alongside me, then a medal, then another hug, then a finishers T shirt, then another hug ! And so it went on, they seemed to be giving me a lot of respect. I liked that too!
Happy ending:
My name was announced (nearly correctly) as I crossed the line 3hrs 17 minutes and 44 seconds after I started. 10th female to finish, 2nd in my age group (FV45), which apparently is ‘Super Vet’! But then of course came the best hug of all, as Ron was there in the stadium to see me finish. We headed for the nearest bar for beer and hot chocolate and watched the United v. City game!! Champagne and a slap up dinner for two rounded off the day nicely. Now, did somebody say that was my last marathon?...

Gentle Jogger Steps it up a Notch!
from Jenny Field
After a month of nagging by Derek and Ros I finally bit the bullet and joined them on Stuart Horsfall’s Sunday Run. I'm used to running 6 miles at the weekends but always on road and at a chatty pace with a few friends who always run at my pace, so it was a bit daunting to be going out with faster guys. I knew Derek and Ros would look after me and as it was a lovely morning I turned up at M & S. 8 of us set off mostly on muddy tracks, boggy fields and the occasional bit of road through Sherrard’s Green towards Cleevelode then back via Madresfield. Fab. views good company and everyone was really kind and complimentary to me at the end of the 7+ a bit miles. I was very pleased I had done it and will certainly be joining them again.
Thanks Stuart.

Contributions to the Newsletter should be sent by e-mail to geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk or to mailer@malvernjoggers.co.uk
to arrive no later than 6:00 p.m. on a Sunday

Geoff's Blog from 09 December 2012

Message from our new Chairman
Fellow MJ's
Thank you for your support last Wednesday at the AGM.
I am fortunate that I now have the time to invest in our club and this was a prime factor in my standing for Chairman. I will be listening to what you have to say and I will do all I can to support all the members of the club.
The hustings have been and gone and it is time to draw a line in the sand and move forward.
I will do my best to bring together the collective views of the MJ's, and ask for your support. Your committee members I know wish to include all of our membership in the desire to enjoy our sport and create a 'whole club' approach to our activities.
The Malvern Joggers is a great club and I am proud to serve as your Chairman.
Carl

And one from our Social Secretary
Hi,
I am Lynda Broadway AKA Brummie Lynda, Malvern Joggers new social secretary. I have been an active member of the joggers for almost 2 years and am very passionate about our wonderful club and am thrilled to now be responsible for ensuring that our social events are a fun add-on to the running. In the New Year I will be asking every member what they are looking for if anything on the social side and putting a plan together Thank you once again for your support - looking forward to running and having fun with you all in 2013
Regards
Brummie Lynda.

Your Newsletter contributions
Help to make the newsletter mote interesting by sending in your contributions – race reports, training runs, hints and tips, suggested routes or just good stories.

Anything you think fellow Joggers might be interested in
Copy should be sent to mailto:geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk by not later
than 6:00 p.m. on a Sunday to ensure inclusion. Photos can also be included

AGM
The meeting was well attended, with 49 members present and 45 submitting votes by proxy.
The motion to exclude U/16s from counting towards a quorum was passed
The motion to discontinue Personal Accident Insurance was passed.
We are waiting to hear from EA what their club affiliation and member registrations will be and a decision will have to be when we get that information about how the club will collect EA registration fees. See item below about membership subscriptions for 2013.

Voting Results
The results of voting were:
Chairman - Carl Flint
Social Secretary Lynda Broadway
Club Charity - Malvern Special Families
Full minutes of the meeting, including a transcript of the Chairman’s report and the financial accounts will be published soon.
And Farewell to our retiring Chairman, Stuart Brown, who has put in 3 years of unstinting service to the club – Thank you, Stuart

2013 Membership
from Geoff Field, Secretary
The membership year starts on 1 January, so I will be starting to collect membership subscriptions soon.
This year, England Athletics will be changing their affiliation and registration policy. This is likely to include:
• an increase in the club affiliation fee (currently £50 p.a.)
• an increase in individual member registration fees (£5 p.a.)
Unfortunately, we will not know the new fees until sometime after our membership year has started.

Your Committee has therefore decided that club subscriptions for 2013 will remain unchanged at £15 per member (£10 for Juniors). In previous years, this has included the EA club affiliation fee and individual member registration fees. Next year, however, an additional charge may have to be made to cover EA fees. We are committed to keeping this additional charge to a minimum (the policy of the club is broadly to balance income and expenses in any year), but will not be able to announce the additional charge until EA plans have been finalised.

I will be updating the membership form to reflect this change and will be sending next year’s forms out soon.

from the Waitrose end we are the first house on the right, or

by coming up the drive of No 25 Graham Rd. right up to the gate at the top of the drive which will lead you into our drive. We will put a Joggers Shirt at the neighbours driveway to indicate the way.
Christmas decorations should be worn!

Common Running Injuries

Cheltenham Based shop Up & Running has lots of advice guides about stuff like shoe selection, training programmes, marathon preparation, etc. There latest addition is designed to aid and help runners who may suspect they have an injury OR actually do. They want to share this with you.

The page is designed to give runners the information needed to self-medicate any common running injury they may have or at the very least give them some pointers to guide them in the right direction for medical treatment. The page and info-graphic can be found here:

http://www.upandrunning.co.uk/commoninjuries

Christmas Party

Don’t forget the Christmas Party
Wednesday 12th December
7:30 - 12:00
at the
Mountpleasant Hotel, Bellevue
buffet
disco
awards
London Marathon draw

Tickets £15
Tickets are nearly sold out, so if you haven’t got yours yet, hurry up and book by e-mail:
mailto:geoff.field@lineone.net

Geoff's Blog from 02 December 2012

Annual General Meeting

Don’t forget the A.G.M
8:00 p.m. at Manor Park Sports Hall
Elections for the Committee
Changes to England Athletics affiliation
Bar available
Club run as usual from MSJ at 7:00 p.m.
This will be a shortened run of around 30 minutes to allow people to get to Manor Park by 8:00 p.m.
Shower and changing facilities are available at MSJ.

Stop Press
England Athletics have withdrawn their proposals for changes to affiliation & membership for 2013 – 2017 to allow for more consultation.
As a result, the motion on EA affiliation will be withdrawn from the agenda.
Instead, there will be a short presentation based on Saturday’s regional EA meeting.

Champions League Races 2013
From Julie Caseley
The following races have been chosen for January and February.
Hereford New Year's Day 10k - 1 January
Not The Roman IX - 20 January
Muddy Woody - 17 February
Stourbridge Stagger 10 miles - 3 February

Please enter some of these races early as they reach capacity very quickly. Points will be allocated to all runners taking part in the Champions League races during January and February. However, from March onwards, participants will have to be a paid up member of Malvern Joggers to be awarded points.

The Latest Joggers Walk
From Jenny Field
Saturday 24th November 14 Joggers or friends of Joggers met at The Garway Inn in the small hillside village of Garway in Monmouthshire. There had been rain for days but fortunately our route there was flood free and it wasn't raining. Eric had planned the walk and we were all looking forward to it very much as it had been awhile since we had done one. We waited a little while for Derek and Ros to arrive. That's why they aren't in the picture!
Geoff couldn't do the walk due to his bad knee. He was going to do a gentle cycle around the hill but 'someone' forgot to put his cycling shoes and helmet in the car! We all set off out of the village across the fields and along lanes steadily ascending Garway Hill till we reached the top. Although it wasn't raining there was a heavy mist which obscured the views which Eric assured us were beautiful. Next time take pictures Eric.
We had our coffee stop at the top sheltered from the very cold wind by the remains of an old communications post. The descent was easy and the mist lifted so we were able to see some of the lovely surrounding countryside. I learnt what an Ash tree looks like (thank you Stuart) though I'd better view one before they all vanish.
Eric managed to give me a sharp left hook on the jaw as he was pointing out something just as I came along side him. Always check before you signal We visited the village church on the way back which was a beautifully simple Norman church and well worth a look in.
We arrived back at the pub early than anticipated but the very amiable landlord did not mind at all. We all enjoyed a very good lunch and a beer or two whilst the rain lashed down outside. We timed it well.
As always a very enjoyable day out.

New Features on the Website
From our Webmaster, Peter Cowling
I have made some changes to the web site. There is now an events diary in the 'Coming Up' section on our front page listing some significant events. There is also a new Forum footprint linking to the new moderated Forum page. All members can register to use this Forum and post comments and pictures for other registered members to view and comment on. You will need to use you membership e-mail address to register and log in. If you experience any problems, funnies or have suggestions, please e-mail me at Peter@MalvernJoggers.Co.UK.
Peter

From Good Run Guide
Price increase for new Members
With effect from 1st January 2013, the annual membership price for new Members will be £20 a year. This price will be fixed for life under our new Price for Life guarantee - there will be no future price rises to worry about.
Discontinuation of Club Member Discount
With effect from 1st January 2013, the membership discount available to members of UK Running Clubs will be discontinued. We have taken the decision to do this due to the lack of take up and difficulties with the discount code system. We will be exploring alternative ways to work with clubs. If you have previously claimed a discount as a running club members, you will continue to receive this when you renew your membership.

CHRISTMAS RUN
Wednesday 19 th December
Geoff and I would like to invite ALL running groups to call in at our house towards the end of their runs to have a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine. The remainder of your run would be downhill about 1/2 mile back to M S J - so not too arduous.
Our address is THE LODGE, BACK LANE. This is best approached either:
from the Waitrose end we are the first house on the right, or
by coming up the drive of No 25 Graham Rd. right up to the gate at the top of the drive which will lead you into our drive. We will put a Joggers Shirt at the neighbours driveway to indicate the way.
Christmas decorations should be worn!

CHRISTMAS PARTY
Wednesday 12th December
7:30 - 12:00
at the Mountpleasant Hotel, Bellevue
buffet
disco
awards
London Marathon draw
Tickets £15

available from Steve Roode, Jenny Field, or geoff.field@lineone.net

Are you an athlete who is…?
• aged 18+
• currently running
• racing 10k or more
• able to predict you 10k race finishing time
…if so, I need you!

I am a mature student currently in the final year of a BSc Honours Degree in Sport & Exercise Science at the University of Worcester undertaking an independent study into the effects on running gait when changing from shod running (running in shoes) to barefoot running. For this study I need willing volunteers to observe.

You will be required to:
• Run at your self-selected 10k race pace for a maximum of 20 minutes
• Run for 10 minutes shod, the remaining 10 minutes barefoot.
• Be videoed 10 times over a 20m trial distance whilst running both shod and barefoot.

If you agree to participate you will be required to complete an informed consent form and a medical clearance questionnaire prior to the start of the trial. Your anonymity will be maintained at all times with all data collected only made available to the researcher.
You will be able to withdraw from the trial at any stage particularly if you feel that changing from running shod to barefoot may cause potential injury or harm.

The following days & times are when I am proposing to run the trial:

Thursday 20th December, 9:00 – 12:00 or 14:00 – 17:00
Friday 21st December, 9:00 – 12:00 or 13:00 – 16:00
Monday 7th January, 17:00 – 20:00
Wednesday 9th January, 17:00 – 20:00

You will be only required to attend one of the sessions. If you can volunteer could you inform me as to your preference/s as soon as possible.

If you require any further information or wish to speak to me please do not hesitate to contact me at dilr2311@uni.worc.ac.uk or call 07888080530.

I would like to thank you in anticipation of your cooperation in this matter and I look forward to hearing from you in the very near future.

With kind regards
Richard Dilworth, Chief Investigator

Message from Geoff - 28 November 2012

Dear Jogger,

Some of you may have heard of my intention to resign as Club Secretary. I am happy to tell you that we had a committee meeting last night and any differences were resolved, so I have agreed to continue as Secretary.

Voting at A.G.M.

I can confirm that proxy votes will be accepted at the A.G.M. Safeguards are being put in place to ensure that the voting process is fair and unbiased, i.e:

proxy voting will be available to all members
the member must be entitled to vote
their vote must be specific to a particular motion (i.e. not a blanket authority)
the member must be identified by name
double counting will be avoided

Voters by proxy will be counted as if they were present at the meeting and so will count towards the quorum for the meeting.

The procedure for voting will be as follows:

members must confirm their presence at the meeting by signing the register
Proxy votes must be e-mailed to the secretary not later than 4 December (votes received after this date may not be counted)
If a member attends the meeting, having previously cast a proxy vote, their proxy vote will be discounted for all matters voted on at the meeting
at the beginning of voting, any non-voting members present will be asked to move to a separate part of the room (to ensure they are not included in the count)
voting will be by show of hands (as required by the club constitution). Numbers will be counted by the secretary and at least one other member of the Committee.
proxy votes will be added to the handcount to determine the outcome of the vote. Proxy voters will not be named individually, unless any voting member present at the meeting requests that they are, in which case the secretary will read out all proxy votes for that motion and the way in which the vote was cast.
The result of the vote will be announced immediately after voting has been concluded and will be recorded in the minutes of the meeting

England Athletics

More information is coming from EA about their future membership strategy. I will be attending a regional meeting in Solihull on Saturday, where I shall be seeking the answers to several questions that still require clarification.

In the light of this, it is quite possible that the Committee may change its recommendation to the A.G.M. More details will be published before the A.G.M., but if you have already cast a proxy vote on this motion, I will contact you individually to explain any changes and to give you an opportunity to change your vote if you wish.

Newsletter

Since Chris retired as editor of the Newsletter it has not been published. Peter Cowling is working hard to add News pages to the website, but in the meantime, I will send out a Newsletter on Sunday evenings. I can't promise to be as efficient at it as Chris was, but if you have any race reports, upcoming events or anything else you think would be of interest, please e-mail them to geoff.field@lineone.net by 6:00 p.m on a Sunday. I might even be able to include the odd photo.

Best Wishes
Geoff
Club Secretary

Message from Steve Roode:

Hi all
Christmas is fast approaching and plans are afoot to give you Jogging party animals another great Christmas party (Jules will fill you in with all the details soon). We usually have the Annual Awards presentation and this year will be no different so I would like your nominations for people you think deserve to be recognised in the following categories:-

BEST NEWCOMER

ROUTEMASTER/MISTRESS

WOODEN SPOON

MOST IMPROVED

BEST PERFORMANCE

JOGGERS JOGGER - The person who you most like to run with

ALWAYS A PLEASURE - NEVER A CHORE

CLUB PERSON OF THE YEAR 2011 - The Chris Barker Award - the person who has done the most to promote the Malvern Joggers name

These are just some of the categories but if you feel that anyone deserves recognition for something they have done running wise then please feel free to nominate them, I am also looking for things from a fun aspect and not only a serious one. Many thanks in advance for spending the time to send me a reply.

I would appreciate it if you could have all votes into me by November 16th and please don�t include me in any of your votes - Jog On!!! J

Cheers

Steve Roode
Steve@MalvernJoggers.Co.UK

Christmas Party

The Malvern Joggers Christmas Do will be taking place on Wednesday 12th December at the Mount Pleasant Hotel in Malvern. The tickets are £15 per person and will be on sale from Wednesday 7th November, you can buy them from myself or from Steve Roode. The event will start at 7.30, there will be a buffet, disco, awards and the Malvern Joggers London Marathon draw. It would be fab if as many joggers as possible came along to the event so that we can all celebrate another great year of running achievements.

If you have any questions, queries or comments then please don't hesitate to contact me via Jules@MalvernJoggers.Co.UK

Look forward to seeing you there, Jules

Chris's Blog from 28 October 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

From our Chairman Stuart Brown .....

Chris Barker has said that this is the last club newsletter he’s going to produce. I don’t know how many he’s done in total but it’s arrived in my inbox pretty much every Sunday evening for the last 8 or 9 years. It was Chris’s idea to start Malvern Joggers 9 years ago and from the outset he laid out the rules that have made the club so successful. Chris was our chairman for the first six years and has reported the activities of the club for almost a decade as numbers grew and our range of activities expanded. We all owe Chris a great debt of thanks for starting the Joggers, setting out a fantastic club ethos and producing at least 400 weekly Club Newsletters exchanging information and recording events. Thank you Chris, you’ve done a brilliant job and we’re grateful for all your hard work.

I’m standing down as your Chairman at the AGM. My intention was always to do the job for three years and my time’s up. I would like to thank everyone for their support and for the huge amounts of time and effort they put into the club. While there is some angst from time to time, I’m sure Malvern Joggers will remain a fantastic club that welcomes everyone to enjoy running in a friendly, safe and supportive environment.

There are other changes too. We will be looking for a new press officer to replace Cathy Spence and a representative on the Conservators’ Recreation Advisory Panel to replace Ruth Johnstone, both of whom have worked hard on behalf of the club.

Thanks again for all your support. Happy running, Stuart

Race Reports
World 50km Trophy Final – 20/10/12 by Emma Gooderham
I had been preselected by England to run in this race in Italy, but due to health problems only decided to go two days before hand. As the reigning champion I had a lot of pressure on my shoulders, but secretly knew that I had to take it easy and may not even finish. I needn't have worried though as on the day everything went well. The course was a flat eight lap jaunt along the coast, however the downside was that it was very warm and windy. This actually caused a lot of casualties , with quite a high drop out rate. The monotony of the course and relentless wind was probably the main drop out factor. I took it really steadily, thinking i'd do four laps and then perhaps drop out. I was in a comfortable 5 th position after two laps, but found myself steadily working through the field as the girls ahead started to suffer. By lap four I was a comfortable 2nd, so stayed that way for most of the race, being very sensible not to push too hard. I was at one point being chased by an italian girl, but she found it hard from lap 6 and i started to pull away. I was very slightly catching up with the leading lady, but did not kick sooner, so it wasn't to be. I finished about three minutes behind in a comfy 3.33 time. Recovery as a result has been great and i am probably the most injury free i have been in a long while. I hope to learn from this and have a good break, then get ready for VLM where I have a confirmed championship place (202). There are also a number of ultra distance events that also look promising though and which may take the VLM spot but I do love london and will try and run this. I now have my mojo back, am so pleased i was persuaded and took the decision to go to italy and elated to have come second.

Birmingham Half Marathon 28/10/12 by Julie Caseley
Sunday saw 18,000 runners enter the Birmingham Half Marathon. The format was very similar to other Great Run organised events, with elite wheelchair racers going off first, followed by the elite men/women/orange wave, then the white wave, the green wave and finally the pink wave, all at approximately 20 minute intervals. As usual, the organisation was slick and although there were a few bottlenecks at the start, once we got out of the City and onto the Pershore Road there was more space. We passed some of the city's famous sites (not that I saw them all) including the Bullring, Cadbury factory, Edgbaston Cricket Ground and Cannon Hill Park. Along the route, there was live music from 'bands on the run' as well as 'cheering buses' and lots of supporters along Broad Street towards the finish. The course was lovely but not exactly flat - there was a bit of an incline at 5 miles and again just when you don't need it there was a relentless hill between mile 11 and 12. Was really pleased with my 1:50:07 especially since the course measured 13.27 miles on my Garmin!!
Well done to other Malvern Joggers out there on Sunday.

Runners’ Information Evening
From St Richard’s Hospice - We’re having our annual Runners’ Information Evening earlier this year, in November, to allow runners more time to utilise the advice before the running season next spring. We’d like to invite you and your members to join us.
Whether you’re a casual jogger or training for a marathon our fitness experts from Threshold Events will give you some hints and tips to help you progress and get the most out of your running. They’ll also be a Physiotherapist, helping you to stay fit and injury free and Olly from Runaround Sports will be providing advice on training aids and equipment. Plus, for those of you running for charity, a successful fundraiser will be letting you in on some tried and tested fundraising tips.
We’d really appreciate it if you could share the attached poster and the following link with your members and invite them along:
http://www.strichards.org.uk/Events/runnersinfo
For more information or to book your place please call 01905 763963 or email appeals@strichards.org.uk
Thanks in advance, Sara
Sara Fernie-Jones, Community Fundraiser, St. Richard's Hospice, Wildwood Drive, Worcester, WR5 2QT
Tel: 01905 763963 Email: sfernie@strichards.org.uk www.strichards.org.uk

Forthcoming Event
Croome Capability Canter 18/11/12
From the organisers - With just over 3 weeks until race day, can you please give a mention the local Croome race to your club members and on your website.
Voted into the top 10 off-road races by readers of Runners World, it is an off-road 6.5 mile race around the scenic Croome Park (with full UKA race licence) on Sunday, 18th November at 10am.
Places are limited to protect the parkland, with just over 100 places left and although we have a good number of Malvern Joggers already booked on, it would be good to see some more!
Bookings can be done online or by printing and posting the application form. It is only £10 for affiliated members, with medals and goodie bags for all finishers, plus prizes for winners.
Full info is on the website: http://www.blackpearjoggers.org.uk/croome-race/
Hope to see you there, Paul Evans, Black Pear Joggers Webmaster, Tel: 07811 347116

From Geoff .....
Virgin London Marathon 2013
A reminder for those of you who want to enter the club draw for VLM entries:
Places will be allocated to club members in a draw which will be held at the Christmas party
Two places will be reserved for first-time VLM entrants, the rest will available to all qualifying club members
Members must have paid their 2012 membership subscription before 1 March 2012
You must have entered the VLM ballot and been rejected. NB proof of rejection will be required, so don't throw away your rejection slip as you will be required to produce this to enter the draw.
You must not have been allocated a club place in 2012
If you want to enter the draw, please e-mail me at Geoff@MalvernJoggers.Co.UK and either attach proof of rejection, or let me know how you are going to produce it.

The next Malvern Joggers Club Walk
From Eric ..... We are planning our next outing on Saturday 24 Nov.
The walk is up and around Garway Hill halfway between Ross and Abergavenny.Fairly easygoing with great views from the top of the hill if the weather is fine.Distance is 7 miles,31/2 to 4 hours.
Start and lunch at the Garway Moon inn www.garwaymooninn.co.uk
Anyone interested plse contact Eric(elbromage@talktalk.net)

Membership of MSJ Sports & Fitness Centre
Manager Mike Bourne has asked me to inform you all that a discount MSJ offer for membership is available to members of the Malvern Joggers as in previous years. Email ...info@msjsports.co.uk

10k, Half Marathon & Marathon Workshop 31/10/12
Please see the attached flyer for all of the final details of the 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon Workshop, to be held by the Hereford and Worcester Athletics Network on Wednesday 31st October from 7 pm - 9pm. The Workshop will be delivered by Martin Rush (national coach mentor for endurance), who will discus the fundamental training principles for all 3 events at club level and will also include a Q & A session with Holly Rush (2:37 marathon runner). Coaches and athletes are both welcome and it will cost £5 per person. The Workshop will take place at the Spies and Hartwell Jubilee Stadium in Evesham.
Matt Granger, Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Athletics Network Co-ordinator, Run England Activator
07597634304
Attachment to follow.

Gloucestershire Cross Country League 2012/2013
From Jon Green - Having slogged round the Herefordshire League for a couple of seasons the consensus is that those so inclined will try the Gloucestershire Cross Country League this winter. I understand that the courses in the Glos League are a little gentler than those west of here! Details of the Glos League can be found at www.glosaaa.org.uk. Click on 'Cross Country Page 2012/13 CC Season Update 20 September 2012' on the left hand side. The race dates are:
3-Nov Pittville Park
8-Dec Tewkesbury School
2-Feb Plock Court
All races are on Saturdays. On the website you'll also find the League Rules and a discounted pre-season entry form. The discounted price for all four races is £9 for seniors and vets and £6 for under 20's. There are age groups to suit MJs and MJ Juniors: U11B (and over 8), U13B, U15B, U17B, JM, SM, M40, M45, M50, M55, M60, M65, M70, U11G (and over 8), U13G, U15G, U17G, JW, SW, W35, W40, W45, W50, W55, W60 and W65. There are team competitions for all age groups, except veterans where one team for men and one for women will cover all agree groups. The numbers per team and the number of races that count towards the team competition varies depending on the age group. Individual awards are on the basis of the best 3 results out of the 4 races.It's all explained in the League Rules!
Details for the first race (including times) are on the attached.
Give it a try. Regards, Jonathan Green, H 01684 891 029, M 079 7416 8577

The Geordie Whippet - Running Hadrian's Wall for Macmillan
From Sim Foreman -
As this is a slightly daft thing to do I thought I would raise money for a worthy cause, Macmillan. If you would like to support me and this charity then please go to my website www.justgiving.com/geordiewhippet where you can make a donation (as Tesco say it all helps!).
I appreciate that everybody has their own charities, so don’t feel obliged or pressured to donate. This is the only fundraising run I am doing this year
Thanks for your time, haway the lads, just do it.
Sim (the Geordie Whippet)

Local Orienteering Event 7/11/12
Harlequins Orienteering Club is organising an informal event at Hollybed Common on Sunbday 7th Novembver to which your members would be more than welcome.
I have attached a flyer and trust that you will let me know if you have any queries.
With kind regards, John Leeson (johnleeson@aol.com)

Remaining Championship League Races for 2012
Please note the following races complete this year’s Championship League:-
Croome 10k - 18 November
Suicide 6 - 25 November

Malvern Splash Membership
Malvern Joggers have a Corporate Membership set up with Malvern Splash. If you hold a regular individual membership, next you're in, see Abbey or Melissa with your England Athletics card and sign up! If you pay by DD you will get a reduction to £30 per month and if you pay on an annual basis, see them before you renew with your EA card to get your discount!

Please Note .....
The Wednesday groups For safety and enjoyment we need to remind ourselves of a few things. Be realistic about which group you choose to run with so that groups are evenly matched but if groups are too large see if you can move to another to even up the group sizes. Group leaders, particularly in the faster groups, need to be more realistic about the pace we say we are going to run at, we often run significantly faster than we say. Having stated a pace we need to try to run closer to that speed. Everyone should be mindful of runners moving up a group and having to work hard. So please do plenty of mustering by running to the back of the group on a regular basis.

Wed night leaders rota
From Jayne ..... If anyone would like to join the Wed night leaders rota, please e-mail me on jayne.ackroyd@mac.com> I would particularly welcome volunteers to lead the Relaxed 10 group, so if you regularly run in that group please consider if you could lead the occasional run. Very many thanks!

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 31/10 Malvern St James Spt & Fitness Ctr 7pm
Sat 3/11 Cross-Country League- Pittville Park
Sun 4/11 Guy Fawkes 5 - Tewkesbury
Sun 18/11 Croome Capability Canter – Black Pear Joggers
Sun 18/11 Runway 10K - Staverton
Sun 25/11 Suicide 6
Wed 5/12 Malvern Joggers AGM - Vaughan Room at Manor Park 8pm
Sat 8/12 Tewkesbury School
Sun 8/1 Gloucester New Year 10 - cancelled
Sun 20/1 Not the Roman IX
Sat 2/2 Cross-Country League - Plock Court

Weekly Reminders
Please make sure you wear a fluorescent vest or Hi Viz top now that we are running at dusk. The club subsidises the cost of fluorescent vests, which you can get from Steve Roode for £2.
Mustering - run to the back of the group from time to time.
I send the Club News/Blog out in 3 emails as I only have capacity for 100 recipients on one email.
If you do a race, and I'm not doing it as well, please drop me a few lines to let me know how you got on.
If you are not on the emailing list & would like to be, or if you would like to unsubscribe, please let me know.
chris@malvernjoggers.co.uk
Please see the Risk Assessments on our website

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 21 October 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

From Geoff .....
Virgin London Marathon 2013
A reminder for those of you who want to enter the club draw for VLM entries:
• Places will be allocated to club members in a draw which will be held at the Christmas party
• Two places will be reserved for first-time VLM entrants, the rest will available to all qualifying club members
• Members must have paid their 2012 membership subscription before 1 March 2012
• You must have entered the VLM ballot and been rejected. NB proof of rejection will be required, so don't throw away your rejection slip as you will be required to produce this to enter the draw.
• You must not have been allocated a club place in 2012
If you want to enter the draw, please e-mail me at Geoff@MalvernJoggers.Co.UK and either attach proof of rejection, or let me know how you are going to produce it.

Minutes of Last Committee Meeting
The last meeting of the General Committee of the Club was held on 8 October and I am attaching the draft minutes for your information. They will also be posted on the Committee page of the website.
Please note, these will not be formally signed off until the next meeting, but they have been accepted by the committee members, so no further change is anticipated.

Changes to England Athletics Affiliation
England Athletics have announced changes to their affiliation rules for 2013 onwards. You can get details by going to the EA website at http://www.englandathletics.org/membership 2013 but I have summarised the changes as follows:
Club affiliation fees will remain unchanged at £50 p.a.
• Full membership affiliation fees will go up from £5 p.a. to £20, increasing to £23 by 2016
• A new category of "Off Track" membership is being introduced with a reduced affiliation fee of £10 p.a.
• Under 17's membership will be £15 p.a., rising to £18 by 2016
• Under 11's can join the Athletics 365 Club for the same fee as U17's
The Committee is considering the implications of these changes and will be putting forward its recommendations for discussion at the A.G.M. A more detailed analysis of the options will be sent out with the Agenda for the A.G.M. in the next week or so, but in the meantime, if you have any queries please e-mail be at Geoff@MalvernJoggers.Co.UK

Race Reports
Cardiff Half Marathon 14/10/12 by Carl Anthony
After seeing everyone struggling in the grim conditions at the Beacon race I was glad I was signed up for the Cardiff half the next morning. A 9am race start meant a very early start from Malvern and with plenty of fog it wasn’t the best journey down. Arrived nice and early, or most people would say too early but got a good parking space near the start/finish. It was clear skies in Cardiff which meant a very chilly pre-race build up. Bumped into a couple of other joggers before the start but didn’t see the other 10 joggers in the 13767 strong field. The start this year was outside the castle. I was in the second pen back and the main focus building up to the start was keeping warm and hoping my hearing wouldn’t suffer from the excessively loud music they insisted on playing. We set off at 9am just 10mins after the wheel chair race started and with lovely blue skies it was ideal conditions. The course is pretty flat, there was a gradual hill at ~3miles as we headed out on a loop towards Cardiff bay. We ran along the barrage, the slow! 5mile/hr sign kept coming on which was a good sign, I was running a steady 7:30min/mile pace and feeling good for a change. Once across the barrage we ran into the bay area past the Dr Who experience and then headed back up Lloyd George avenue toward the city. With 7 miles covered they then took us on a loop to the north of the city to go around the lake before heading back to the finish. At mile 12 there was a nasty little hill (a bit of a shock to the legs at that point) and a bridge at about half a mile to go seemed bigger than it really was. I managed to maintain my pace and pushed on up the hills, with the finish in sight I thought about sprinting but my legs said no. I finished in 1:38:19, not quite a PB but a lot faster than I thought I would, so am ecstatic. This is definitely a PB course and the scenery was great around the bay. Will definitely try to come back next year.

Route Planning
From Geoff Field:
I am experimenting with a new route planning resource for the club, via Good Run Guide. If you follow the link to http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/ (I intend to put a link from the MJ website soon) you can log into the sight using the e-mail address routeplanner@malvernjoggers.co.uk and password beacon.

You can now create and save routes by selecting <Measure a Route> from the <Routes> menu, which opens a mapping tool. Alternatively, you can view an existing route by selecting <My Routes> from the <Routes> menu. I have saved two routes, one from Malvern St. James and one for the Beacon Race. Just select the tab, e.g. the Beacon Race is in the "Races" folder and click on the desired route to bring it up in the "Route Viewer" window.

One feature of the site is that it can calculate an "age-grading" for a route, so, for example, you will see that the "Best AG% column shows 64.13%, while the MSJ route is 57.19% I am using this feature to give an indication of how hard a route is (surprise - the Beacon Race is harder). By creating a standard profile (a female aged 46 of average height and weight) and timing each route at 10 min/mile, it means you can directly compare routes to see how tough they are. Please do not change any of the profile details, as this will affect the AG calculation.

The intention is to build up a library of routes from popular destinations for club use.

I will be monitoring the site, so if you create routes using anything other than 10 min/mile pace to create routes, I will recalculate them at 10 min/mile. If you want to use the training log features to record your own runs you will need to join Good Run Guide as a member. Cost is £10 p.a. but I am arranging a 25% discount for club members.

This is work in development at the moment, so feel free to play with it. If you have any question about how to use it, you can e-mail me at routeplanning@malvernjoggers.co.uk or if anyone is interested, I would be happy to arrange tutorial sessions.

From Geoff .....
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting has been booked for Wednesday 5 December at 8:00 in the Vaughan Room at Manor Park (same time/venue as last year). I will be in touch shortly with the agenda, but if anyone has any suggestions for agenda items, or for motions to be discussed at the A.G.M. please let me know - geoff.field@lineone.net

Remaining Championship League Races for 2012
Please note the following races complete this year’s Championship League:-
Croome 10k - 18 November
Suicide 6 - 25 November

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 24/10 Malvern St James Spt & Fitness Ctr 7pm
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
Sun 28/10 Forthampton 5
Sat 3/11 Cross-Country League- Pittville Park
Sun 4/11 Guy Fawkes 5 - Tewkesbury
Sun 18/11 Croome Capability Canter – Black Pear Joggers
Sun 20/1 Not the Roman IX
Sat 2/2 Cross-Country League - Plock Court
Sat 3/11 Cross-Country - Pittville Park
Sat 6/11 Cross-Country League - Cotswold Farm Park (MJ Champions League Race)
Sun 25/11 Suicide 6
Wed 5/12 Malvern Joggers AGM - Vaughan Room at Manor Park 8pm

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 14 October 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

MJ Champions League
From Julie C. - The results of the Beacon Race are now on the Worcester AC website and I'll shortly be transferring the points to the Champions League which can now be viewed on the Malvern Joggers website.
The 4 runners who entered themselves into the race as Malvern Joggers and who are not members will not receive points. Please don't do this as it's not fair on those who pay their annual subscription to be members of Malvern Joggers and therefore affiliated to England Athletics.
Please note - We are no longer able to send the Champions League Table to individual members via email after each event but the Table will be on the website if you click on "The League" foot on the left hand side.

Race Reports
The Beacon Race 13/10/12 by Julie Caseley

Well done to everyone who turned out on a very wet and miserable day today to run/crawl/slip and slide their way around the Beacon Race route. Hope you all got back to the finish in one piece. I'm sure all that training paid off in the end despite the weather! Many thanks also to all the family and friends who stood around in the wet and cold to cheer us on. I'm sure Mr. Redman had a fair few customers at the St. Ann's Well Cafe this afternoon!!
Well done again.

From Julie Mitchell - Alison Owens won the FV35 prize at the Beacon Race, I collected the prize on her behalf. I will take it to the joggers on Wednesday so I can pass it on. Well done Alison!

Bells of Pattingham 14/10/12 by Julie Caseley
This is the 23rd running of this lovely, off road, single lap, undulating 7 mile race run from a field close to Pattingham Village Hall over surfaces including, tarmac, grass, farm tracks and woodland. It is in aid of St. Chad's Church, Pattingham and donations are also made to other local charities and organisations. It was a beautiful morning (pity it couldn't have been like this for the Beacon Race yesterday!) but some of the course was very muddy due to recent rain. Well done also to Ros and Derek Goodman and Eric Bromage who were at the race this morning. Each year the momento is a different horse brass which is quite unique.

MJs Champions League – MJ Juniors
From Julie Caseley - A very warm welcome to our Junior Joggers who ran last Saturday in the Gloucestershire Cross Country League and have been allocated points on the Champions League accordingly.
Just to clarify, 5 boys ran in the U11 race so they were awarded points from 25 down, 2 girls ran in the U11 race so they were awarded 25 and 24 points respectively and Tom Lawson was the only U13 boy and he receives
25 points. The senior men and women were awarded points in the same way as their races were separate and different distances.
If there are any discrepencies/queries, could you please email me. The Champions League is on the website. Many thanks.

Junior Mudrunner Place available
From Jayne Cresswell - Junior Mudrunner race number up for grabs, cost £11. The mudrunner is Sunday 21st October at Eastnor. Anyone interested contact Jayne 07854 841966.

Mudrunner - Marshalls Required
Marshalls - appreciate this might be a bit late and that a fair few of malvern might have already entered. However, we have been considering a new tactic for marshalls and wondered if Malvern Joggers might be interested. I am looking for an additional 10-15 marshalls, if someone comes and marshalls they can give a free place to someone else, they also get a Mud Runner Marshalls Hoodie, event goody bag and T shirt. If people are interested they just need to email me their name and details. If it causes some consternation for joggers who have already entered, i can re-imburse fees
Contact him on https://www.facebook.com/messages/kester.wilkinson
Cheers Paul Newman

From MJ Charly Lowndes .....
I managed the Royal Parks Half on Sun 7th, in 2h 11m.
Made the Amnesty Boo page http://audioboo.fm/boos/994543-charly-s-just-run-the-royal-parks-half-marathon-for-amnesty
There's a wobbly video at http://youtu.be/UfcFLkgUjaw?hd=1. Should have mentioned Malvern Joggers - I'll remember next time.
Doing another Half in Henley on Thames on Sun 14th - but not for sponsorship, just fun.

From Geoff .....

Website Update

A new page has been added to the website. There is a new footprint called Committee. If you click on this it will take you to a page which gives you contact details for members of the committee. You will also find a copy of the Club constitution and minutes of last year's A.G.M. and all the committee meetings for the last year. These will be updated regularly after every meeting.

Many thanks to Webmaster, Peter Cowling

Route Planning
From Geoff Field:

I am experimenting with a new route planning resource for the club, via Good Run Guide. If you follow the link to http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/ (I intend to put a link from the MJ website soon) you can log into the sight using the e-mail address routeplanner@malvernjoggers.co.uk and password beacon.

The intention is to build up a library of routes from popular destinations for club use.

From Geoff .....

Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting has been booked for Wednesday 5 December at 8:00 in the Vaughan Room at Manor Park (same time/venue as last year). I will be in touch shortly with the agenda, but if anyone has any suggestions for agenda items, or for motions to be discussed at the A.G.M. please let me know - geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk

The Geordie Whippet - Running Hadrian's Wall for Macmillan
From Sim Foreman - As a lot of you know, I have fancied running coast-to-coast along Hadrian’s Wall for a number of years. Well I have finally decided to just do it and on 17th October I will head on up to the Toon to begin this adventure.
I will begin on Wednesday 17th October with the stretch from North Shields to Wallsend (about 5 miles), the next day I am taking part in the Hadrian’s Wall Ultra Marathon (43 miles) from Wallsend to Haltwhistle, then on the Friday (along with my mate Andy Dingley) will attempt to finish the Wall. This ambitious last day is a run of 36 miles – if this is not done then it will be 22 miles Friday and then 14 before breakfast on Saturday, before heading home.
Training has been going well and last Saturday I finished joint 4th in a 40 mile run around (and over) the Cotswolds.
As this is a slightly daft thing to do I thought I would raise money for a worthy cause, Macmillan. If you would like to support me and this charity then please go to my website www.justgiving.com/geordiewhippet where you can make a donation (as Tesco say it all helps!).
I appreciate that everybody has their own charities, so don’t feel obliged or pressured to donate. This is the only fundraising run I am doing this year
Thanks for your time, haway the lads, just do it.
Sim (the Geordie Whippet)

Mud Runner Classic

From Paul Newman - On the 21st of October is the Mud Runner classic event ! The MJ's have been given 3 FREE places to offer in a ballot to any MJ who hasn't competed in the CLASSIC event before ! So if you've checked out the video on www.mudrunner.co.uk and fancy giving it a go please email me on paul@malvernjoggers.co.uk or put a message on our Malvern Joggers Facebook group page. I will forward the qualifing entrants to Stuart to draw from the hat next Wednesday ! To clarify you must be a MJ and have not competed in the CLASSIC before, but you can still qualify if you've done the Oblivion ! Thanks Paul

Virgin London Marathon
From Geoff - Those of you who have entered the ballot for VLM places will be finding out in early October whether you have been successful, so this seems like a good time to remind you about the rules for club places if you have been unsuccessful. The club should be awarded 3 (or possibly 4) places.
Places will be allocated to club members in a draw which will be held at the Christmas party
Two places will be reserved for first-time VLM entrants, the rest will available to all qualifying club members
Members must have paid their 2012 membership subscription before 1 March 2012
You must have entered the VLM ballot and been rejected. NB proof of rejection will be required, so don't throw away your rejection slip as you will be required to produce this to enter the draw.
You must not have been allocated a club place in 2012
Good luck in the ballot.

Remaining Championship League Races for 2012
Please note the following races complete this year’s Championship League:-
Croome 10k - 18 November
Suicide 6 - 25 November

Running with Dogs - We have had a couple of injuries as a result of people running with dogs, as well as some near misses, so reluctantly the committee has decided that dogs are no longer permitted to join in on Wednesday night runs.
However, we would like to encourage people who want to run with their dogs and so suggest that a new "Canicross (Canix)" group be initiated. If anybody wants to lead this group, please let me know at geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk.
The group would be open to those without dogs, but by running with this group they would have signalled their willingness to accept the risk associated with running with dogs

Wed night leaders rota
From Jayne ..... If anyone would like to join the Wed night leaders rota, please e-mail me on jayne@malvernjoggers.co.uk I would particularly welcome volunteers to lead the Relaxed 10 group, so if you regularly run in that group please consider if you could lead the occasional run. Very many thanks!

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 17/10 Malvern St James Spt & Fitness Ctr 7pm
Sun 21/10 Mud Runner Classic, Ledbury, Herefordshire
Sun 21/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
Sun 28/10 Forthampton 5
Sat 3/11 Cross-Country League- Pittville Park
Sun 4/11 Guy Fawkes 5 - Tewkesbury
Sun 18/11 Croome Capability Canter – Black Pear Joggers
Sun 20/1 Not the Roman IX
Sat 2/2 Cross-Country League - Plock Court
Sat 3/11 Cross-Country - Pittville Park
Sat 6/11 Cross-Country League - Cotswold Farm Park (MJ Champions League Race)
Sun 25/11 Suicide 6
Wed 5/12 Malvern Joggers AGM - Vaughan Room at Manor Park 8pm

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 07 October 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Race Reports
Gloucestershire Cross Country League 6/10/12 by Julie Caseley
This was Malvern Joggers first venture into the Gloucestershire Cross Country League. The venue was fantastic at the Cotswold Wildlife Park and the organisation by Bourton Road Runners was excellent. As we made our way from the Race HQ by the cafe, we were greeted at the top of the hill by several tents with banners representing most of the clubs that were competing. The weather was glorious and a few of our Junior Joggers had already run their race/s earlier in the afternoon. The same route was used for all age categories but with varying distances. So the under 11's did 1.5km, the U13's did 2.9km, the U15's 4.9km. The Senior and Vet Ladies had to do 2 complete laps (6.5km) and the Senior and Vet Men had to do 3 laps (9.5km). The organisation was efficient and the results available very soon after each race was completed. The next race in the League is at Pittville Park on 3rd November organised by Cheltenham and County Harriers.

Gloucester Cross Country League – Cotswold Farm Park –Sat 6th October by Ian Dyson.
Should I, shouldn’t I? Should I, shouldn’t I? I was thinking this all morning. The sore throat that had from Thursday had now developed into a head cold. Decided to go along and watch, and see how the Gloucester League was organised. Just in case, I packed my running gear into the bag.
The race was being organised by Bourton RR at Cotswold Farm Park. This is Adam Henson’s farm where Countryfile films. I wonder if he will be having a go! I filled in the entry form, but was still “Should I, shouldn’t I?” In the Glos League you enter as an individual, then they sort out the team results later (unlike the Hereford League where the team is entered). I had missed the discounted entry for the race series, four races for £9. So I was shocked to find that the fee for this race was £3. I entered.
Julie Caseley was the only MJ in the women’s race, which is run separately to the men’s. We had Andy Blanin, Barry Swindells, Andy Banham, Steve Roode and myself for the Men’s race. It was a lovely day, with really good views across the Cotswolds. The course was three times around a 3K loop plus a fourth time around the start/finish field, 9.5K in all. This start/finish field was full of bumps and undulations which really upset the stride pattern, and a couple of logs to step over for good measure. Overall though, the course was flat compared to the Hereford League races. So if you do not like hills, the Glos league could be for you.
I have not seen any results as yet. I finished, without needing medical attention, in a time of 43m 14s; 7m 47s per mile pace. I will settle for that!
I think we had a Men’s vet team (four to count), but missed out on the Men’s Senior team (six needed). Julie could have done with some colleagues to make up a Women’s team (three needed). So we could do with a few more runners to make up the numbers. I know there are a lot of races either happening or in preparation right now. The next race is scheduled for Saturday 3rd November at Cheltenham which is quite easy to get to – a nice gentle loosener after Cardiff and Snowdon. See you there.

MJ Juniors at the Gloucester Cross Country League6/10/12 by Sam Burnage
It was good turn out from the MJ Juniors at the first of the Gloucester cross country league events. Although the Cotswold farm park was a pain to find, it was a great location and we were blessed with sunshine which always helps. It was very well organised, quick and easy to register and, for the Juniors, the course was a perfect introduction to cross country running.
In the Under 11 boys we had five runners (Josh Dickenson, Sam Green, George Blannin, Spike Burnage, Ned Pallet) It was great to see them huddled together on the start line, in amongst all the other club vests (it did make us think, we need to get some proper vests for them!) They all put in loads of effort and ran hard all the way round the two lap course. The competion was strong, but after good finishes by all the runners, the MJ Juniors came a very respectable 9th overall in the team placings.
In the Under 11 Girls we had Holly Love and Sophia Cupper competing. They both ran strongly, Sofia finishing 16th and Holly 20th, placing them in the first half of the finishers.
Finally, in the Under 13 Boys, we had Tom Lawson running. Tom put in a very well paced run on a longer course, and was still looking strong on lap two, finishing 19th.
All the Juniors really enjoyed it, and although it was hard work, they were all beaming once they'd got their breath back! All the leaders were just really proud of them for doing their first 'proper' race, and competing very well alongside lots of other well-established junior running clubs.
Well done to all! Bring the next race!!

Cricklade Half Marathon 7/10/12 by Julie Caseley
I decided not to do 2 marathons this year but train properly for a marathon in the spring (London) and a half marathon in the autumn.
Cricklade today was the autumn half marathon. The weather was perfect and the course was flat and super fast. Unfortunately I came down with a cold last night and wasn't 100% this morning but decided to give it a go anyway. I was going quite well at first but the speed just wasn't consitent in the second half of the race. The plan was for sub 1:50 but finished in 1:51:30ish. Very well organised race with a 10k and fun run starting a few minutes after the half marathon - something for everyone.

Any Christmas Party Ideas?
From Julie Mitchell..... I am just thinking that Christmas is descending upon us and perhaps we need to put some ideas together about the joggers christmas do. If you have any ideas and/or would like to be involved in organising, then I suggest that we meet at the nags after the club run on Wednesday. I might not be running with the joggers on Weds as I need to do the dreaded beacon route once more, but I will be in the pub for 8ish.
Email..... Jules@malvernjoggers.co.uk

Post Beacon Race Party
From Sarah Heatley - Paul Webb and I are putting on a 'post-Beacon' party for the MJs at our place on Sat 13th Oct. 6pm onwards. BBQ if its dry. Indoors if not!
Bring a bottle, a fleece and a smile :-) Address; Grove House, Bransford, Worcs. Heading towards Worcs, we are
200 metres after the Fold, (opposite site of road), and about 200metres (good for efforts should anyone fancy it!!) before the Fox (same side of road) . Black gates - not blue - thats our neighbours!!
RSVP to Sarah @ 07834 221808 heatleysj@gmail.com

From Geoff .....
Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting has been booked for Wednesday 5 December at 8:00 in the Vaughan Room at Manor Park (same time/venue as last year). I will be in touch shortly with the agenda, but if anyone has any suggestions for agenda items, or for motions to be discussed at the A.G.M. please let me know - geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk

Website re-Development
You all know and love the Malvern Joggers website and the Club owes a huge debt of gratitude to Pete Cowling who has developed and maintained it for the last few years.

However, web technology has moved on and the Committee now thinks it is time to look at new development platforms to make the website more flexible and easier to maintain, whist retaining the look and feel of the current site. It would be preferable if website development could be kept "in-house", but we will also look at the feasibility of commercial developers if these are cost-effective.

If any Joggers either have the necessary development skills, or know someone who has (perhaps it would make a suitable project for somebody studying website development at college), please let me know by e-mailto geof.field@lineone.net

Running with Dogs
There has been some comment on Facebook about the decision not to allow dogs to run with groups on Wednesday Club night runs, so I thought it would be wothwhile to give some background:

A couple of years ago, Pete Cowling was tripped by a dog whilst on a Joggers' Sunday morning run in West Malvern. He landed head-first on the towbar of a parked car and was fortunate not to sustain a severe injury.
This summer, Christine Appleby was tripped by a dog running with one of the groups running from West of England car park. She fell down a bank and was badly enough hurt not to be able to run for several weeks.
The issue was raised to the Committee by someone, who complained of having several near-misses with dogs both on and off lead.
The Committee certainly did not want to ban people from running with dogs on Club nights, but simply to reduce the risk for the majority of runners who prefer not to have canine company.
So far nobody has taken up the suggestion of having a special "CaniX" group, which would accommodate dog owners as well as others who would want to join such a group, but if anybody would like to do so, please let me know.

Mud Runner Classic
From Paul Newman - On the 21st of October is the Mud Runner classic event ! The MJ's have been given 3 FREE places to offer in a ballot to any MJ who hasn't competed in the CLASSIC event before ! So if you've checked out the video on www.mudrunner.co.uk and fancy giving it a go please email me on paul@newman8840.fslife.co.uk or put a message on our Malvern Joggers Facebook group page. I will forward the qualifing entrants to Stuart to draw from the hat next Wednesday ! To clarify you must be a MJ and have not competed in the CLASSIC before, but you can still qualify if you've done the Oblivion ! Thanks Paul

Remaining Championship League Races for 2012
Please note the following races complete this year’s Championship League:-
Worcestershire Beacon Race - 13 October
Croome 10k - 18 November
Suicide 6 - 25 November

Running with Dogs - We have had a couple of injuries as a result of people running with dogs, as well as some near misses, so reluctantly the committee has decided that dogs are no longer permitted to join in on Wednesday night runs.
However, we would like to encourage people who want to run with their dogs and so suggest that a new "Canicross (Canix)" group be initiated. If anybody wants to lead this group, please let me know at Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk.
The group would be open to those without dogs, but by running with this group they would have signalled their willingness to accept the risk associated with running with dogs

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 10/10 Malvern St James Spt & Fitness Ctr 7pm
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 13/10 Cotswold Race The Train - Cheltenham
Sun 14/10 Welcombe Wobbler 10K - Stratford
Sun 21/10 Mud Runner Classic, Ledbury, Herefordshire
Sun 21/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
Sun 28/10 Forthampton 5
Sat 3/11 Cross-Country League- Pittville Park
Sun 18/11 Croome Capability Canter – Black pear Joggers
Sat 8/12 Tewkesbury School
Sun 20/1 Not the Roman IX
Sat 2/2 Cross-Country League - Plock Court
Sat 3/11 Cross-Country - Pittville Park
Sat 6/11 Cross-Country League - Cotswold Farm Park (MJ Champions League Race)
Sun 25/11 Suicide 6

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 30 September 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Committee news from Stuart .....
I’m sorry to report that Cathy Spence has decided to resign as Malvern Joggers press officer, a role which she did with great flair, integrity and energy. I fully understand her reasons for not wanting to continue. Cathy did a brilliant job getting the MJs frequent coverage in the Worcester and Malvern papers and was a key player in achieving four club nominations for the club in this year’s Malvern Hills District Sports Awards. Thanks for all your hard work Cathy.

From Geoff .....
I will not be doing my regular "Wednesday night Intermediate run" preview from now on, as people seem to have difficulty following the link. I am working on setting up a Route Planning link from the website for future use, but it will take me a little while to configure, so more anon.

Website re-Development
You all know and love the Malvern Joggers website and the Club owes a huge debt of gratitude to Pete Cowling who has developed and maintained it for the last few years.

This summer, Christine Appleby was tripped by a dog running with one of the groups running from West of England car park. She fell down a bank and was badly enough hurt not to be able to run for several weeks.

The issue was raised to the Committee by someone, who complained of having several near-misses with dogs both on and off lead.

The Committee certainly did not want to ban people from running with dogs on Club nights, but simply to reduce the risk for the majority of runners who prefer not to have canine company.

So far nobody has taken up the suggestion of having a special "CaniX" group, which would accommodate dog owners as well as others who would want to join such a group, but if anybody would like to do so, please let me know.

MJ Juniors
Another great handicap event at the Junior Joggers today. Full results are below.
Well dome to everyone. A new boys course record was set by Jack Dickinson with a very fast 5mins 56secs. Most of the the old timers improved on their previous personal best, several by more than a minute, so well done to you. We were also joined by 12 new runners making a total entry of 36 runners, another new record. There were many great spirited smiling finishers, very enjoyable to watch.

A few quick reminders:
Next Saturday there is a Glouscester Leagure Cross country event, which all MJ Juniors are welcome to attend. It is a very competive league and although everyone is welcome, if you found today's race tough it may not be for you. Details of the Glos League can be found at www.glosaaa.org.uk. Click on 'Cross Country Page 2012/13 CC Season Update 20 September 2012' on the left hand side.

If you expect to do regular cross country investing in running spikes might be a good idea, we think this is a good deal
http://www.upandrunning.co.uk/shoes/children's/spikes.html

Next Sunday we meet at Peachfield Common usual time.

Previous personal best mile	Handicap	Race No	Athlete Name	Handicapped Time	Course Time	improvement on previous Personal best	improvement rank	handicap rank	course rank
09:04	01:18	333	Abbie Phillpot	10:20	09:02	00:02	16	23	27
07:49	02:33	317	Alice Russell	10:26	07:53	-00:04	19	26	13
n/a	00:00	334	Alister Johnson	06:59	06:59	27	2	5
09:07	01:15	319	Amber Sharp	09:56	08:41	00:26	8	15	23
n/a	00:00	318	Anna Smith	x	x	x	x	x
09:42	00:40	325	Ben Sutton	09:37	08:57	00:45	4	11	25
07:28	02:54	310	Cameron Smy	10:01	07:07	00:21	11	18	6
10:22	00:00	336	Cicely Gallagher	09:42	09:42	00:40	5	12	30
n/a	00:00	305	Dan Robson	08:20	08:20	30	5	17
09:04	01:18	313	Eliza Meredith	09:17	07:59	01:05	2	9	15
n/a	00:00	335	Ellen Johnson	07:09	07:09	28	3	8
07:18	03:30	302	Ellen Staniforth	10:37	07:07	00:11	14	28	7
06:35	03:47	303	Ellen Wikeley	10:23	06:36	-00:01	17	24	3
08:00	02:22	337	Ellie Blanin	11:17	08:55	-00:55	24	34	24
n/a	00:00	326	Emma Tillott	08:28	08:28	31	6	20
07:28	02:54	327	George Blanin	10:25	07:31	-00:03	18	25	11
07:50	02:32	315	Hannah Lawson	10:03	07:31	00:19	12	19	10
08:29	01:53	323	Harvey Lloyd	09:46	07:53	00:36	6	13	13
07:37	02:45	311	Hayden Smy	09:56	07:11	00:26	8	15	9
08:45	01:37	330	Holly Love	10:51	09:14	-00:29	20	30	28
08:52	01:30	320	Imogen Sharp	09:54	08:24	00:28	7	14	18
n/a	00:00	314	Izzy Mason	08:28	08:28	31	6	20
06:03	04:19	309	Jack Dickenson	10:16	05:57	00:06	15	22	1
09:50	00:32	328	Jess Cooke	11:00	10:28	-00:38	22	32	32
n/a	00:00	301	Joe Lancet	08:07	08:07	29	4	16
n/a	00:00	312	Josh Dickenson	06:57	06:57	26	1	4
n/a	00:00	332	Katie Hawkins	10:43	10:43	35	29	34
09:33	00:49	308	Maddie Meredith	09:15	08:26	01:07	1	8	19
09:59	00:23	329	Maisey Sharp	11:56	11:33	-01:34	25	35	35
n/a	00:00	324	Menna Sutton	10:09	10:09	33	21	31
08:25	01:57	307	Ned Pallet	10:57	09:00	-00:35	21	31	26
n/a	00:00	321	Phillip Sykes	12:05	12:05	36	36	36
n/a	00:00	331	Phoebe Jackson	10:31	10:31	34	27	33
08:55	01:27	304	Rose Wikely	09:56	08:29	00:26	8	15	22
08:18	02:04	306	Spike Burnage	09:36	07:32	00:46	3	10	12
08:53	01:29	322	Thea Wilson	11:01	09:32	-00:39	23	33	29
06:16	04:06	316	Tom Lawson	10:08	06:02	00:14	13	20	2

6-Oct Cotswold Farm Park (MJ Champions League Race)
3-Nov Pittville Park
8-Dec Tewkesbury School
2-Feb Plock Court

All races are on Saturdays. On the website you'll also find the League Rules and a discounted pre-season entry form. The discounted price for all four races is £9 for seniors and vets and £6 for under 20's. There are age groups to suit MJs and MJ Juniors: U11B (and over 8), U13B, U15B, U17B, JM, SM, M40, M45, M50, M55, M60, M65, M70, U11G (and over 8), U13G, U15G, U17G, JW, SW, W35, W40, W45, W50, W55, W60 and W65. There are team competitions for all age groups, except veterans where one team for men and one for women will cover all agree groups. The numbers per team and the number of races that count towards the team competition varies depending on the age group. Individual awards are on the basis of the best 3 results out of the 4 races.It's all explained in the League Rules!

Details for the first race (including times) are on the attached.

Give it a try. Regards, Jonathan Green, H 01684 891 029, M 079 7416 8577

Forthcoming Event
Welcombe Wobbler & Trembler
From the organiser’s - This year’s Welcombe Races are on Sunday October 14th at 11.00am
These annual off-road races are set in the beautiful Welcombe Hills Country Park just on the outskirts of Stratford upon Avon. You have a choice of races: 10k for the hardier amongst you, or just one lap for a slightly easier 5km. Whichever you choose you will be able to enjoy the surroundings (and a few hills!)
At 10.00am there is also a fun run, suitable for everyone - so bring your children and friends along too. All fun runners will get a medal, you can enter on the day, up at the start.
Race HQ is at the Stratford Leisure Centre where there are showers and changing facilities.
Have a look at the race information on the SAC website, download an entry form, or enter online here
Entries will be taken on the day
************
Simply Run Not the Roman IX
For your diaries, the date is Sunday 20th January 2013.
Entries will open shortly
If you have any questions or concerns then please call Kate on 01789 741921 or email skatelater@hotmail.com
Happy running everyone!!

Race Place Available
I've got place for the Chester Marathon I will not be able to use. If anyone is interested, please get in touch.
Thank you, Annaelle Annaellebolton@yahoo.co.uk

Race Reports
Upton Bishop Big Dipper 30/9/12 by Julie Caseley

Well done to those who turned up for the Upton Bishop Big Dipper this morning. Numbers were down on last year but then again there was an excellent choice of local races today. Joggers who ran this hilly 5.6 mile race in cool, breezy conditions were Chris Barker, Jerry Greer, Ian Dyson, Andy Banham, Steve Roode, Megan Judge, Julie Mitchell, Rachel and me. Well done to Megan who was first lady and to Jules for winning her age category. Malvern Joggers ladies also won the team prize - Megan, Jules and me.

Hope Valley Run 8.3miles 30/9/12 by Jayne Cresswell
I started this run with great trepidation as the field was rather small and they all looked rather fit, so I was not impressed that Duncan had allowed me to enter such a race and I made him promise he would come and run out to me at the end.
The race starts on the road for about the first 1.5 miles and I started chatting to a mature Chepstow runner who said I would be fine as there were a few older runners from his club who I would beat – little did he know! I was soon leading from the back with the sweeping runner and I was getting rather nervous as I was being left behind.
Soon I was running along wooded paths and fields and apart from the sweeper I was totally on my own, but at 3 miles I spied a runner through the trees, next thing I knew I was not last. Over 3 stiles I then had to run across a ploughed field but the advantage of having 100 runners run before you meant that they had a cleared a path for me which made the run easier.
The race continued through fields and then into Haugh Wood and I was still not last! The sting in the tail was at mile 7 where there was a steep slope of about ¼ mile long, but I didn’t care I was enjoying myself. Even though there was not a sole in sight I was relaxed and enjoying it. The last ½ mile is on the road and soon Duncan was in sight running back to me as promised. He said he was glad that I had run as fast as he didn’t feel like running much further; he had got a PB of 1 hour 14 minutes which he was pleased with. I crossed the line in 1 hour 40 minutes and some seconds which I was really pleased with and I didn’t lose my last but 1 position.
This is a fantastic mixed terrain, undulating run and I will definitely be back next year.

Thanks girls - Chris

World Record Bikeathon – Malvern Splash
100 volunteer cyclists required - Friday 28th – Saturday 29th September (3pm to 3pm)
Sign Up In Gym!
One of these has the volunteer requirements – we’d be enormously grateful if anyone that is not a member of our club could adjudicate the record for us? Mark Cawthorne - Fitness Manager
Everyone Active @ Malvern Splash 01684 893423
Please see the attachments

Remaining Championship League Races for 2012
Please note the following races complete this year’s Championship League:-
Gloucestershire Cross Country League - 6 October (Cotswold Farm Park) Worcestershire Beacon Race - 13 October
Croome 10k - 18 November
Suicide 6 - 25 November

Town of Runners is a feature documentary about the fortunes of young athletes from the Ethiopian rural town of Bekoji, home to the Olympic and World champions Tirunesh Dibaba and Kenenisa Bekele. The town is also known to produce the largest number of long-distance runners. The film follows two teenage girls keen to follow in their heroes' footsteps and move from school track to national competition. Their mentor, Coach Sentayehu Eshetu, a former PE teacher, has discovered and trained many of the world’s leading long distance runners including Dibaba, Bekele and Derartu Tulu, the first African woman to win an Olympic gold.

Running with Dogs - We have had a couple of injuries as a result of people running with dogs, as well as some near misses, so reluctantly the committee has decided that dogs are no longer permitted to join in on Wednesday night runs.
However, we would like to encourage people who want to run with their dogs and so suggest that a new "Canicross (Canix)" group be initiated. If anybody wants to lead this group, please let me know at Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk.
The group would be open to those without dogs, but by running with this group they would have signalled their willingness to accept the risk associated with running with dogs

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 3/10 Malvern St James Spt & Fitness Ctr 7pm
Sat 6/10 Cross Country League - Cotswold Farm Park (MJ Champions League Race)
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sun 7/10 Bournville Leafy 10k - Birmingham
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 13/10 Cotswold Race The Train - Cheltenham
Sun 14/10 Welcombe Wobbler 10K - Stratford
Sun 21/10 Mud Runner Classic, Ledbury, Herefordshire
Sun 21/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
Sun 28/10 Forthampton 5
Sat 3/11 Cross-Country League- Pittville Park
Sun 18/11 Croome Capability Canter – Black pear Joggers
Sat 8/12 Tewkesbury School
Sun 20/1 Not the Roman IX
Sat 2/2 Cross-Country League - Plock Court
Sat 3/11 Cross-Country - Pittville Park
Sat 6/11 Cross-Country League - Cotswold Farm Park (MJ Champions League Race)

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 23 September 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Wednesday Off Road Group
From Richard Love - A small number of us are keen to start a regular off road group on Wednesday nights, after a false start last week, it is definitely on this week. The pace of the group will be determined by whoever comes along, it will be hilly. There will be regular mustering it is a group run so we will stay together, especially as the light fades. Bring a torch.
Meet at MSJ 7pm with the rest of the joggers.

Geoff’s Wednesday night Intermediate run
My suggested route for Wednesday night can be found at the following link:
http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=298006
It is 4.8 miles with a total climb of 91 metres, equivalent to 5.12 miles on the flat. Run in 55 mins it has a degree of difficulty of 48.36%.
If you think the runs should be easier (or harder) please let me know and I will adjust accordingly.

Tuesday Speed
From Jayne A. - This week will be the LAST Tuesday speed for a while!
Meet at Morrisons at 5:45 on Tues, as usual, for a light(ish) taper session.
After this there will then be a short break, before we resume with a 10 week Winter Hills programme, starting on THURSDAY 18th October ....... details to follow!

Race Reports
New Forest Half Marathon 23/9/12 by Julie Caseley
This was the 30th anniversary of this event with the half marathon starting at 9.15 am and the full marathon at 10 am. The race was started by Liz Yelling. Unfortunately the weather was awful and it poured down for the duration of the race and beyond which didn't make for very pleasant running. The first 4 miles were relatively flat which is always a great way to start then as we came to the village of Sway there were a few undulations and then from mile 6 to 8 there was a gentle rise along Long Slade Bottom. The open forest was beautiful but there wasn't a New Forest pony in sight. Just after mile 10 was the jelly baby station which marked the beginning of a runnable but challenging half mile hill. Once we'd reached the Rising Sun pub on the return journey we knew there was less than 3 miles to go which was flat or slightly downhill. I finished very wet and a little cold in about 1 hr 50 mins - was hoping for just under but the Garmin conked out just before the finish and I haven't managed to revive it yet so will have to wait for the official time to come up on the website. I've put the Garmin in the airing cupboard in a last ditched attempt to bring it back to life!!

Forthcoming Event
Please see attached details and entry form for this year's Upton Bishop Big Dipper on Sunday 30th SEPTEMBER. It would be great to see you on the day.
Regards, Nigel Misselbrook

Remaining Championship League Races for 2012
Please note the following races complete this year’s Championship League:-
Upton Bishop Big Dipper - 30 September
Gloucestershire Cross Country League - 6 October (Cotswold Farm Park) Worcestershire Beacon Race - 13 October
Croome 10k - 18 November
Suicide 6 - 25 November

Running with Dogs - We have had a couple of injuries as a result of people running with dogs, as well as some near misses, so reluctantly the committee has decided that dogs are no longer permitted to join in on Wednesday night runs.
However, we would like to encourage people who want to run with their dogs and so suggest that a new "Canicross (Canix)" group be initiated. If anybody wants to lead this group, please let me know at Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk.
The group would be open to those without dogs, but by running with this group they would have signalled their willingness to accept the risk associated with running with dogs

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 26/9 Malvern St James Spt & Fitness Ctr 7pm
Sun 30/9 Big Dipper 10K – Upton Bishop, Nr Ross
Sun 30/9 Hope Valley Challenge 8.3 miles and Fun Run - Heres
Sun 30/9 Forest of Dean Half Marathon
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sun 7/10 Bournville Leafy 10k - Birmingham
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 13/10 Cotswold Race The Train - Cheltenham
Sun 14/10 Welcombe Wobbler 10K - Stratford
Sun 21/10 Mud Runner Classic, Ledbury, Herefordshire
Sun 21/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
Sun 28/10 Forthampton 5
Sun 18/11 Croome Capability Canter – Black pear Joggers
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 16 September 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

From Geoff....

Wednesday night Intermediate Group run
Back to MSJ this week (shame). I am still not fit to run, but here is a suggested route for Wednesday's run http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=238799 This is 4.8 miles, with a moderate climb of 78 metres, giving a flat equivalent of 5.1 miles. At 11:20 min/mile it should take 55 min. which gives it a degree of difficulty of 49%.
Enjoy your run.

Virgin London Marathon
Geoff - Those of you who have entered the ballot for VLM places will be finding out in early October whether you have been successful, so this seems lie a good time to remind you about the rules for club places if you have been unsuccessful. The club should be awarded 3 (or possibly 4) places.
Places will be allocated to club members in a draw which will be held at the Christmas party
Two places will be reserved for first-time VLM entrants, the rest will available to all qualifying club members
Members must have paid their 2012 membership subscription before 1 March 2012
You must have entered the VLM ballot and been rejected. NB proof of rejection will be required, so don't throw away your rejection slip as you will be required to produce this to enter the draw.
You must not have been allocated a club place in 2012
Good luck in the ballot.

Running with Dogs
Geoff - We have had a couple of injuries as a result of people running with dogs, as well as some near misses, so reluctantly the committee has decided that dogs are no longer permitted to join in on Wednesday night runs.
However, we would like to encourage people who want to run with their dogs and so suggest that a new "Canicross (Canix)" group be initiated. If anybody wants to lead this group, please let me know at Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk.
The group would be open to those without dogs, but by running with this group they would have signalled their willingness to accept the risk associated with running with dogs

Great North Run
Here are some finishers’ times of MJs taken from the GNR website .....
Alison Findley 2.27.01 Sarah Heatley 1.45.44 Ian Laydon 2.00.03 Jude Newman 1.50.53
Paul Newman 1.50.22 Keith Ruff 1.54.22

Forest of Dean Half Marathon Transport
From James King - Just looking at the coming up section, on 30th Sept there is also the Forest of Dean Half marathon. I'm happy to arrange lift shares if anyone else is going. Email.... james_king007@yahoo.com

Race Reports
Great North Run – TODAY! By Cathy Spence
We'd booked in to the Newcastle University halls of residence for the night before the race (£30 B&B bargain!) so after a short five minute walk Sam and I arrived at the start line of the Great North Run. The start takes up two carriageways of the motorway and goes on for nearly a mile so it was some sight to behold. It was at that moment that Sam started murmering that he shouldn't have deferred his place and that his leg didn't hurt anymore so I sent him off to stand on a bridge by the start line so he could soak up the atmostphere (away from me!). I went in to my starting pen and joined in with the other 55,000 people doing the Mo-bot, Bolt's lightning thing and the fun warm up, I had also positioned myself next to the bbc camera with the hope that my kids might see me on telly (and they did!). Mo Farah did a pre race interview and the crowd went crazy.
And then we were off, what a race! I saw Ian Laydon at the start and we exchanged happy waves but were on opposite sides of the motorway! It poured with the rain pretty much the whole way around the undulating course but that didn't dampen the spirits of the runners or the crowds. It was just brilliant. The red arrows went over when I was on the Tyne bridge which made the whole experience even more iconic. I overtook Tony the fridge, a dinosaur, the incredible hulk and all sundry of other sweaty creatures. I got to eight miles in the blink of an eye and then it seemed to get really tough at which point I saw a couple of other MJs (Matt Lancett and A.N Other - sorry!) along with a very jolly man from Almost Athletes all of whom lifted my spirits.
A hard slog to the end, to be greeted by a smiling, cheering Sam. My finish time was 1:50 which is not the best, but then who cares when you've just had a day out like that!

Victory 5 mile Road Race, Portsmouth - 16 September 2012 by Julie Caseley
Weather conditions were excellent this morning for the running of this 5 mile race which attracts many leading competitors from the UK and overseas including, today, Ethiopians and Kenyans. The race also incorporated the Hampshire Road Race League and Hampshire County Championship. This is a fantastic fast, flat, one lap of a pan handle course starting with a lap of the track at the Mountbatten Sports Centre and then along Stamshaw Promenade to begin with. Also included in todays race was a 10k option for fun runners so the race was almost full to capacity with 800 participants and it was championchip timed for the first time. I had a really good race since I also did a tough 15 miler on Friday and I wanted to do better than last year when I ran this race whilst injured in a very painful 50 mins. Today was so much better finishing in a time of 40 mins. The momento for the race was a 'Mini Golden Shoe' - never seen one of these before!!

WYE VALLEY HALF MARATHON – 9TH SEPTEMBER 2012 by Steve Ollis
It was with great trepidation that I made my way to this race, crack of dawn last Sunday morning.
Having moved to Worcestershire around 6 years ago, I had generally done most of my long distance training in the Severn Valley, rather than pushing myself even harder on the ridges of the Malvern Hills. But with the Snowdonia Marathon looming VERY LARGE on the horizon, I thought I’d better knuckle down. I had nightmares that this was going to be a toughie!! And it was!
‘2:09 Events’ organised it, starting and finishing at Bracelands Adventure Centre in the Forest of Dean. A very well organised event, with THREE WATER STATIONS and chip timing, it tests every sinew in your body….but boy, do you feel great when it’s all over. Will definitely do it again next year – must be going MAD!!

Thank you everyone - Chris

Malvern Rotary Club Swim4Gold 17th November
I have received the following from the Malvern Rotary Club .....
Please find attached an invitation plus forms to participate in our fund-raising swimming competition on Saturday the 17th November.
I look forward to hearing from you
David Street, Sports Officer, Malvern Rotary Club
email ....dandbstreet@googlemail.com
Please let me know if you require the attachments - Chris

I’ve received another reminder of this forthcoming film, so here it is .....
Town of Runners (PG) followed by Director Jerry Rothwell Q&A Screening at The Regal Cinema, Evesham Tuesday 2nd October at 19:30
Town of Runners is a feature documentary about the fortunes of young athletes from the Ethiopian rural town of Bekoji, home to the Olympic and World champions Tirunesh Dibaba and Kenenisa Bekele. The town is also known to produce the largest number of long-distance runners. The film follows two teenage girls keen to follow in their heroes' footsteps and move from school track to national competition. Their mentor, Coach Sentayehu Eshetu, a former PE teacher, has discovered and trained many of the world’s leading long distance runners including Dibaba, Bekele and Derartu Tulu, the first African woman to win an Olympic gold.

Forthcoming Event
I’ve been asked to bring this one to your attention so here it is ....
Powis Arms bury Ditches Hill Race
I'd be most grateful if you could put this info on your websites or let your club members know about this event. some have said that it is a good introduction to hill/fell running.
The attached flier has all the info on it, but just in case - Powis Arms Bury ditches Hill Race, 5.7 miles, 11am Sun 30th September 2012, From the Powis Arms Lydbury North, SY7 8AU, (between Bishops Castle and Craven Arms), In aid of County Air Ambulance. Under FRA rules, entry on the day only,
further info if you can do a link http;//buryditcheshillrace.wordpress.com
01588 680330 or 07773 679958
Hope to see some of you on the day, Regards, Dave Farrow

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 19/9 Malvern St James Spt & Fitness Ctr 7pm
Sat 22/9 Bredon Quarter Marathon
Sun 23/9 Cirencester Park 10K
Sun 23/9 Ross-on-Wye 10K
Sun 30/9 Big Dipper 10K – Upton Bishop, Nr Ross
Sun 30/9 Hope Valley Challenge 8.3 miles and Fun Run - Heres
Sun 30/9 Forest of Dean Half Marathon
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sun 7/10 Bournville Leafy 10k - Birmingham
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 13/10 Cotswold Race The Train - Cheltenham
Sun 14/10 Welcombe Wobbler 10K - Stratford
Sun 21/10 Mud Runner Classic, Ledbury, Herefordshire
Sun 21/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
Sun 28/10 Forthampton 5
Sun 18/11 Croome Capability Canter – Black pear Joggers
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 09 September 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Moving back to Malvern St James Sports Centre
We have one more Wednesday club nights in the countryside before we return to MSJ Sports Centre on 19th September. On the 12th we are meeting at our usual venue at the Gullet Quarry.
The evenings are closing in so look out your reflective tops and bring them along just in case it’s overcast and gets dark early.

Race Reports
Breinton 10 Mile Road Race 9/9/12 by Julie Caseley
With most racing Joggers at Lake Vyrnwy Half Marathon today, I was the only MJ at the Breinton 10 mile Road Race this morning. This was the inaugral running of this race organised by Wye Valley Runners and also incorporated the Herefordshire County Championships. The route began at Hereford Rowing Club but after the first uphill half mile we turned right and there the similarity to the Hereford New Years Day 10k ended until that pesky little hill and downhill finish by the river near the rowing club at the end. It was described as undulating but as with most races like this, there always seemed to be more uphill than down so it was a case of head down and just get on with it. The race was run on quiet country lanes except for a mile stretch along the main road into Hereford between miles 4 and 5. The winner was from Worcester AC in an amazing time of 54:08. I was pleased to finish a little later in under my pre-race target time of 1:30 in 1:26:06 and also winning my age category (and a nice bottle of wine).

MJs Champions League
Message from Julie C. - Hope everyone had a really good run at Lake Vyrnwy this afternoon. Could you please let me know if you didn't run the race or gave your number to someone else (including their name) so I can accurately allocate points on the Champions League. Many thanks.
My email address is juliecaseley@tiscali.co.uk

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 12/9 Gullet Quarry car park 7pm
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sat 15/9 Wye Valley 10K - Monmouth
Sun 16/9 Droitwich SaltFest 9
Wed 19/9 Malvern St James Spt & Fitness Ctr 7pm
Sat 22/9 Bredon Quarter Marathon
Sun 23/9 Cirencester Park 10K
Sun 23/9 Ross-on-Wye 10K
Sun 30/9 Big Dipper 10K – Upton Bishop, Nr Ross
Sun 30/9 Hope Valley Challenge 8.3 miles and Fun Run - Heres
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sun 7/10 Bournville Leafy 10k - Birmingham
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 13/10 Cotswold Race The Train - Cheltenham
Sun 14/10 Welcombe Wobbler 10K - Stratford
Sun 21/10 Mud Runner Classic, Ledbury, Herefordshire
Sun 21/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
Sun 28/10 Forthampton 5
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 02 September 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Moving back to Malvern St James Sports Centre plus BBQ.

Two from Stuart .....

We have two more Wednesday club nights in the countryside before we return to MSJ Sports Centre on 19th September. This Wednesday 5th we are at British Camp/Malvern Hills Hotel and on the 12th we are meeting at our usual venue at the Gullet Quarry.
The evenings are closing in so look out your reflective tops and bring them along just in case it’s overcast and gets dark early.

Many Thanks to Andy, Roodie, Geoff and everyone who organised, helped out and brought salads to the BBQ last Wednesday after our run from the Chase Inn. It was a great evening, the weather stayed fine and there was a good turnout of Joggers and friends.

Wednesday Night Intermediate Club Run

From Geoff .....

Here is the link for this week's run from British Camp:
www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=292476
I won't be fit to run again this week, but I have plotted a route if anybody else is willing to lead the group. I have managed to create a relatively flat run for British Camp, with only 114 metres of climbing. The distance is 4.4 miles (equivalent to 4.8 m. or a flat run. It should take 55 min at 12:30 min/mile pace, giving a difficulty rating of 46.5%

BBQ Thanks

From the Chuckle Brothers .....

Many thanks to all of you that came to the Joggers BBQ on Wednesday, especially for the people that helped out behind the scenes - The Hump, Geoff, Andy B to name but a few - also to the folks who brought along salads, and to the Joggers Committee for allowing us the funds.

A big thanks to the Chase Inn who provided the BBQ and helped out in the kitchen and without them it wouldn't of been possible.

We also collected more funds for St Richards - I dropped the collection tubs off yesterday their accounts will count the monies and send us the final figure.

Once again thanks for all of you that turned up for another Joggers social - The social and fun side of running really sets us apart from other running clubs.
Cheers, Steve & Andy aka Chuckles Catering

Race Reports
Winchcombe Hill Climb - 26 August 2012 by Julie Caseley
Winchcombe is only about 30 mins drive away and Malvern Joggers were represented by John Bristow and myself. The conditions were perfect for this scenic 10 km event. As the name suggests, there was a bit of a hill in this race somewhere! It started off nicely enough with a kilometre run around a field at Sudeley Castle before we set off on a quiet country lane for about 3 km. Then it was through a kissing gate and onto the multi-terrain part of the course and the relentless climb of over 650 feet to the Neolithic long barrow Belas Knap. Once at the top, the views were very nice but soon enough we were into some woods and down a steep country lane before heading back the way we came to Sudeley Castle and the slight uphill finish. There were 71 finishers and well done to John who came 6th in an excellent time of 44:20 - I was a bit further behind(!) finishing in 58:29. There were also 2 children's races of 1 km for the under 10's and a 5 km for all abilities and ages.
Thanks, Julie

The Hay Hill Raiser - 2nd September 2012 by Julie Caseley
This 11.3 mile race was very well organised by The Hay Hotfooters Running Club. The route was challenging but, apparently, well worth the effort and the view from Hay Bluff. The race started in Hay-on-Wye and gradually climbed for the first 3.6 miles before a steep stretch that seemed to go on forever. After the climb up to Fforddlas, the route carried on to Hay Bluff before following the undulating contours of Lord Hereford's Knob which was shrouded in mist, before at about 8 miles, the steep descent back to Hay and the finish. There was a cotton t-shirt in a choice of 3 colours (depending how quick you finished) and an array of cakes to die for. The prize presentation was quick and efficient with bottles of wine and medals in all age categories. Well done to the 6 Malvern Joggers at Hay this morning - Jerry Greer (1:31:25), Megan Judge (1:32:07), Steve Roode 1:38:06), Andrew Banham (1:38:17), Claire Gilbert
(1:39:37) and I finished in 1:43:35.
Thanks again, Julie

Wilne 10km – Draycott. 2/9/12 by Barry Swindells
A long haul to this venue, but apparently flat and fast. The race was also the 10 Km County Championships for Derbyshire, Worcestershire and The Midland Masters so needless to say the 750 limit was reached well before the day.
But only one M Jogger!
The weather was good and the course two laps on closed country lanes total elevation (get this!) 5.00mts. I chose a good spot near the front and set off at a good pace not wanting to get trampled by the masses, clocking 4:20 for each of the first four Km. and very few runners passing so far,then got sloppy and after 7 / 8 km numerous runners began to overtake me so obviously slowing up fairly quickly. A lovely race and very well organised. Finishing position 200, time 44:57 a PB for this year and quick enough to win the V70 Midlands Masters Championships.
The top age group for the open race was V60+ and as my time was 3rd quickest V60+ I think I should also have got the third V60 prize, but not to worry.
Thanks, Barry

The Film called ‘Town of Runners’

A message from Virginia Pawlyn On behalf of Evesham Vale Running Club ......

Earlier this month I sent your club an email asking if your members might be interested in seeing the Film - Town of Runners. The idea was so enthusiastically received by a number of clubs who responded that the Regal Cinema in Evesham is going to show it on:
Tuesday 2 October 2012 at 7.30 pm

www.townofrunners.com/index is about the town of Bekoji in Ethiopia it has a population of only 17,000 people but has produced 6 world class champions and 5 Olympic Gold Medallists + Tiki Gelana who won the ladies 2012 Olympic Marathon also came from there.

Some clubs who replied suggested that as it was such a good opportunity for clubs to come together – it might be a good idea for us to have say 20 mins for us to discuss matters of mutual interest. So this will be scheduled into the evening.

We hope you will give this event maximum coverage in your club and beyond – as it should be a really good evening for people interested in running. The Regal Cinema is a totally different cinema experience than a normal cinema visit. The manager thought that it would be more convivial if we sat downstairs and seats are round candlelit tables for 2 or 4 people, sitting in very comfortable swivel chairs. The bar is at the rear of the auditorium. Once the downstairs is full they will take bookings for upstairs. It is best to book in advance as all seats are numbered and then people can choose with whom they wish to sit.

The address of the Regal is Port Street, Evesham WR11 3LD. The cinema is on the Corner of Port Street and Burford Road, and there is a free car park in Burford Road 2 mins. Walk from the cinema.

Please ask your members to book direct with the Regal on
Either 01386 421 007 or www.theregal.ac

Booking is now open, so please encourage your members to book now. Seats are £8 - concessions £7.

Snowdon Marathon Accommodation

To all those who have booked in to Ben's bunkhouse for the Snowdon marathon, I'm away most of september so we will have a meeting when i get back to arrange all the details. We are looking at hiring a mini bus, please can you let me know if you wish to use it either at the BBQ on wednesday or by e mail on themiltons4@hotmail.com .
Cheers, Chuckle's tours

Charity Event
Could you be the next Mo Farah?!?

If so CLIC Sargent has good news for you. We have a limited number of guaranteed places in the Great Birmingham Run on Sunday 21st October. The 13.1 mile route takes in some of the city's most iconic sights including the bullring, the Cadbury's factory in Bourneville and Edgbaston cricket ground. Live music from the 'band on the run' keep you motivated every step of the way.
For a limited time only are offering a *half price* registration fee deal of £16 and asking for a minimum sponsorship of £175
If you fancy following in the footsteps of great athletes like Haile Gabrselessie then sign up online or contact the running team on 0845 602 4770.

Forthcoming Events

Alderton (Gloucestershire) 5K Run 15th September

From the organiser’s ..... Please find attached entry form for the Alderton 5K for your members.
This is our second year of the event and we hope that you may wish to take part.

Joggers Nutrition Course

From Lynda Broadway - The following course is available to our members it will be held on 8th September 2012 at 1pm at £20 per head call red hen cookery school to reserve your space x

Outline:
Runners Nutrition - key areas to cover:
Ideas and recipes to make your own energy snacks and drinks.
Which carbs, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals are essential for runners and why.
Where you can get your antioxidants from and why you should bother!
Meal ideas, putting all that theory into action, so you can act on it easily and quickly.
What to eat before running - to keep you going but minimise discomfort.
What to eat during running - particularly during competition.
What to eat after running - the 2 hour window of opportunity for refuelling, and how different run lengths will change this.
How to optimise your nutrition during different phases of training, from endurance, through speed and power, to recovery.
How to make your diet work for you in the lead up to a race.
Do you run to lose weight and/or compete? Eating for running and eating for fat loss - how they conflict and how we can tackle that.
Time for questions
Naz Sanderson, Red Hen Cookery School Ltd, Oak House Rear, Bromyard Road, Worcester, WR2 5HN, 01905 422997
www.redhencookery.co.uk

Malvern Splash Membership

Malvern Joggers have a Corporate Membership set up with Malvern Splash. If you hold a regular individual membership, next you're in, see Abbey or Melissa with your England Athletics card and sign up! If you pay by DD you will get a reduction to £30 per month and if you pay on an annual basis, see them before you renew with your EA card to get your discount!

Summer Running Venues 2012

1st Wednesday of the month - British Camp car park.
2nd Wednesday - The Gullet Quarry on Castlemoreton Common. (Swinyard car park)
Please don’t be put off by the locations, not all routes from the venues on the Malverns are hilly, there are plenty of runs around the hills and when you do go on the ridge the views are fantastic.
We are as keen as ever to welcome new runners and to look after beginners so please keep coming.
We will of course need leaders for all the groups, so please give some thought to leading from time to time, sharing the job with a friend makes it easier. Let Jayne Ackroyd know which location you fancy so that we can fill the gaps.
With such a large turnout these days parking is always going to be tricky. Do your best to car share where possible and park sensibly. If you’re a Malvern resident a Conservators car park permit looks like a bargain.
Next year perhaps we should consider voting for 3 of the venues and giving the committee discretion to choose the other two. Otherwise we may never get back to some of our other favourite summer venues!
Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. (stuart@malvernjoggers.co.uk)

Please Note .....

The Wednesday groups For safety and enjoyment we need to remind ourselves of a few things. Be realistic about which group you choose to run with so that groups are evenly matched but if groups are too large see if you can move to another to even up the group sizes. Group leaders, particularly in the faster groups, need to be more realistic about the pace we say we are going to run at, we often run significantly faster than we say. Having stated a pace we need to try to run closer to that speed. Everyone should be mindful of runners moving up a group and having to work hard. So please do plenty of mustering by running to the back of the group on a regular basis.

Wed night leaders rota

From Jayne ..... If anyone would like to join the Wed night leaders rota, please e-mail me on jayne.ackroyd@mac.com> I would particularly welcome volunteers to lead the Relaxed 10 group, so if you regularly run in that group please consider if you could lead the occasional run. Very many thanks!

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 5/9 British Camp car park 7pm
Sat 8/9 Apperley Quarter Marathon - Glos
Sun 9/9 Angels 10K – Haresfield, Glos
Sun 9/9 Stratford’s Big 10K
Sun 9/9 Breinton (Hereford) 10 Mile Road Race
Sun 9/9 Wye Valley Half Marathon & Marathon – Coleford, Glos
Wed 12/9 Gullet Quarry car park 7pm
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sat 15/9 Wye Valley 10K - Monmouth
Sun 16/9 Droitwich SaltFest 9
Wed 19/9 Malvern St James Spt & Fitness Ctr 7pm
Sat 22/9 Bredon Quarter Marathon
Sun 23/9 Cirencester Park 10K
Sun 23/9 Ross-on-Wye 10K
Sun 30/9 Big Dipper 10K – Upton Bishop, Nr Ross
Sun 30/9 Hope Valley Challenge 8.3 miles and Fun Run - Heres
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sun 7/10 Bournville Leafy 10k - Birmingham
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 13/10 Cotswold Race The Train - Cheltenham
Sun 14/10 Welcombe Wobbler 10K - Stratford
Sun 21/10 Mud Runner Classic, Ledbury, Herefordshire
Sun 21/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
Sun 28/10 Forthampton 5
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 26 August 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Wednesday Night Intermediate Club Run
From Geoff .....

Here is the link for this week's run from the Chase:
www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=290901
It is a short one this week, as it is the night of the club barbeque and I hope most of you will be able to come along after the run. So I have cut the distance down to 3.6 miles, with a total climb of 147 metres. I rate the difficulty at 43%, allowing 50 min to do the run at avg. 13.3 min/mile.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to lead the run as my knee has got a lot worse. In fact I don't think I'll be running for a few weeks, so please sort out the leaders amongst yourselves - thanks Mark for leading the last run. I am still happy to plan the routes, so if you want to volunteer to lead I can let you have a more detailed route map with specific direction.

Fell Race Place Available

From Jon Newey - I have a place available on a fell racing weekend if anyone in the Joggers is interested. 1st and 2nd of September. Race on Saturday afternoon in Hebden Bridge. Sunday morning in Glossop. Both short at 8 and 9 km respectively. Saturday's is your classic local northern show/festival fell race from the showground to the top of the nearest summit and back down again to the beer tent. There's no flat tarmac and beer is compulsory as is the ability not to take it too seriously and enjoy it even though it's hard. Staying the night on Saturday in Manchester for food and beers. Hotel cost will be about £40 including breakfast. Petrol costs to be shared. If interested i can give far more details. Email..... Jonnewey@waitrose.com

The Malvern Joggers Annual Pubathon 27/8/12

From our Facebook page ....

It is traditional for the Joggers to do a charity pub run on the August bank holiday Monday, this year being the 27th , therefore once again The Chuckle Brothers have put the wheels in motion . The exact route is still being finalised but we'll meet at 1100 hrs and finishing there after a 16 mile trek which includes a visit to 15 pubs along the way. This year we are collecting for the St Richards Charity and all Joggers are invited to come along and help persuade the locals to part with their money. As with previous year’s , Joggers can join for part, or all of the route and you will not get grief if you decide to cycle.
We are seeking a volunteer to drive and help empty our heavy load.... of donations and also to assist with warning the pubs we arriving.
This has been a great event in the past particularly socially and we hope you can find time to join us.

Forthcoming Events

Forthampton 5(Nr Tewkesbury) Sunday 28/10/12

Please see the attachments for details of this new event

and

and from Droitwich AC ..... are hosting a couple of events on September 16th 2012 to coincide with Droitwich's Salt Fest; a 9ish mile running race and a family friendly charity walk, with profits from both events going to charity.
T Shirt and Bangers and Mash (to refuel) for all finishers, plus free post race massage.
I've attached entry forms for both events as well as a poster I would appreciate it if you could circulate these to your members and add to your facebook/websitte events page.
www.facebook.com/droitwichac
Many thanks in advance and if you have any questions / queries please do not hesitate to contact me
Darren Huggins, Droitwich AC, 07956 200 361

MJs BBQ

Message from Andy Milton - there will be a BBQ on the 29th Aug at the Chase Inn after the run. The meat is being paid for out of club funds however we could do with a few salads/side dishes being brought along . If anyone is willing to assist please could they let me know by e mail to themiltons4@hotmail.com .

Joggers Nutrition Course

From Lynda Broadway - Hi Chris the following course is available to our members it will be held on 8th September 2012 at 1pm at £20 per head call red hen cookery school to reserve your space x

Outline:
Runners Nutrition - key areas to cover:
Ideas and recipes to make your own energy snacks and drinks.
Which carbs, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals are essential for runners and why.
Where you can get your antioxidants from and why you should bother!
Meal ideas, putting all that theory into action, so you can act on it easily and quickly.
What to eat before running - to keep you going but minimise discomfort.
What to eat during running - particularly during competition.
What to eat after running - the 2 hour window of opportunity for refuelling, and how different run lengths will change this.
How to optimise your nutrition during different phases of training, from endurance, through speed and power, to recovery.
How to make your diet work for you in the lead up to a race.
Do you run to lose weight and/or compete? Eating for running and eating for fat loss - how they conflict and how we can tackle that.
Time for questions
Naz Sanderson, Red Hen Cookery School Ltd, Oak House Rear, Bromyard Road, Worcester, WR2 5HN, 01905 422997
www.redhencookery.co.uk

Malvern Splash Membership

Snowdonia Marathon Accommodation 27/10/12

From Andy Milton - For those Joggers taking part in the Snowdonia marathon in October, I have provisonally booked Ben's Bunkhouse which is close to the start of the marathon. It holds 18 and the cost is £200 for a night. I have booked both the 26th & 27th nights. If we get a full house it will be £11 each per night. Could all those wishing to use this facility please e mail me on themiltons4@hotmail.com or face book . I would also appreciate a £10 deposit as confirmation. Cheers, Andy

Summer Running Venues 2012

1st Wednesday of the month - British Camp car park.
2nd Wednesday - The Gullet Quarry on Castlemoreton Common. (Swinyard car park)
3rd Wednesday - The West of England Quarry car park, (new venue).
4th Wednesday - The Swan at Newland, parking in the field behind the pub (new venue).
5th Wednesday - The Chase Inn. (overflow parking at the free church)
Please don’t be put off by the locations, not all routes from the venues on the Malverns are hilly, there are plenty of runs around the hills and when you do go on the ridge the views are fantastic.
We are as keen as ever to welcome new runners and to look after beginners so please keep coming.
We will of course need leaders for all the groups, so please give some thought to leading from time to time, sharing the job with a friend makes it easier. Let Jayne Ackroyd know which location you fancy so that we can fill the gaps.
With such a large turnout these days parking is always going to be tricky. Do your best to car share where possible and park sensibly. If you’re a Malvern resident a Conservators car park permit looks like a bargain.
Next year perhaps we should consider voting for 3 of the venues and giving the committee discretion to choose the other two. Otherwise we may never get back to some of our other favourite summer venues!
Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. (stuart@malvernjoggers.co.uk)

Please Note .....

Wed night leaders rota

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Mon 27/8 Malvern Joggers Annual Pubathon 27/8/12
Wed 29/8 Chase Inn – Upper Colwall + BBQ 7pm
Sat 8/9 Apperley Quarter Marathon - Glos
Sun 9/9 Angels 10K – Haresfield, Glos
Sun 9/9 Stratford’s Big 10K
Sun 9/9 Breinton (Hereford) 10 Mile Road Race
Sun 9/9 Wye Valley Half Marathon & Marathon – Coleford, Glos
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sat 15/9 Wye Valley 10K - Monmouth
Sun 16/9 Droitwich SaltFest 9
Sat 22/9 Bredon Quarter Marathon
Sun 23/9 Cirencester Park 10K
Sun 23/9 Ross-on-Wye 10K
Sun 30/9 Big Dipper 10K – Upton Bishop, Nr Ross
Sun 30/9 Hope Valley Challenge 8.3 miles and Fun Run - Heres
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sun 7/10 Bournville Leafy 10k - Birmingham
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 13/10 Cotswold Race The Train - Cheltenham
Sun 14/10 Welcombe Wobbler 10K - Stratford
Sun 21/10 Mud Runner Classic, Ledbury, Herefordshire
Sun 21/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
Sun 28/10 Forthampton 5
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 19 August 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Lake Vyrnwy Transport

Message from Lynda ...... I have 2 spaces left on the Vyrnwy coach @£15.63 per seat if anyone is interested can they
email me lynda.broadway@aol.com

Race Report

Hilton Puckrup Hall 5 miler: 11am, 19th August 2012 by Steve Ollis

This was the inaugural running of the event and produced an excellent setting for a race on small, quiet country roads.
A smattering of MJ’s past and present greeted me shortly after I arrived. I bumped into Mr and Mrs Newey, together with Claire Gilbert in the car park, followed by Julie Caseley, Peter Wilson and newbies Paul Webb and partner just before the start.
Having suffered food poisoning a couple of weeks previous, my wife suggested that it would be best to limit things to a gentle jog (or words to that effect!!). The weather was warm and humid, which suggested this may be a good plan.
59 runners started and 57 finished, me being one of them. A well marshalled race saw Jon Newey pushed into second place by a chap who crossed the finish line in not much over 25 minutes……GULP!! Jules was Queen Jogger once again (first F40) and was awarded a bottle of plonk for her efforts.
Next year, the organisers ‘Flyde Coast Running’ may make up this up to a 10k race. Either way, I can recommend it as one to watch out for next year! £500 was raised for the ‘Hilton in the Community’ Foundation, which was amazing considering the numbers who entered!!

Virgin London Marathon

A reminder that the ballot for London marathon places will be announced at the beginning of October. As usual Malvern Joggers will be eligible for a number of club places and these will be awarded to club members in a draw.

As last year, to be eligible for the draw you must:
Have been paid your 2012 membership subscription by 28 February
Have been rejected in the VLM ballot
Last year a lot of people did not keep their rejection slips, so this year please make sure that you keep your rejection slip if you want to enter in the draw for club places.

Forthcoming Event – Ludlow 12K 23/9/12

From the organiser’s - We're hosting a unique 12k race in Ludlow on September 23rd and, while anyone can take part, I'd love for a good mix of club runners to come and have a crack at our 12k-ish distance and to enjoy our town and hospitality. The course was actually picked because it's really beautiful rather than for the distance, it's 12.388k in reality. It starts and finished inside Ludlow Castle, on a picturesque course to say the least. Around the finish line is an event called FitFest, with speakers, book signings, mass open-air Zumba, yoga, gait analysis, smoothie bikes and much more. Speakers include Rosie Swale Pope, the woman that famously ran around the world, solo and unassisted for the longest solo run in history, and James Adams, who ran last year's TransAmerica.
Runners get a reward in the shape of Ludlow businesses giving a 12% discount on the day, on presentation of the runners' finishing memento - so for example if they take the family into the Rose and Crown for a roast after the event, they all get 12% off the final bill. Cafes, restaurants, gift shops, clothes shops and pubs have signed up, in fact most of the businesses in town that open on a Sunday are on board!
Entry for the race is at www.ludlow12k.co.uk and when they sign up, runners can put their profession in, so they can claim bragging rights for the fastest hairdresser, butcher, travel agent etc for a bit of local fun and titles to defend when we do it all again next year!
At 4pm we close the gates and get the castle ready for the evening event, a separate ticketed 'do' with the doors open at 7pm, Comedy in the Castle - five comics and a superb band for just £20 + booking fee. Greg Davies headlines, with Holly Walsh, Paul Tonkinson, Dan Nightingale and Toby Hadoke for a really outstanding line-up. George Barnett and the 9th Wave close the evening, a young talent that will go far. Comedy tickets are at www.comedyinthecastle.co.uk
It's a unique day, as far as I am aware this has never been done before. And it's all in support of Severn Hospice.
So, d'you think that might appeal to your members and any other runners in the area?
Jon 01584 877177

MJs BBQ

Kit Info

From Steve - I am just about to put a kit order in for the multi coloured 2012 joggers vest and another order of joggers hoodies - if you would like one please e-mail me with your requirements. stephen.roode@autobag.co.uk

Joggers Nutrition Course

From Lynda Broadway - Hi Chris the following course is available to our members it will be held on 8th September 2012 at 1pm at £20 per head call red hen cookery school to reserve your space x

The Malvern Joggers Annual Pubathon 27/8/12

From our Facebook page ....

Circuit training class
With Vikki Sivertsen .....
On Monday 30th July I will be coaching a circuit training class for a 6 week trial. If the class takes off I will continue for another 6 weeks.
This will be HIIT, High Intensity Interval Training. The class will complement your running as there will be plenty of leg and core strengthening exercises, this type of exercise is also very good for promoting fat loss.
Venue: Malvern Splash Studio
Price: £5.00 per session or all 6 sessions £25 (no class August Bank holiday Monday)
Time: 5.30pm – 6.15pm
This is my own private class, I am hiring the studio therefore Everyone Active members will still need to pay.
Hope to see some of you there
Contact me via facebook or Mob. 07761 133122
Vikki (Fitness Motivator) Sivertsen. (Advanced Instructor and Personal Trainer level 3, Public Liability insured)

Malvern Splash Membership

Snowdonia Marathon Accommodation 27/10/12

Summer Running Venues 2012
1st Wednesday of the month - British Camp car park.
2nd Wednesday - The Gullet Quarry on Castlemoreton Common. (Swinyard car park)
3rd Wednesday - The West of England Quarry car park, (new venue).
4th Wednesday - The Swan at Newland, parking in the field behind the pub (new venue).
5th Wednesday - The Chase Inn. (overflow parking at the free church)
Please don’t be put off by the locations, not all routes from the venues on the Malverns are hilly, there are plenty of runs around the hills and when you do go on the ridge the views are fantastic.
We are as keen as ever to welcome new runners and to look after beginners so please keep coming.
We will of course need leaders for all the groups, so please give some thought to leading from time to time, sharing the job with a friend makes it easier. Let Jayne Ackroyd know which location you fancy so that we can fill the gaps.
With such a large turnout these days parking is always going to be tricky. Do your best to car share where possible and park sensibly. If you’re a Malvern resident a Conservators car park permit looks like a bargain.
Next year perhaps we should consider voting for 3 of the venues and giving the committee discretion to choose the other two. Otherwise we may never get back to some of our other favourite summer venues!
Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. (stuart@malvernjoggers.co.uk)

Please Note .....

Wed night leaders rota

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 22/8 Club Night – Swan, Newland 7pm
Sun 26/8 Winchcombe Hill Climb 10K - Glos
Mon 27/8 MJs Annual Pubathon
Sat 8/9 Apperley Quarter Marathon - Glos
Sun 9/9 Angels 10K – Haresfield, Glos
Sun 9/9 Stratford’s Big 10K
Sun 9/9 Breinton (Hereford) 10 Mile Road Race
Sun 9/9 Wye Valley Half Marathon & Marathon – Coleford, Glos
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sat 15/9 Wye Valley 10K - Monmouth
Sun 16/9 Droitwich SaltFest 9
Sat 22/9 Bredon Quarter Marathon
Sun 23/9 Cirencester Park 10K
Sun 23/9 Ross-on-Wye 10K
Sun 30/9 Big Dipper 10K – Upton Bishop, Nr Ross
Sun 30/9 Hope Valley Challenge 8.3 miles and Fun Run - Heres
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sun 7/10 Bournville Leafy 10k - Birmingham
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 13/10 Cotswold Race The Train - Cheltenham
Sun 14/10 Welcombe Wobbler 10K - Stratford
Sun 21/10 Mud Runner Classic, Ledbury, Herefordshire
Sun 21/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 12 August 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

The following four from Geoff .....

Handicap Results

Attached are the results of Wednesday night's handicap race. There is a tab for team results and one for individuals. You can filter or sort the results by any column. In the heading for each column there is a "spin button" (a little arrow in a white box). Left click on this and you can scroll down to filter by any value in the column. For example, so see only female runners, click the spin button at the top of the Sex column and then click on F. To remove the filter, click on (All).

To sort by a column, click the spin button and scroll to the top of the list to find "Sort Ascending" i.e to sort the list by race position, click the spin button at the top of the column, then use the slider bar to go to the top of the list to find "Sort Ascending" and click this.

You can combine filters and sorting, e.g. to find the race position for female runners.

Virgin London Marathon

Wednesday Night Intermediate Club Run

Here's the link to this week's run from West of England Quarry. It is quite a short one at 4.1miles, which is equivalent to a 4.7 mile flat run, taking into account the hills (160 of climbing)

http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=288023

I rate the difficulty at 45%, so not as hard as some previous runs (to allow for my dodgy knee)

Chepstow Challenge - Sunday 19 August

I have only had two takers for my bike challenge to ride down to the Severn Bridge at Chepstow and back again via Gloucester.
As a result, I have changed the format slightly:

Depart Waitrose car park at 9:00a.m. (I have arranged for free parkingfor participants). Ride in a group with target pace of 12½ m.p.h. for the day. Lunch stop at The White Hart in Littleton upon Severn, where we will be joined by Jenny, who will ride a section of the homeward route with us. We should be back at Waitrose by about 6:00p.m. The route is available on the following link:

http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=241080

If you want to take part and haven't already let me know, please e-mail me at Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk

Jenny Field’s OLYMPIC FINAL.

Well it’s all over now. I have done my stint as Olympic Gamesmaker.
I enjoyed every single second of it!
It was long hours and most of it spent walking around the Park but the atmosphere was so fantastic that the hours just flew by. I probably took more photos for people and gave directions to the toilets and water supply then I did medical events. I did work in the Medical Rooms a couple of days and there we did have a steady flow of customers needing our services.
Most people were extremely happy to be there and pleased with the facilities. We did have the occasional person who was amazed that we didn't have sunburn cream, anti - perspirant or couldn't sort out a medical issue that they had had for some years!
I was lucky enough to be posted in Park Live, the area by the big screen, on the evening we won 3 golds in a row.
What an evening! The excitement of the crowd was electric.
Being in the Park you hear all the roars of the crowd from all the venues. They came in waves like a roaring wave of water that lifts you with it. Wow! what must it be like for the athletes who know that roar is for them!
Back to the real world now and Joggers on Wednesday. Anyone know anyone who has a spare room in Rio!

MJs BBQ

A Full length Feature Film about Running and Runners! Malvern Theatres - Tuesday 14 August at 10.30am

From Malvern Theatres .....

I'm writing to you regarding Town of Runners, a feature documentary screening in Malvern about the fortunes of young athletes from the Ethiopian rural town of Bekoji, home to the Olympic and World champions Tirunesh Dibaba and Kenenisa Bekele. The town is also known to produce the largest number of long-distance runners. The film follows two teenage girls keen to follow in their heroes' footsteps and move from school track to national competition. Their mentor, Coach Sentayehu Eshetu, a former PE teacher, has discovered and trained many of the world’s leading long distance runners including Dibaba, Bekele and Derartu Tulu, the first African woman to win an Olympic gold.
FINANCIAL TIMES "A fantastically cool British documentary..."
Town of Runners(PG) is screening at Malvern Theatres - Tuesday 14 August at 10.30am
Bookings link: http://www.malvern-theatres.co.uk/events/1304.html

Departing MJ

From Andrew Scott - Just to let you know that we will be moving to Shanghai for a 2 - 3 year contact with my work from end August. So I will not be a Joggers for a while !!
I will try to get an entry in the Shanghai Marathon in December - if some MJ's want to join me they would be welcome.
Thanks to all the MJ's for keeping me running over the last few years.

The Malvern Joggers Annual Pubathon 27/8/12
From our Facebook page ....

Race Reports
Doughnut Dash 5k - 29 July 2012 by Julie Caseley

This race was organised by a member of the Stubbington Green Runners on behalf of the Hampshire Autistic Society. This was like no other race I’d ever done before but it was for a good cause so I felt it was worth the sacrifice! It wasn’t something I could really train for in advance although Samantha did buy me some doughnuts from Morrisons the week before the race! The race took place round the athletic track at the Mountbatten Centre, Portsmouth. It was only 5km (13 laps of a 400m track) but after the 8th lap, runners had to stop and eat 3 Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Once these had been consumed, we could then continue to complete the final 5 laps. Various tactics were employed – one woman got her two children to eat a doughnut each to help her out – my best tactic was to only have a piece of toast for breakfast! There were also 2 children’s races but their distances were shorter and they only had to eat one doughnut. Not a race for those with heart conditions or diabetes!! The organiser admits to stealing the idea from Rayleigh, North Carolina, where competitors run 2.5 miles to a doughnut store, eat 12 doughnuts and then run 2.5 miles back with the aim of reaching the North Carolina State Belltower in under an hour. What a great idea and a super way of raising money for any good cause.

Charity Appeal - Macmillan Cancer Support

Wanted - fit, fun people - I’m looking for people who would like a bit of fun on Bank Holiday Monday 27th August to man a dragon boat. It is a charity event being organised by Hereford Rotary and takes place at Ross on Wye. Take a look at their website:

http://www.wyeduckrace.co.uk/

The reason I’m asking is that Macmillan Cancer Support have a boat already sponsored and all we need is a crew. We’re asking rowers to pay £20 to be in the boat and for that they get a very bright, green wig to wear and a Macmillan T shirt! If they were able to raise any sponsorship in addition to this that would be a big bonus.

It looks like it could be a great day out for the family with other things happening around the river.

I’d love to hear from anyone who would like to join in. Hopefully I can get along to Gullet Quarry tonight to speak to the runners before they leave.

Regards, Kathryn, Macmillan Cancer Support, Fund Raising Manager Worcestershire

Malvern Splash Membership

Snowdonia Marathon Accommodation 27/10/12

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 15/8 Club Night – West of England Quarry 7pm
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sun 26/8 Winchcombe Hill Climb 10K - Glos
Mon 27/8 MJs Annual Pubathon
Sat 8/9 Apperley Quarter Marathon - Glos
Sun 9/9 Angels 10K – Haresfield, Glos
Sun 9/9 Stratford’s Big 10K
Sun 9/9 Breinton (Hereford) 10 Mile Road Race
Sun 9/9 Wye Valley Half Marathon & Marathon – Coleford, Glos
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sat 15/9 Wye Valley 10K - Monmouth
Sun 16/9 Droitwich SaltFest 9
Sat 22/9 Bredon Quarter Marathon
Sun 23/9 Cirencester Park 10K
Sun 23/9 Ross-on-Wye 10K
Sun 30/9 Big Dipper 10K – Upton Bishop, Nr Ross
Sun 30/9 Hope Valley Challenge 8.3 miles and Fun Run - Heres
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sun 7/10 Bournville Leafy 10k - Birmingham
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 13/10 Cotswold Race The Train - Cheltenham
Sun 14/10 Welcombe Wobbler 10K - Stratford
Sun 21/10 Mud Runner Classic, Ledbury, Herefordshire
Sun 21/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 5 August 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

"Yacht" Handicap Race - 8 August (from Geoff)

Thanks to all of you who have sent in your entries for Wednesday's handicap race. It is proving to be very popular.

For those of you who haven't got round to sending in an entry, don't panic! If you can still send me your entry (name, predicted time and partners name & time, if applicable) by e-mail to Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk it would be helpful, but if you can't we will be able to accept entries on the night.

Chepstow Challenge (also from Geoff)
A couple of months ago I issued a challenge for any budding Bradley Wigginses to join me on an endurance ride with the objective of doing 100 miles in 8 hours. I haven't been overwhelmed with takers, but if anyone does want to join me I shall be doing it on Sunday 19 August. Depart from Waitrose car park at 9:00 a.m. The route can be seen via the following link:
http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=241080
and there will be a lunch stop at a pub just over half way round.

If you are interested please let me know by e-mailing me at Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk

Jenny’s Olympic Special
Jenny Field - I have just completed my first week at the Olympic Park. It has been quite an experience already.
The first day was very uneventful on the medical side, the only time I open my medical bag was to apply a plaster to my own toe. I worked until 01.00 in the morning as medical cover is needed until the park is empty. Basket ball goes on until midnight!
The journey back to my son's in Earlsfield was interesting. Tube to Waterloo then night bus to Earlsfield. This bus added to my life experience in a way a bus ride from Worcester would never do. A Saturday night plus the 1st day of Olympics meant it was full of drunks, tourists and tired volunteers. EVERYONE was in great spirits even when one of the drunks deposited the contents of his stomach on the steps. Well he did try and get off in time. I got back at 3am and crept in hoping not to wake anyone. Peter said he had heard me and was reassured I was home OK and remembered all the nights he crept in hoping not to wake us.
I am now staying in a very comfortable house in Barnes and the journey home is very tame.
I was lucky enough to be in the Park when GB won their first GOLD. It was amazing. The announcement was made and the crowds just roared, danced around and hugged anyone and everyone!
I also saw the cycling GOLD on the big screen on Friday evening, as we could also hear the roars from the Velodrome at the same time it was fabulous.
I have also managed to pop into the Stadium to watch the athletics for a while.
Oh by the way I have done a few medical bits too. Blisters being the most common plus grazes from people tripping up. More next week.

On Wednesday it’s the HANDICAP EVENT at Castle Morton Common. I hope The Gentle Joggers will give it a go. We had a good turn out last year. I know its a different format this year but its the same route that we know (and love??) so well. Estimate your time for it and send it in to :- Geoff Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk or you can enter on the day. ENJOY!

I will bore you all with my Olympic stories when I get back.

The Malvern Joggers Annual Pubathon 27/8/12
From our Facebook page ....

Race Reports
Tenbury 10K 5/8/12 by Chris Barker

This morning I went over to Tenbury to do this annual fund-raising event organised by Ludlow Runners and the Tenbury Round Table. It promised ample parking, changing facilities and showers. The last bit was certainly true as it decided to rain just before the start. How refreshing!
It’s an undulating course, starting on a sports field. There’s a hill to start with, a lot of undulations, then a flat run-in to the finish.
Numbers seemed to be well up on my last appearance two years ago boosted no doubt by a healthy number of MJs.
I finished in 53.30

Forthcoming Event – Stratford's Big 10k - 9.30am Sunday 9th September 2012

From the organiser’s - With our GB Olympic Athletes putting in their performances in Stratford (London), now is your chance to use their inspiration and enter Stratford's Big 10K taking place in arguably the more famous Stratford (Upon Avon)!!!
Taking place on Sunday 9th September this race now in it's 4th year promises to be bigger and better than ever before.
You don't have to be an Olympic standard athlete. This race is truly for everyone.
Just like Olympic tickets in London, entries for the 10K are going fast so don't miss out on your chance to run - enter today.
Threshold Events, 01789 267337, www.thresholdevents.co.uk

A message from Malvern Theatres......
a FREE SPORTING EVENT AT THE THEATRE:
Malvern Theatres Announces Olympic Broadcast Schedule
Malvern Theatres will broadcast the live BBC coverage of the Olympics on the big screen in the Forum Theatre from 28th July.
The theatre will be showing a number of daytime and evening sessions throughout the fortnight on the 30x18ft screen in Full HD quality.
Admission is free so come along and enjoy a drink whilst watching the sport.
Highlights include; 100 Meter Sprint, GB Team Pursuit in the Velodrome, Beach Volleyball and Track Cycling.
For more information, to book or to obtain a copy of the full schedule call the box office on 01684 892 277 or visit malvern-theatres.co.uk
Regards, Matt Cox, Technical Director, Malvern Theatres, matt@malvern-theatres.co.uk
Direct Line +44 (0)1684 580937

Snowdonia Marathon Accommodation 27/10/12

Summer Running Venues 2012

1st Wednesday of the month - British Camp car park.
2nd Wednesday - The Gullet Quarry on Castlemoreton Common. (Swinyard car park)
3rd Wednesday - The West of England Quarry car park, (new venue).
4th Wednesday - The Swan at Newland, parking in the field behind the pub (new venue).
5th Wednesday - The Chase Inn. (overflow parking at the free church)
Please don’t be put off by the locations, not all routes from the venues on the Malverns are hilly, there are plenty of runs around the hills and when you do go on the ridge the views are fantastic.
We are as keen as ever to welcome new runners and to look after beginners so please keep coming.
We will of course need leaders for all the groups, so please give some thought to leading from time to time, sharing the job with a friend makes it easier. Let Jayne Ackroyd know which location you fancy so that we can fill the gaps.
With such a large turnout these days parking is always going to be tricky. Do your best to car share where possible and park sensibly. If you’re a Malvern resident a Conservators car park permit looks like a bargain.
Next year perhaps we should consider voting for 3 of the venues and giving the committee discretion to choose the other two. Otherwise we may never get back to some of our other favourite summer venues!
Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. (stuart@malvernjoggers.co.uk)

Please Note .....

Wed night leaders rota

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 8/8 MJs Handicap Event – Gullet Quarry car park 7pm
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sun 26/8 Winchcombe Hill Climb 10K - Glos
Mon 27/8 MJs Annual Pubathon
Sat 8/9 Apperley Quarter Marathon - Glos
Sun 9/9 Angels 10K – Haresfield, Glos
Sun 9/9 Stratford’s Big 10K
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 23/9 Cirencester Park 10K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sun 21/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 29 July 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

"Yacht" Handicap Race - 8 August (from Geoff)

The Wednesday club night run from Gullet Quarry / Swinyard car park on 8 August will be our annual handicap race.

This year it will take the form of a "Yacht Handicap". This means that runners must estimate in advance their time for completing the course. The objective is to run the course on the day as close as possible to your predicted time. To make it more difficult, the use of watches, phones, GPS systems or any other timing device is forbidden.

When you submit your estimated time, you will be "buddy'd up" with another runner. N.B. you do not have to run together, but your times will be added together to give a joint running time.

Entry forms are attached for you to submit your predicted time. You can also use the form to nominate a partner, but if you don't we will assign a partner for you.

There will be prizes for the 3 pairs whose combined actual time is closest to their combined predicted time. There will be individual prizes as well.

To help you predict your time, here is a link to the route:

http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=282023

You will see that it is 2.85 miles and has a total ascent of 77 metres, which makes it equivalent to a flat route of 3.1 miles.

Entries should be e-mailed to Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk by Sunday 5 August to give us time to work out the pairings and combined time estimates. Or you can let Geoff know your predicted time at a Wednesday evening run.

Wednesday Night Intermediate Run (also from Geoff)

The route for next Wednesday's intermediate run can be found at:

http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=119187

I shan't be here to lead the run, but Mark Spicer has offered to take my place.

It is a run most of you will have done before - from The Great Malvern Hotel to the Wyche Cutting along the west side of the hills and back along the east side. It is a tad over 5 miles, with a total climb of 127 metres, so expect it to take just over 60 min.

Chepstow Challenge (Geoff)

A couple of months ago I issued a challenge for any budding Bradley Wigginses to join me on an endurance ride with the objective of doing 100 miles in 8 hours. I haven't been overwhelmed with takers, but if anyone does want to join me I shall be doing it on Sunday 19 August. Depart from Waitrose car park at 9:00 a.m. The route can be seen via the following link:
http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=241080
and there will be a lunch stop at a pub just over half way round.

If you are interested please let me know by e-mailing me at Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk

Jenny’s Message for the Gentle Joggers

As many of you will know I am away for the next two weeks at the Olympics. (Thanks to all of you who have sent me Good Luck messages)

Next Wednesday evening the WALK / RUN GROUP will be led by ERIC. Thanks very much for volunteering Eric. I hope you all behave yourselves and enjoy his run.
I know he is a VERY good route planner so it should be one to look forward to.
The CONTINUOUS RUN GROUP will be led by PAULA as Jenny D is also away.

The following week is the HANDICAP EVENT at Castle Morton Common. I hope The Gentle Joggers will give it a go. We had a good turn out last year. I know its a different format this year but its the same route that we know (and love??) so well. Estimate your time for it and send it in to :- Geoff Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk or you can enter on the day. ENJOY!

I will bore you all with my Olympic stories when I get back.

Forthcoming Event – The Hay Hill Raiser Hay-on-Wye Sunday 2/9/12

As recommended by JonNewey - Entry form attached for Hay Hill Raiser. I did this last year with Jules and Nick. Very good race we thought. It would be good to see more Joggers this time.

From the organiser’s - As you’ve done one of our races in the past (and hopefully enjoyed the experience), I’m writing to let you know about our next race at the beginning of September, the Hay Hill Raiser. This will be the fourth outing for the Hay Hill Raiser, and whilst being a challenging 11.3 miles, it’s worth the effort (and cakes). The route consists of a gradual incline from Hay on Wye to Fforddlas followed by the climb along the quiet lanes to Hay Bluff. You then follow the contours of the mountain before the fast descent back to Hay (and the cakes).

Don’t just take my word for it though, this is what one of last years competitors said:

“A great race, well organised by Hay Hotfooters. From the inspired safety talk (did anyone win the broken ankle award?) to the happy, smiling marshals the event was thoroughly enjoyable. Even the 480ish metres of ascent did not dampen the spirits. As it was a Hay Hotfooters race, I expected cake, and I wasn't disappointed. A leisurely lunch in Hay afterwards made this a great day out.”
Runners World Website

Whether you want to challenge for the winning times (last years were 1:12:09 by Tim Iveson and 1:28:39 by Liz Kirwan) or just challenge yourself, we would love to see you in Hay on 2nd of September. Every finisher will get a T-Shirt and did I mention the cakes?

I’ve attached a copy of the application form, but have a look at the website www.hayhotfooters.co.uk for more information or you can contact Jo Lord at admin@hayhotfooters.co.uk or on 07831 609889.

Circuit training class

With Vikki Sivertsen .....
On Monday 30th July I will be coaching a circuit training class for a 6 week trial. If the class takes off I will continue for another 6 weeks.
This will be HIIT, High Intensity Interval Training. The class will complement your running as there will be plenty of leg and core strengthening exercises, this type of exercise is also very good for promoting fat loss.
Venue: Malvern Splash Studio
Price: £5.00 per session or all 6 sessions £25 (no class August Bank holiday Monday)
Time: 5.30pm – 6.15pm
This is my own private class, I am hiring the studio therefore Everyone Active members will still need to pay.
Hope to see some of you there
Contact me via facebook or Mob. 07761 133122
Vikki (Fitness Motivator) Sivertsen. (Advanced Instructor and Personal Trainer level 3, Public Liability insured)

Malvern Splash Membership

A message from Malvern Theatres......

a FREE SPORTING EVENT AT THE THEATRE:
Malvern Theatres Announces Olympic Broadcast Schedule
Malvern Theatres will broadcast the live BBC coverage of the Olympics on the big screen in the Forum Theatre from 28th July.
The theatre will be showing a number of daytime and evening sessions throughout the fortnight on the 30x18ft screen in Full HD quality.
Admission is free so come along and enjoy a drink whilst watching the sport.
Highlights include; 100 Meter Sprint, GB Team Pursuit in the Velodrome, Beach Volleyball and Track Cycling.
For more information, to book or to obtain a copy of the full schedule call the box office on 01684 892 277 or visit malvern-theatres.co.uk
Regards, Matt Cox, Technical Director, Malvern Theatres, matt@malvern-theatres.co.uk
Direct Line +44 (0)1684 580937

Snowdonia Marathon Accommodation 27/10/12

Summer Running Venues 2012

Please Note .....

Wed night leaders rota

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 1/8 Club Night – British Camp car park 7pm
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Wed 8/8 MJs Handicap Event – Gullet Quarry car park 7pm
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sun 26/8 Winchcombe Hill Climb 10K - Glos
Sat 8/9 Apperley Quarter Marathon - Glos
Sun 9/9 Angels 10K – Haresfield, Glos
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 23/9 Cirencester Park 10K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sun 21/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 22 July 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Wednesday Night Intermediate Run 25/7/12

From Geoff .....

The route for next Wednesday's intermediate run can be found at:

http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=283642

To reflect the flatness of the terrain, this is slightly longer than usual at 4.9 miles (flat equivalent 5miles), but there is only 35 metres of climbing. At 11:00 min/mile it should take about 55 min, giving it a degree of difficulty of 48%, but I do have a shortcut at the end if needed.

Chepstow Challenge

Also from Geoff .....

If you are interested please let me know by e-mailing me at Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk

Circuit training class

Event Reports

Evesham Vale 10K 15/7/12 Diane Meakin
Like Annie I was disappointed with my time at Evesham 10k (50min38sec), just 1 second outside my PB set in Cardiff 2010. Fortunately, I had planned a second 10k just a week later at the Oslympic Games in Oswestry so I had a second chance. At the start of this year I had this fanciful idea I could break the 50 min barrier before I reached 50. Thanks to Malvern Joggers I have now achieved that goal, arriving at 49 min 56 sec. I now figure I can do a Sergei Bubka and spend the next 9 months working towards my new goal, to break 49 mins before my 49th Birthday. Thanks to Jayne and the gang that have been attending the Tuesday speed sessions over the last 8 weeks, I couldn't have done it without you.

Forthcoming Event

Malvern Joggers "Yacht" Handicap Race - 8 August
From Geoff .....

The Wednesday club night run from Gullet Quarry / Swinyard car park on 8 August will be our annual handicap race.
This year it will take the form of a "Yacht Handicap". This means that runners must estimate in advance their time for completing the course. The objective is to run the course on the day as close as possible to your predicted time. To make it more difficult, the use of watches, phones, GPS systems or any other timing device is forbidden.
When you submit your estimated time, you will be "buddy'd up" with another runner. N.B. you do not have to run together, but your times will be added together to give a joint running time.
Entry forms are attached for you to submit your predicted time. You can also use the form to nominate a partner, but if you don't we will assign a partner for you.
There will be prizes for the 3 pairs whose combined actual time is closest to their combined predicted time. There will be individual prizes as well.
To help you predict your time, here is a link to the route:
http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=282023
You will see that it is 2.85 miles and has a total ascent of 77 metres, which makes it equivalent to a flat route of 3.1 miles.
Entries should be e-mailed to Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk by Sunday 5 August to give us time to work out the pairings and combined time estimates. Or you can let Geoff know your predicted time at a Wednesday evening run.

------------------------------------------------------------

And another event (not one of ours).......

Fit + Healthy Minds 10K Run - Sunday 23rd September
From the organiser .....
I have discovered your email address on the Hereford Runner Blog website. The purpose of this email is to inform you of a 10K Run which is scheduled on Sunday 23rd September 2012 in Hereford.
The 10K Run has been setup in Hereford by my company called Fit + Healthy and Herefordshire Mind who are both working in partnership to setup the event . We plan to launch a campaign to Kick out stigma and discrimination in Mental Health. We also aim to encourage and support service users of the Herefordshire Mind service take on and overcome a physical challenge through providing a training schedule to help them train for the 10K.
The race is now live and has a licence as an official race in the Run Britian and UKA Fixture List which is open to all. The course has also been officially measured.
As part of the Mental Health Campaign it would be great if we could have the opportunity to feature and communicate the run within the Malvern Joggers Club Members and to find out if you have any social media platforms available i.e. facebook or twitter to promote the race with the below link?
http://www.fitandhealthyclinic.co.uk/FitandHealthyMinds10K.html
The link will help people find out more information into the campaign, run, online application and the route.
I have also attached an Advert of the Campaign and Race which will feature in the Hereford Times this week, along with an Entry Form for members who may prefer entering the race through the postal route.
Many thanks in advance for your help.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Kind Regards, Richard Danks, Trainer, Fit + Healthy, Find out more + Join Us: -
Visit - www.fitandhealthyclinic.co.uk
'Like' - www.facebook.com/fandhclinic
'Follow' - www.twitter.com/fandhclinic
Call - 07730684419

Malvern Splash Membership

A message from Malvern Theatres......

Adidas Thunder 24 Relay 28/29 July
We now have 3 teams of 8 Malvern Joggers and one mixed Parkrun team of joggers. The Teams are the S.top T.alking A.nd R.un STAR team, Tabitha Lukes "Mcleans Diehards" The "Roode boys" plus the "Parkrun Allstars" although we have 32 joggers signed up, last year we had a few withdrawls through injury so there may still be opportunities to join the teams, a few people have asked to be put on standby if you wish to be on the reserve list please let me know.

Snowdonia Marathon Accommodation 27/10/12

Summer Running Venues 2012

Please Note .....

Wed night leaders rota

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 25/7 Club Night – Swan @ Newland 7pm
Sat & Sun 28&29/7 Adidas Thunder 24 Relay
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Wed 8/8 MJs Handicap Event – Gullet Quarry car park 7pm
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sun 26/8 Winchcombe Hill Climb 10K - Glos
Sat 8/9 Apperley Quarter Marathon - Glos
Sun 9/9 Angels 10K – Haresfield, Glos
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 23/9 Cirencester Park 10K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sun 21/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 15 July 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Malvern Hill District Council Sports Awards

From Stuart ....

MJs, Congratulations to everyone on our fantastic performance in the Malvern Hills District Sports Awards 2012 on Thursday night. We had finalists in four of the twelve categories; Emma Gooderham and Barry Swindells, Lisa, Sam and the two Andy’s for the Junior Joggers and the Club.
There was really stiff competition in all these categories. Barry won senior male sports personality of the year and Malvern Joggers won Club of the Year. Emma was runner up as senior female sports personality and the Juniors were runner up in the ‘Be Active Award’.
This is what Emma said:-
‘I just attended the Malvern Sports Awards and Malvern Joggers were very well represented. Thankyou so much for nominating me, what was said about me was lovely and the evening was very well done by the organisers. I was up against a 5 in a row world champion track cyclist who had olympic times and was very impressive, so I came runner up, but I was so proud that I had been nominated. You probably have heard MJs won club of the year and Barry senior male sports personality and runner up in the junior joggers.
There were some real inspirational people there and of course the lovely MJs who as usual were as friendly as ever. Many thanks again and will have to try even harder this year to win this prestigious award! Emma’
Congratulations and well done everyone.

From Barry Swindells ....

Ten Malvern Joggers attended this well presented awards ceremony. The joggers were nominees for four of the awards against very strong competition.
I was pleased to have been proposed by the committee for the award of Senior Male Sports Personality of the Year – Stuart had put together a flattering synopsis of my recent achievements (all true of course) and this was sufficient for me to win the award over Greg Fitzpatrick of Malvern Cycle Sport.
The clubs nomination for Senior Female Sports Personality of the Year was Emma Gooderham following her amazing long distance achievements over the last year, unfortunately Emma was pipped at the post by an equally brilliant athlete Janet Birkmyre a track cyclist .
Not to be outdone, the Malvern Joggers came back strong to take the Club of the Year award – Geoff Field jogging up to collect the award on behalf of the club.
Malvern Joggers Juniors were nominated for the Be Active Award, Lisa, Richard and the two Andy’s having done a wonderful job building the juniors group up from it’s concept in June 2011 to 50 current members 30 of which now train on a regular basis. However, the nomination went to Jane Garner of the Whiteacres Medical Centre.
The award ceremony was followed by convivial drinks in the Morgan.

From Geoff Field ....

Thursday night saw the presentation ceremony for the Malvern Hills District Sports Awards at Malvern College Sports Hall.
The evening was compered by David Bradley of BBC Hereford and Worcester and after a short introductory speech by Amanda Smith, Cultural Services Manager at MHDC, a film about the Olympic Games and a presentation by Richard Brown of the Joanna Brown Trust (who brought his olympic torch along for everyone to admire) it was down to the serious business of presenting the awards. Malvern Joggers were shortlisted in 4 of the 18 categories and won the awards for Club of the Year and Senior Male Sports Personality of the Year (Barry Swindells). We were also runners up for Senior Female Sports Personality of the Year (Emma Gooderham) and the Be Active Award (Lisa Dainty, Andy Dickenson, Andy Blannin and Sam Burnage) for seting up the Junior Section).
Electronic copies of the certificates for each award are attached and I will bring along to Wednesday's club night the trophy for Club of the Year, so you can all have a look.
Attendance at the Awards ceremony was restricted to those shortlisted for an award, otherwise I am sure many of you would have wanted to come along. However, the success of the club in winning more awards than any other club in the District is a testament to everyone who runs with Malvern Joggers and make it such a fantastic club to belong to you. Thanks to you all.
As winners, both The Club and Barry will automatically be entered for the County Sports Awards for 2012, so we will keep you posted on progress

Also from Geoff ....

Club Night Intermediate Run

Here is the route for the Intermediate running group from West of England car park on Wednesday night.

http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=282520
This week I have chosen a slightly shorter route of only 4 miles, to take into account the hills (total climb 160 metres) which is equivalent to a flat run of 4.6 miles. We should be able to do it comfortably in 55 mins at an average pace of 13:42 min/mile,
which gives it a degree of difficulty of 45%, so not quite as tough as the last couple of weeks.

You will also be pleased to hear that, unlike the last couple of weeks, I have managed to run this one in advance, so I can promise we won't get lost this time!

"Social" Bike Ride

Here is a link to the ride we have planned for next Sunday, 22 July.
http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=281603
Meet at Malvern St. James Sports Hall at 10:30 for a 32(ish) mile ride through Powick & Broadheath to Knightwick with a leisurely stop for lunch at the Nelson, Longley Green. Return via Leigh and Leigh Sinton, getting back by about 4 - 4:30. all at a gentle pace (avg. about 10 m.p.h.) and no serious hills.
We have got room for a couple more riders, so if you haven't done so already e-mail me at Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk to book a place.

Adidas Thunder 24 hour relay www.24.co.uk EXTRA RUNNER REQUIRED !!!

From Sundance Paul .....

Hi guys, its nearly here 27/28th July, 3 teams of 8 Malvern Joggers and a mixed team of Parkrunners/ Blackpears and MJ's will be competing in a 24 hour relay in the grounds of a stately home in Staffordshire. To dispel a few myths you don't need to run constantly for 24 hours its only 3 or 4 10k's over the Saturday and Sunday .. easy ! If you feel you'd like to come but would only like to run 1x 10k thats fine PLEASE sign up as others in the team are eager to do more laps !
FREE CAMPING ! BBQ ! BIG SCREEN OLYMPIC COVERAGE ! PROPER SHOWERS ! MASSAGES ! FREE TECH T SHIRT ! FREE MEDAL GELS DRINKS BOTTLES AND GOODIE BAG ! COME ON YOU KNOW IT MAKES SENSE !

A Year in the Life of a Gentle Jogger!! by Annie Dendy

Lining up to start Evesham 10k yesterday and feeling the nerves kick in as always I reminded myself just how far I've come in 12 months. Evesham 10k 2011 was my first race experience and a year later I was back to do it again. A year that has totally transformed my life in many ways as I am now 3 stone lighter (and not finished yet!!!) and a non smoker and whilst both of these things have been extremely tough to achieve, being a Malvern Jogger has definitely kept me going. I have well and truly been bitten by the bug and I have to say that is in no small part thanks to the constant encouragement and camaraderie of the MJ's. You see the good thing about being quite slow is that you get the best support crew at the end because everyone else has finished and recovered enough to shout you over the finish line! A sea of green and yellow is enough to kick me up a gear at the very end of any run, be it a 10k race or a weekly parkrun. And although my Evesham run yesterday was over 13 minutes faster than last year's time, I was still secretly a little disappointed that I didn't get a PB! So it seems that I even now think like a Jogger!! So thank you to one and all for your relentless support, every shout from the sideline really does help me enormously. Your generosity and kindness knows no end and I am really starting to feel that I am making progress and also some very good friends in the process.

Croome Park Run

From Paul Newman - On Monday a number of us are going to Croome Court to join the Black Pears who are doing a run around the Capabillity Brown Caper course, if you fancy car sharing please meet at MSJ 6.15

Event Reports

Wyre Forest Half Marathon 15/7/12 by Julie Caseley
The Wyre Forest Half Marathon is a lovely race which starts and finishes at the Visitor Centre, near Bewdley. It is a scenic, undulating (aka
hilly) off-road race run on forest paths and tracks usually in warm weather. Although it was fairly warm and humid this year, due to the never ending rain in the weeks prior to the race, virtually half the course was extremely muddy and very difficult to run on. After 5 miles I'd lost the will to live but took a gel at 7 miles which gave me a boost. Psychologically, I always feel better when I reach double figures so at 10 miles I began to think of the finish even though it all seemed to be up hill - which it was. Well done to Lucy Prosser who had to endure the same conditions finishing in a time of 1:59:40 - I finished in 2:11:09. Great race, great medal and prizes in all age categories.

Thanks, Julie

Devil's Chimney Chase - Saturday evening 14 July 2012 by Sam Burnage
It was a small turnout from the Joggers in comparison to other local races which is a shame because it's a gem. Jules Mitchell screeched up to the start line with ten seconds to spare having got lost on the way there and joined myself, Andy Blannin, Jay Browning, Julie Casely, Ian Laydon, Martin Williams and Tony Bennett for yet another muddy race. I had read a Runners World article about the Devil's Chimney Chase which described the race as "a hill with a run attached" I would like to modify that to read "a very muddy hill with a slip, a fall and a bit of running attached!" What a great run, starting in a playing field and then rising sharply up on to Leckhampton hill, through really nice woods and right up on the the ridge with majestic views of the Malverns and Cheltenham. Running along the ridge was the highlight and then some nice descent through woods which reminded me a lot of running on our own hills. It was then that this run got a bit tricky when we hit a massive bog and despite my trail shoes I was slipping all over the place. I had been breathing down Andy Blannin's neck for the whole race until this point when he flew ahead in his £25 studded cheapo shoes (not that I'm bitter!). Andy finished 6 seconds ahead of me despite my vague attempt at a Seb Coe sprint to the line. Tony crossed the line to a corus of Happy Birthday by the crowd and we headed for the BBQ and bar. this is a really friendly race organised by the Almost Athletes and I would thoroughly recommend it.

Our Juniors also did us proud with George Blannin winning the children's race and his sister Ellie Blannin finishing first girl despite some fairly major Zola Budd pushing and shoving from her main rival in the race. Spike Burnage came third too. Well done all.

Thanks, Sam

Timberhonger 10K (Bromsgrove) 7/7/12 by Julie Caseley
This race takes place on a Saturday evening at 6pm and is an accurately measured 10k course. It is a picturesque but challenging route with a number of testing hills and is suitable for first timers and experienced runners alike. The route starts at the Bromsgrove end of Timberhonger Lane, close to Sanders Park, then snakes it's way down Timberhonger Lane for approximately 3k before doing two 2k loops round Berry Lane and Newhouse Lane, then returning back up Timberhonger Lane to Sanders Park. The race finishes with a run across the back field of Sanders Park. All roads were closed to traffic for the duration of the race and profits from the race were split between Edwards Trust, The Stroke Association, Primrose Hospice and The Friends of the Princess of Wales Hospital (Bromsgrove). I was pleased with my 2nd fastest time over 6 years of 50:53.

Thanks, Julie

Norton 10K 15/7/12 by Julie Caseley
Today was the first running of the Norton 5k and 10k. Race HQ was at Norton Parish Hall which was in the village of Littleworth, about 3 miles from Worcester. This was a very well organised event run by Camba Events. The course was on slightly undulating quiet country lanes which basically consisted of four right hand turns which led back to the Parish Hall. Those doing the 5k did one lap of a very muddy field at race HQ before finishing and those doing the 10k had to do the lap of the field before heading back out onto the road for their second lap and then had to do another lap of an even muddier field before finishing.
All runners received a medal and a certificate and the prize presentation was so swift I didn't even have time to get changed!
Trophies were awarded to the first 3 male and females in both the 5k and 10k races. This event was held to raise funds for the Norton Community Games and St. Richard's Hospice. Well done to Nick Hitchings who won the 5k men's race. Also running were Alex and Annie Dendy's sister who was drafted in to do the 10k at short notice! Race results are not available yet but I finished in just over 51 mins and was 4th female.

Thanks again, Julie

Over The Edge Marathon 8/7/12 by Vikki Sivertsen
The Wenlock Olympian Society games take place every year in Much wenlock. This year, to celebrate London 2012 and Much Wenlock being the birthplace of the Modern day Olympic games, the National Trust held a challenging off road marathon that runs the length of Wenlock Edge. It was really tough, the mud was relentless and the 4 miles of disused railtrack at the end was like a road to nowhere. However, I crossed the line as third lady and we were presented with our 2012 Olympian medals by World record holder and President of the Wenlock Olympian Society Jonathan Edwards. We stood on the podium in front of the grave of William Penny Brookes who was the founder of the games in 1850. I am immensly proud and enthusiastic to be from this sleepy little town in Shropshire that is steeped with the history of the games. This weekend saw the main games take place. Today I returned to run the 7 mile road race and take part in the procession of Athletes. This was an amazing and emotional experience for me. Philip Howells, from Tewkesbury AC was also born in Much Wenlock and it was a pleasure to walk in the procession with him today. He also ran the marathon and 7 mile road race. Great to see Duncan Cresswell in the marathon last week and Rob Smith in the 7 miles road race today. A bonus for me today....third in age so I picked up yet another medal, Ron says he is off to the scrappy next week with my medals...reckons they should pay for Christmas this year ! Most Malvern Joggers and participants to my classes will now be pleased to know that this concludes this years Wenlock Olympian Games 2012...Over to London !

Thanks, Vikki

Malvern Splash Membership

Forthcoming Event

Apperley Quarter Marathon – Saturday Sept 8th at 11 a.m (Apperley is 3 miles SW of Tewkesbury)
From the organiser’s - A lot of you will have run the Apperley Quarter Marathon last year and hopefully enjoyed the experience, so just dropping a quick note to say we will be back this year on the Sept 8th at 11 a.m. Bar and bbq will be there again and changing facilities and a cricket match to watch after if the sun ever comes out again.
As ever, you can register online at www.quartermarathon.co.uk or drop me an email and i will post out a registration form.
A few changes of note this year:
- we have a sponsor in Bank House Investment Management (www.bhim.co.uk) for this year's race which has allowed for some more promotional banners that will be going up this week around Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Cheltenham.
- We are also going to have chipped timing this year thanks to a technology company in Cheltenham where each runner will have a ID card to provide accurate timing and meaning the results will be provided on a screen live in the pavilion. Obviously, we would like people to register early so we can send you your ID in good time before the event.
- The course is being reviewed, but any slight changes we do make we will keep you informed.
- This year, we as a club are supporting Pied Piper Appeal, a children's charity at Gloucester Hospital, and for which one of our players and his girlfriend do voluntary work for. The money raised from the quarter marathon will be split between the club and the charity after expenses are taken out.
- After last year's experiment with sticky numbers we will be back to safety pins and proper numbers!
Any help in passing on information about the race to other runners or running groups would be gratefully accepted. I would love to have a big clock for the finish line if anyone knows one we can borrow.
Any questions or suggestions for making the event better, please do not hesitate to get into contact.
Rowan Leeke - Apperley CC
p.s. in the modern age we have obviously got a Twitter Account (@quartermarathon) and a Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/events/184960844952100/)
We will send out a reminder to past runners before the event and that will be the only other time we will be in contact.

A message from Malvern Theatres......

Snowdonia Marathon Accommodation 27/10/12

Summer Running Venues 2012

Please Note .....

Wed night leaders rota

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 18/7 Club Night – West of England Quarry car park 7pm
Sun 22/7 MJs Bike Ride – Meet at Malvern St. James Sports Hall at 10:30 for a 32(ish) mile ride
Jul 28/29 Adidas Thunder 24 Relay
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sun 26/8 Winchcombe Hill Climb 10K - Glos
Sat 8/9 Apperley Quarter Marathon - Glos
Sun 9/9 Angels 10K – Haresfield, Glos
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 23/9 Cirencester Park 10K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sun 21/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 8 July 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

MJ Juniors – End of Season Presentation and Olympic Special
MJ Juniors will be ending their season this coming Sunday, 15th July. We will be running something a little different including
• Olympic Special events – including less well known Olympic events such as welly wanging, as well as some more usual relays and jumps.
• A chance to meet and be photographed with an Olympic Torchbearer
• Awards – we have many trophies and medals to present to our fantastic juniors, and thanks to generous sponsorship from Gatorade there are also some prizes to be awarded.
• Food! Please can MJ Juniors provide some of either sandwiches / crisps / cake so that after the hard work we can have a bit of a feast.
All MJ’s are welcome to drop by and see us. We are thriving on a Sunday morning with an average of 30 young runners working hard and really enjoying themselves. We will meet at MSJ at 10.30 and this coming Sunday will be going on until about 12.30. Hope to see you there
Andy B, Lisa, Sam, Andy D

Race Reports
Herefordshire Summer Off Road League 2012 - Race 2 Kinnersley 4 July
From Jon Green .....

8 MJs ran the 2nd race at Kinnersley and all had a great time in the rain and mud around the Bulmers orchards. Well done to all who ran and particularly to Lucy who was first FV40. I think that Adam Wilkes was again the first MJ across the line, but running as a guest he doesn't figure in the official results.
Pos Name Cat Time
19 Sam Burnage S.M. 38.34
22 Andy Blannin MV40 38.53
42 Anthony Bennett MV40 41.30
46 Graham Cramp MV45 41.51
91 Lucy Prosser ** FV40 47,17
116 Amanda Dawson ** FV40 50.49
117 Julie Caseley ** FV50 51.06

The next race is Westhope on 18 July and the final race is Shobdon on 1 August. Everyone who runs will tell you that it's almost certainly the best fun you can have on a summer's evening in your MJ kit! Let me know if you wan to join in the fun. Cheers, Jonathan M 079 7416 8577

Evesham Vale 10k by Sam Burnage sponsored by Gatorade!
What is it about Evesham and the sun? I left home declaring perfect running conditions and aiming for a spectacular pb only for the sun to creep out from behind the clouds about five minutes before the race started. Temperatures rose sharply and my hopes of a pb drifted away.
A smooth downhill start meant I went off a bit too fast but soon found a steady pace and enjoyed the shade of the trees on the river bank. The only off-road section proved more than a little boggy this year but once you were over that the twists and turns of the housing estate kept you occupied.
I still find running past the finish line, back over the bridge and back in to the centre of Evesham a little soul destroying but overall I really enjoyed the run, my net time records a pb by five seconds so I'll take that!!
It was another fine turn out from the Malvern Joggers with nearly 30 Malvern Joggers running the course including some MJ Juniors who shared the glory in the children's fun run (a seriously competitive race, and that's just the parents!) Spike Burnage (8) finished third boy in his race and Alice Russell (9) finished 2nd girl in her race - chips of the old blocks methinks!
Without Cookie's kind donation of Gatorade, the best hydration drink on the market, I don't know where I would've been - I told you I would get you a mention Cookie!

Membership Matters
From Geoff.....

You should be receiving your membership card from England Athletics soon (if you haven't already). If you haven't had yours within the next couple of week's, let me know and I'll chase up EA on your behalf. If you are a 2nd claim member you will need to check with your club of origin.

Also, a reminder if you haven't joined yet, that there is a reduced subscription fee for people becoming members after today. The reduced fee of £11:00 will cover your membership until the end of the year - bargain! Just download a membership form from the website and hand it to me with your payment - cheque, cash or standing order (also on the website).

The Next Bike Ride
Also from Geoff Field .....

Anyone up for another "social" bike ride?
We haven't planned a route yet, but Jen and I have a date in mind for Sunday 22 July.
Format would be much the same as our last run out to Elmley Castle, i.e. meet at 10:30 for a 30 - 40 mile ride at a gentle pace (avg. about 10 m.p.h.) with a leisurely stop for a pub lunch half way round and back by about 4 - 4:30.
Let me know a.s.a.p. if you are interested and if there are enough takers, I'll plot the route.

Best wishes, Geoff email ... Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk

A message from Malvern Theatres......

A FREE SPORTING EVENT AT THE THEATRE:
Malvern Theatres Announces Olympic Broadcast Schedule
Malvern Theatres will broadcast the live BBC coverage of the Olympics on the big screen in the Forum Theatre from 28th July.
The theatre will be showing a number of daytime and evening sessions throughout the fortnight on the 30x18ft screen in Full HD quality.
Admission is free so come along and enjoy a drink whilst watching the sport.
Highlights include; 100 Meter Sprint, GB Team Pursuit in the Velodrome, Beach Volleyball and Track Cycling.
For more information, to book or to obtain a copy of the full schedule call the box office on 01684 892 277 or visit malvern-theatres.co.uk
Regards, Matt Cox, Technical Director, Malvern Theatres, matt@malvern-theatres.co.uk
Direct Line +44 (0)1684 580937

Snowdonia Marathon Accommodation 27/10/12

Summer Running Venues 2012

Wed night leaders rota

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 11/7 Club Night – Gullet Quarry car park 7pm
Sat 14/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Sun 15/7 Norton 10K - Worcester
Sun 15/7 MJ Juniors – End of Season Presentation and Olympic Special
Sun 22/7 Next MJs Bike Ride? – route TBA
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 1 July 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Membership Matters
From Geoff.....

This week's Intermediate Group run
From Geoff .....

I haven't had any suggestion for another name, and "Jog-trot" didn't seem to catch on, so I have renamed it the Intermediate Group, i.e. a stepping stone from the Gentle Joggers to the 10 min. milers. Same format as before, only the name has changed.

This week's route from British Camp can be found through the following link:

http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=280002

It is 4.2 miles, but as usual from British Camp does have some hills, with a total climb of 180 metres. It is equivalent to a 4.9 mile flat run. I expect to do it in about 55 min. which gives it a degree of difficulty of 46%. Compare this with last Wednesday's run from The Swan at Newland, which was 49%, and you'll see that I have tried to make it a bit easier. Those of you who found Wednesday's run easy should have no difficulty moving up to the Relaxed 10 Group.

The Next Bike Ride
Also from Geoff Field .....

Best wishes, Geoff email ... Geoff@malvernjoggers.co.uk

News from MJ Juniors – from Lisa, Andy D, Andy B and Sam

It's been a great few weeks of running from the MJ Juniors Team and only a few to go before we break for the summer.
The group has been steadily growing and we have 51 paid up Juniors and a regular weekly attendance averaging 30 young runners.
Over the past few weeks our Juniors have been racing in the Worcester park run, Crowle Fun Run, Acorns and the Mudrunner Oblivion.
This week we had a number of Juniors participating in the Oblivion Mudrunner dirty weekend. Just recieved hot off the press news from Alan Cupper that MJ Junior - Sofia Cupper participated both on the Saturday and Sunday and was 1st Girl home on the Saturday and 4th Girl home on the Sunday - but a whole 4 minutes faster the second time around! Well done Sofia and to all the other juniors who ran.
Today we held our 4th MJ Juniors and I am pleased to see from looking at the results there has been improvements across the races for all the runners. The course record is still held by Elliot Crump with a time of 6 min 1 second. Today's fastest runner was Tom Lawson with a time of 6 min 16. Other notable performances today were Harvey Lloyd who improved on his previous time by 2 mins and 4 sec and Katie Winslow was a double prize winner - having the best smile across the finish line and also best improved girl by 1 min and 38 seconds.
On the 15 th July we will be holding our last session before the summer break - our very own Olympic special. As well as running we will be having a bit of fun with welly wanging and slack Lining!
Following this there will be presentations for the youngsters and a picnic - fingers crossed for dry weather.
And finally thanks to all those supporters and volunteers over the past few months... It's makes the running smoother!

MJs, Can you help please?

We are looking for an occasional running buddy for a lady who lives in Ledbury and has to run during the day.
The lady runs with a baby buggy but still manages a good pace. She says ‘at the moment we run mainly at between 7-9 am or later afternoon between 2-4 pm (I appreciate the rest of the world is working at these times as will I be in August when I return after maternity leave). I generally run for about forty five minutes to an hour and do 4 to 6 miles. With the pram I am slower because of the weight so can do four miles in forty minutes.
I appreciate it might be really tricky to find somewhere for me to fit in, but your club sounds so friendly and encouraging I though it worth a try.’

Contact stuart@malvernjoggers.co.uk if you can help.

A message from Malvern Theatres......

Event Reports

Mudrunner Oblivion 30/6 & 1/7 by Paul Newman
This weekend it was time for a dirty weekend with the Joggers ! And oh what fun we had ! The Saturday event started with the Junior race, some of the senior MJ's took the opportunity to run with there children and a number of Junior Joggers competed. Lisa Dainty, Sharon White, Simeon Foreman, Jon Pickering and Jayne Cresswell all ran with there little ones. An hour later it was the grown ups turn to wallow in the mud ! There are two ways of approaching an event like this, you can either go for it "eyes bulging" or you can enter as a team and all compete together for a bit of a laugh, Lisa Dainty Debbie Russell and Jon where back for the main event and they set of quickly, I opted for the "game for a laugh " approach so further back were two teams Roodie, Megz, Andy Banham and myself made up one and the "I am a Jogger pull me out of here" team of Bakes, Jenni Neil, Mark Watling and Neil Humpage made up the second. We all slipped and slided climbed and fell, crawled and swam the 7 miles and 7 obsticles which included, The logs 100 meters of waist deep water with logs across that you had to duck under, "Gear box Hill" this is where they test The Landrovers gear boxes to destruction, a verticle assent over logs " The Camels Toe Bridge" A series of ropes like a spiders web to crawl under, we did it on hands and knees with mud upto the arm pits ! After that it was just the little matter of two lakes to swim across and a 8ft tall wall to scale BRILLIANT FUN !! We met up with Duncan Cresswell on route and my team all finished together ! I am not sure of the final results but Lucy and Debs both finished with very good times ! Poor Bakes picked up an injury but her team mates made sure she made it to the end (whether she wanted to or not lol)
The Sunday it was the same again, only we were joined by Lynda Broadway, Ginny, Claire Gilbert, Fong, Jude, Kath, Amanda Duncan, Kareen, Brad and Neil, Roodie, Andy Banham all returned for a 2nd go, didn't we have a laugh The guys made sure the girls were all as muddy as they could be ! We helped each other along and finished together again ! Finishing off the day in a very warm "Tub of Love !" Brilliant, Only one downside was the bad wrist injury suffered to Kareen after a fall, we all hope she's ok.
Thunder 24 ! In 4 weeks it will all be over ! we still have 32 runners ready to go ! but not the 32 we started out with, we've had a few team changes as its difficlt keeping 32 runners all fit at the same time. If you are interested in joining us please let me know as we may still have room for you.
After Wednesday nights run Lynda and Amanda would like a chat about the food camping and team arangements, so we've arranged to meet up at The Morgan pub after the run. If you haven't paid your race fee could you please bring it then. We should be joined by a few Black Pears who are competing with us in the Parkrun Allstars team.
Thanks, Paul

Boddington 10K 1/7/12 by Julie Caseley
I hadn't done this race before so I thought it was worth giving it a go. The race HQ was in the grounds of Boddington Manor and the scenic course took runners down country lanes, around farmland and a gravel track around 2 laps of a lake on the outskirts of the vilage of Barrow.
Our start was in an adjacent field to Boddington Manor but we had to wait a few minutes for a break in the traffic as the field was also the event car park. Also on the agenda for today was the Boddington Marathon (12 x 3.534 km laps) and 50k (14 laps) starting just over an hour later. All 3 races had different starting points but all finished in front of Boddington Manor. The 10k race was straightforward enough but some runners were still confused by the fact that the course didn't hug the lake all the time but there were plenty of arrows to inidcate the way. A lovely, simple, no frills race but with an engraved medal for finishers. All race entry fees for the 10k went to the Gloucestershire Community Foundation Charity. I finished in 51 minutes.
Thanks, Julie

Forthcoming Event

Poets Path 'Running Order' 8 mile Run next Wednesday.

A date for your running diary you might like to note – next Weds evening 4th July ‘Ed & Phil’ are organising the Poets Path ‘Running Order’ Run from Dymock as part of the Ledbury Poetry Festival again - see www.poetry-festival.com . As last year, meet 6.45pm at Dymock Church for some running poetry reading by our ‘resident poet’ and fellow runner Kathy Tytler, then at 7pm start an 8 mile run across some delightful countryside carrying bits of poems that have been split between the runners.

As we finish, retire for a well-earned drink in the very conveniently located Beauchamp Arms - see www.beauchamparms.co.uk to reassemble and re-read the new poems created by the order in which runners finish (our hosts John and Linda have kindly reserved the back room for us). It’s all good fun with a few pairs of Wigwam socks given away as spot prizes as well. All welcome, pace to suit the slowest.

Off-road, not too tough but we enjoyed getting a bit wet in rain and long grass last year so shoes need to be appropriate for a bit of mud, but also quite a lot of road. We have our own charity called ‘Sport for Good’ and any donations would be welcome but no formal charge will be made or payment expected. Share cars and get there a bit early if you can because parking is at a bit of a premium in the village.

Snowdonia Marathon Accommodation 27/10/12

Summer Running Venues 2012

Wed night leaders rota

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 4/7 Club Night – British Camp car park 7pm
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Sat 14/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Sun 15/7 Norton 10K - Worcester
Sun 22/7 Next MJs Bike Ride? – route TBA
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 24 June 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Acorns Thanks

From Sarah Grout ......
Thank you to all MJs and their families (and you are very many) taking part in the Acorns Triple Run today, whether you are running, volunteering or supporting. The ethos of this three-in-one event is unique - all about breaking down the barriers between able-bodied and disabled - all-inclusive, all ages, male and female. And it happens on our home turf, and it's for a local charity. So proud of our club for its amazing involvement in every aspect. HM runners - let us know what you think of the new route... Good luck everyone x

MJ Juniors News - Acorns 5k

From Andy D. ......... Well done to all the MJ Juniors, and even younger brothers and sisters, as well as their parents who took part in the Acorns 5k today. The weather and terrain was perhaps better suited to wellies rather than running shoes, but nevertheless some very creditable performances were returned despite conditions.

Pick of the runners was 11 year old Ellen Wikeley who was not only first girl but first female overall in a stunning time of 22.51!

The times we know are shown below. Please let me know of any errors or omissions.
Ellen Wikeley 22.51
Tom Lawson 23.22
Ellen Staniforth 25.55
Cameron Smy 26.58
Hannah Lawson 28.33
Ned Pallett 28.33
Alice Russell 28.55
Tom Pickering 29.39
Sarah Jane Ollis 29.42
Spike Burnage 30.25
Rose Wikeley 31.06
Hayden Smy 32.02
Linus Burnage 32.04
Harvey Lloyd 33.59
Emily Russell 34.31
Dan Ollis 34.32
Isobel Staniforth 35.51
Lauren White 36.06
Tom Pearse 42.29
Alice Lloyd 42.52

The season for MJ Juniors is drawing to a close and will culminate in an Olympic special and picnic presentation morning at MSJ on 15th July. We will be taking a break over the summer holidays and returning with Glos XC league in our sights in September.

Acorns Malvern Half Marathon
An appeal from Julie C. .....
Could anyone who ran the Malvern Half Marathon today with someone elses number, could they please let me know so that I can compile the Champions League and allocate points correctly. Many thanks.
juliecaseley@tiscali.co.uk

Herefordshire Summer Off Road League 2012 - Race 1 Aconbury 20 June

From Jon Green .....

7 MJs ran the first race of the summer series last Wednesday at Aconbury and all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. To quote Tony, "the x-country last night at Aconbury was nothing short of fantastic!". 1st MJ to finish was Adam Wilkes in 5th, but as Adam runs as a guest he doesn't figure in the official results.
Pos Name Cat Time
23 Nigel Sewell MV50 37.59
36 Graham Cramp MV45 40.25
39 Anthony Bennett MV40 40.41
77 Peter Wilson MV45 46.02
92 Julie Caseley ** FV50 48.35
96 Lucy Prosser ** FV40 48.50

If you want to join in the fun, the next race is Kinnersley on 4 July, followed by Westhope on 18 July and finally Shobdon on 1 August. The more the merrier. Let me know.

Cheers, Jonathan M 079 7416 8577

A message from Malvern Theatres......

a FREE SPORTING EVENT AT THE THEATRE:

Malvern Theatres Announces Olympic Broadcast Schedule

Malvern Theatres will broadcast the live BBC coverage of the Olympics on the big screen in the Forum Theatre from 28th July.

The theatre will be showing a number of daytime and evening sessions throughout the fortnight on the 30x18ft screen in Full HD quality.

Admission is free so come along and enjoy a drink whilst watching the sport.

Highlights include; 100 Meter Sprint, GB Team Pursuit in the Velodrome, Beach Volleyball and Track Cycling.

For more information, to book or to obtain a copy of the full schedule call the box office on 01684 892 277 or visit malvern-theatres.co.uk

Regards, Matt Cox, Technical Director, Malvern Theatres, matt@malvern-theatres.co.uk
Direct Line +44 (0)1684 580937

Race Reports
Danny’s Dash 24/6/12 by Julie Caseley
Only about 60 runners turned up to run the first Danny's Dash in memory of Danny Horton who died aged 36 from a brain tumor. He had served in the Navy so all proceeds from the event were donated to Help for Heores and Brain Tumor Research.
Parking was in a field at Coney Green Farm at Stourport-on-Severn.
There were 3 childrens races prior to the main event at 10.30am.
The 8 mile multi terrain route was described as tough but that was a slight understatement! It started gently enough but within half a mile there was a left turn and a hill that required the use of ropes to climb
- no PB today then! The course meandered along forest tracks and paths, some being extremely muddy, and I could hear the train on the Severn Valley Railway but couldn't see it. We reached a trig point at mile 7 and knew it was downhill all the way back to the farm but it was very steep and scarry! The presentation for such a small race was excellent with prizes for the first 3 senior males and females and prizes for the first 3 vet male 40+ and vet female 40+. I finished in 1 hr 19 mins and was 4th vet fem. All runners also got a free Mr. Whippy ice cream!!
Thanks, Julie

Colworth Half Marathon (Trail) 24/6/12 by Vikki Sivertsen
Something different for me. I am just beginning to find my off road feet in preparation for my first off road marathon in 2 weeks time at the Wenlock Olympics (did I mention i was from Much Wenlock?) having survived the Crocodile 8 i decided to up the distance and take on my first off road half marathon. It was a 2 lap race across farm land, fields, tracks and through woods. The puddles the mud was thick, deep, slippery and relentless...and that’s just the first lap, second lap was the same but muddier! This was an extremely well organised event know as the Colworth marathon challenge, organised by the Colworth Striders. On the Friday night at 7pm there was a 5 mile run as well as a fun run for children, on the Saturday lunch time there was an 8.1 mile run and on the Sunday morning it was the 13.1 mile half marathon....all adding up to the 26.2 miles of a marathon. All races are trail runs and you can enter one, two or all three events. There are great camping facilities (which are free if you enter all 3 events) great showers and a very cheap bar which we were told didn’t close until at 4am on the Saturday morning! As well as an embroidered towel for all finishers of the half and a further memento for those runners who completed all three events, there were extensive prizes for the individual events as well as the overall marathon challenge. The atmosphere was very friendly whilst competitive. I would highly recommend the joggers consider this as a running weekend away next year. Just for the record, I finished 3rd lady in the half marathon.
Thanks, Vikki

Blakedown Bolt 10K 22/6/12 by Julie Caseley
The weather was very kind to us on Friday evening considering the amount of rain we’d had in the previous few days. Having said that, no one was allowed to park on the school field as it was water logged. However, the course was a bit more muddy in places than in years gone by when we have had a relatively dry, and in some places, sandy course. The water crossing was still there but not quite as deep as expected but at least that’s an indication that the race is in the final 2 miles. Well done to Jon Newey who was 4th overall and won the male vet 40 category in a time of 39:59, to Jules who ran 51:03 and I finished in 57:33.
Thanks, Julie

The following two from Sundance Paul .....
Adidas Thunder 24 Relay
We now have 3 teams of 8 Malvern Joggers and one mixed Parkrun team of joggers. The Teams are the S.top T.alking A.nd R.un STAR team, Tabitha Lukes "Mcleans Diehards" The "Roode boys" plus the "Parkrun Allstars" although we have 32 joggers signed up, last year we had a few withdrawls through injury so there may still be opportunities to join the teams, a few people have asked to be put on standby if you wish to be on the reserve list please let me know.

Trail Runner Magazine
The latest edition feature a brilliant full page article with colour photo of Sarah Grout on The Malvern Hills with a few good plugs for The Malvern joggers and features a certain femail MJ competition winner with a very muddy face !

Snowdonia Marathon Accommodation 27/10/12

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 27/6 Club Night – Swan at Newland 7pm
Sat 30/6 BPJs Summer Ball – Worcs CCC "Posh Frocks & Black Tie" with charity auction. All MJs invited.
Sat 30/6 Stratford Summer Six
Sat 30/6 Gord’s 6 – Sugwas, Herefordshire
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Sat 14/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 17 June 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Malvern Joggers 10K 2012
some feedback .....

A review from www.runwalkcrawl.com
I decided just a few days before to enter this race, one of the main attractions being that it’s a mid-week evening run (having a family etc means that weekend races are much more disruptive). I’m glad I did! Along with my mate Pete Lyons, I had a great time.
Organisation was good at the registration, then a nice warm-up walk to the start. A quick 30 seconds chat about the route that really told us not much at all (but why should it?) then we were off.
The route was beautiful, taking us up into the Malvern foothills. Through fields, across the common, along trails, with a bit of road thrown in, several times I almost tripped because I was trying to see the view. It was about as hilly as I was expecting … not too bad, but not too easy either. Marshalls were as enthusiastic as they come. A couple of runners were dressed as the Chuckle Brothers and blowing horns … really glad we left them behind early on.
There was a nice bit of water and mud. What’s not to like about water and mud? One downhill towards the end was a quagmire––mud up to the ankles––and I ran it with a big smile on my face, overtaking a couple of guys obviously trying not to get their shoes too muddy. As if…
Great cheering and support at the end, then after a nice warm-down walk back to race HQ everyone was given a hot-dog and a goody bag. Now … there wasn’t much in the bag, but I hasten to add that at £10 for race entry, that’s fair enough. Bottle of water, banana, and a bottle of apple juice from a local farm, with a race-specific label.
Great news was that there was Thwaites real ale in the village hall, so we sat outside in the beautiful dusk and had a nice pint and a snack.
Oh, and we managed about 54 minutes for the run. We ran together, but agreed that neither of us could have run much faster. Considering the terrain and the few muddy occasions, I’m pretty pleased with that time. (results aren’t posted yet, but I’ll add them here as an addendum)
This race is thoroughly recommended. A great atmosphere, very scenic course, excellent organisation, and a fine way to spend a summer evening. Next year!

Other reviews of the MJ10K – from the Runners World website ...........

A fabulous little race!
Made the trip down from Birmingham in search of a mid week challenge; really pleased I did. Excellent organisation and a very fine course, with quite a bit of cheeky uphill and suitably challenging but runnable terrain, with a ford thrown in for good measure. BBQ and a bottle of applejuice at the end. Recommended!

A warm Malvern welcome....
Forget your pb that goes at mile 1 with the styles and single file, just admire the scenery. Plenty of ups a nice few downs, tarmac, grass, mud and a ford to plough through, marshalls a plenty and very vocal great midweek run with a bbq to round off the night.

tough but very enjoyable
Really lovely course, varied terrain and scenery, friendly encouraging marshalls, good free food at the finish, special edition local apple juice in the goodie bag. A few stiles you had to queue to get over and a section through a rape field which was single file with no chance to overtake, plus some very muddy sections, and anyway the hills pretty much rule out PBs, so a race to do as a fun midweek challenge. And the weather was kind!

Hardest ever 10k I've done, best marshals ever

A truly fantastic event -- yet again!
This was my second time participating in the Malvern Joggers 10k. I was in two minds about running at all, having suffered with some nasty injuries of late, but I'm so glad I did. The scenery was even better than I remembered it -- the gradual ascent towards the picturesque priory, the alluring sparkle of the water at Gullet Quarry, the breathtaking panoramic views of the Malvern Hills (I could go on!). Even the course wasn't as brutal as I'd remembered it! There are a couple of long uphill 'drags' but nothing to bring you to your knees (as long as you're sensible!). Given that this is not a PB course, I would recommend you run well within your limits and concentrate on taking in the surroundings.
The organisation was flawless, once again. The marshals were vocal and supportive and the signage was crystal clear. Your bib entitles you to a free hot dog (meat or veggie!) and the goodie bags contained a big bottle of delicious local apple juice.
We were lucky with the weather this year -- perfect temperatures and largely clear skies which made for fantastic views.
If you've never run this race before, what in the world are you waiting for?!

Stuart’s post-race Message repeated
A short note to say thanks and well done to everyone who was involved with our race on Wednesday evening. It was another great event made possible because so many people give up their time and get involved.
The conditions were difficult for both runners and helpers. The course was very muddy in places making it even tougher than usual. The monsoons prevented us from parking on the football field and so the car parkers had to work harder than ever to get everyone parked up safely. All things considered though, we were really lucky with the weather on the night.
The Junior Joggers had a great time and did a brilliant job manning the water station. Our marshals are simply the best.
This year we piloted online entry which worked well and will probably be even more popular in the future.
We have had some great comments back from runners and club members and there are some brilliant reviews on Runners World.
As Jerry puts it, the final scores on the doors are:
Race Entrants : 240 (last year was 297)
Finishers : 217 (actually 219, but we didn't count 2 because they started too late!) (in 2011 there were 275)
The final accounts aren’t ready, but the race profit will definitely be over £1000, so £500 for St Richards Hospice should be on the cards.
A few more snippets from JG: ... The course was the hardest it has ever been, but the runners loved it !
The winner, Bart Thomas from Black Pears ran the fastest ever time for our race ...36:59.
There’s great feedback on Runners World, especially about the marshals - see the one from Ed Ashley - I didn't pay him honestly !
I had several e-mails saying how much they loved the race (including 2 who now want to join our club!)
Once again, many thanks to everyone who helped make the race such a success and to all those that took part.
Well Done Malvern Joggers, Stuart

Herefordshire Summer Off-Road League - Aconbury 20-Jun-12

From Jon Green .....

Here are the arrangements for Aconbury next Wednesday:
Date - Wednesday 20-Jun-11.
Start time - 7.15 pm.
Location - Aconbury Court, HR2 6PQ. (Map attached.)
Car sharing - Meet at Malvern St James Sports Centre at 5.45, to be away for 5.50. It should take around 50 minutes to get there.

Please let me know if you intend to run. Email ... Jonathan Green [green.jonathan@virgin.net]

Reminders:
Run in club colours.
Running numbers will be handed out on the evening. (Hang on to your number you'll need it for the series.)
Pin your number onto the front of your running top. (Bring 4 safety pins.)
The course is suitable for trainers/ trail shoes/ x-country shoes, but not spikes.

Malvern Acorns Half Marathon 24/6/12

Some observations by Ginny on the revised route .....
As Lynda and myself have volunteered to marshal at next Sunday's Acorns race, we decided to run the route this morning and check out where our positions would be. With Roz and Derek on their bikes, we headed off. The first part of the race is still the same, over Danemore Cross towards Clives Fruit Farm. The new route avoids Upton and heads left from Clives towards Hanley Castle. Unfortunately you do still need to run along the main Upton Rd for about a mile before the new route begins. Then a left into Hangmans Lane takes you into new territory, along narrow country lanes until you pick up the road towards Hanley Swan. At the duck pond you run down the lane by the British Legion Club and turn left on a farm track until you appear opposite the showground again. We all thought this was a much improved route, so if anyone hasn't entered this year’s race because of the awful run along the Guarlford Road, think again, you might enjoy this new route !! By the way Lynda and I will be marshalling at mile 3, I don't think you will miss us !!!

Race Reports

Aldridge 10K 17/6/12 by Julie Caseley
With so much rain recently, it was a bit uncertain whether it was going to be a dry or wet race, it certainly wasn't going to be hot and sunny!
As it happened, conditions were perfect for this undulating 10k road race. This was a figure of 8 type course, the first half being slightly undulating with a couple of short, sharp hills. Just after 5km the route was back near the start at The Green before a nice downhill stretch. There was then a left hand turn at 7k which initially was fairly flat but just before 9k the road began to rise which carried on to near the finish which culminated in a lap around the field at the Stick and Wicket Club. Jayne Ackroyd and I were the Malvern Joggers contingent - Jayne finishing in 49:14 (3rd in her age category) and I finished in 49:47 (2nd in my age category).
Thanks, Julie

The following three from Sundance Paul .....

Adidas Thunder 24 Relay
We now have 3 teams of 8 Malvern Joggers and one mixed Parkrun team of joggers. The Teams are the S.top T.alking A.nd R.un STAR team, Tabitha Lukes "Mcleans Diehards" The "Roode boys" plus the "Parkrun Allstars" although we have 32 joggers signed up, last year we had a few withdrawls through injury so there may still be opportunities to join the teams, a few people have asked to be put on standby if you wish to be on the reserve list please let me know.

The Summer Solstice Run
Last year Kester from Mudrunner invited the MJ's to join him at the top of the British Camp to watch the Summer Solstice in the early hours. To my suprise over 30 MJ's enjoyed a run from Holly Bush to British Camp to watch the sun come up. Unfortunately Kes can't be with us this year so we will have to provide our own catering, any offers of equipment or catering assistance would be greatfully received ! A nominal charge of a few pounds per head should cover the BBQ and food. (to be confirmed)
So on Thursday 21st June, at 4am The Malvern Joggers are jogging from the Hollybush via Midsummer hill and the obelisk to see the solstice sunrise on British Camp. bacon sandwiches and drinks on the top and then a gentle jog back to the hollybush car park. if you fancy coming drop a note to paul@newman8840.fslife.co.uk or on our Facebook page so we order enough bacon. You can then all go to work feeling smug

Sunrise is 5.14 am ! Headtorches will be required for the run to the Camp

Snowdonia Marathon Accommodation 27/10/12

Summer Running Venues 2012

Acorns Triple Run 2012 including the Malvern Half Marathon - Sunday 24th June
Are you available to run or to volunteer on the day?

From Sarah Grout I do hope that as a club you will give this, our LOCAL event, your full support if you happen to be available. Of course not everyone wants to run a Half Marathon - and there are the wonderful 5K Spring Run and 1K Chicken Run (for people with special needs) events too, hence the 'Triple Run'. The event is intended to be fully inclusive. I am proud to have been one of the founder organisers of the event when friends of ours lost their son, aged 8, to a brain tumour. They wanted to thank Acorns Children's Hospice for the support they had provided and got a group of us Mums together to organise a fun run designed to be fully inclusive and which would help to break down the barriers between able-bodied and disabled people. The three runs start and finish under the same archway and everybody gets the same medal regardless of 1K, 5K or 13.1 miles. It is open to male and female, young and old and of course the 1K is suited to wheelchair users and the 5K suited to pushchairs, albeit woodland. Some of you may know 'Mick and Phil' who run the Half Marathon every year with the wheelchair too.
If you and your family don't wish to run but have spare time, we are on the look out for volunteers. 300 volunteers are needed that morning to help with marshalling, handing out medals, bananas, water, etc etc. over 3 runs. There are jobs which require people for between roughly 2 and 4 hours so it won't take up the whole day. Me and my daughter Briony are seeking volunteers for the event and have a list going if you feel you might be able to help. Email me on sarahsgrout@aol.com .
I have entry forms in the shop (The Malvern Event Organiser) or you can register to run online at
http://www.acorns.org.uk/triplerun
Thank you, Grouty

Wed night leaders rota

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tues 19/6 Speed Training 5.45pm Morrison’s
Wed 20/6 Club Night – West of England Quarry, West Malvern Road 7pm
Wed 20/6 Cross Country League – Meet MSJ 5.45pm
Thu 21/6 Summer Solstice Run – meet Hollybush 4am
Fri 22/6 Blakedown Bolt - Kidderminster
Sat 23/6 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run 1/2M & 5K – Three Counties Showground, Malvern (CL)
Sun 24/6 Worcester Race for Life 5K
Sun 24/6 Whitbourne Hall Challenge – 5 Miles
Sat 30/6 BPJs Summer Ball – Worcs CCC "Posh Frocks & Black Tie" with charity auction. All MJs invited.
Sat 30/6 Stratford Summer Six
Sat 30/6 Gord’s 6 – Sugwas, Herefordshire
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Sat 14/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 10 June 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Some Very Important Notices from Stuart

Malvern Joggers 10k Race. The race is this Wednesday 13th June.
We are looking for lots of entries on the night so if you’re not helping we hope you will take part in the race.

Parking for the Race.
Do your best to leave the car at home, car share and park away from the Village Hall. If it continues to rain we may not be able to park competitors on the playing field. Parking is always very tight so please do what you can to help.

Malvern Hills District Sports Awards 2012. Malvern Joggers has made it through to the final of the Malvern Hills District Sports Awards in all three categories we entered. All categories have been shortlisted down to two entries, of which a runner up and winner will be announced at the final on Thursday evening 12th July at Malvern College.

The categories are:- (2) Senior Female Sports Personality of the Year- Emma Gooderham, (8) Club of the Year and (12) Be Active Award- Junior Joggers.

Many Thanks to Cathy Spence and Geoff Field for drafting the nominations with me.

Worcester Parkrun – Volunteers Required

Despite the weather will be on as usual, with 100+ runners regularly now we really need a few more volunteers to help out this week. Please either respond to this or at worcesterhelpers@parkrun.com, cheers!

MJs Paella Party

From Jules - If you would like to come along to Paella Night at 17 Lower Howsell Road on Saturday June 16th (7.30 onwards), could you let Steve or myself know by Saturday June 9th so that we can cater for the right number of people. For those who have already let us know, thank you. There is a small charge of £5 per person to cover food costs and any monies that are left over will be donated to Barnardos. Thanks, Jules
Steve email - steveroode1@yahoo.co.uk
Jules email - jem_0410@yahoo.co.uk

From Roodie - As you probably know Jules and I are planning a Paella Party on the 16th June, 7.30 start at 17 Lower Howsell Road. We would like to get Final Count of numbers so we can purchase the ingredients. If you are coming please e-mail Jules or myself at jem_0410@yahoo.co.uk or steveroode1@yahoo.co.uk
We plan to charge £5 per person and bring your own booze - it should be a late night to take advantage of the long summer evening.

Race Reports

The Comrades Marathon 3/6/12 by Emma Gooderham
Just come back from South Africa and completed the hardest race of my life! I ran Comrades marathon on Sunday 3rd June and finished in 11th place in 7 hours and 1 minute dead (yes I did feel that way), winning my age category, which isn't bad considering this is the largest ultra race in the World and is as big in SA as London Marathon is here. For those of you who don't know Comrades, it is just short of 89 km or 57 miles (so basically two marathons, with an extra 5km added on for fun!). It started this year at Pietermaritzburg and finished at Sahara Stadium in Durban (next year it goes the reverse). This year is considered the 'down' run, but it certainly didn't feel that way as the undulating to hilly course disguised this fact. Although I knew I could complete the distance, due to injury I had done very little hill work so this course really tested my will power to keep going. Coupled with the heat and wind as we were going towards the coast, this was by far the toughest race of my life. But the race was well supported and the africans certainly know how to cheer you on. Near the end I was so shot I had to walk up the hills for a while as my legs no longer functioned, but the supporters kept me going. Every km was marked as a countdown, and those last 5 km were a sheer mental struggle to conquer every step. It is thursday as I write this and my legs, especially calves are still very sore. I was privaleged to be sponsored and run for Nedbank who looked after my every needs, from flights, accommodation, food, support on the course, kit etc... The whole experience was fantastic. If you asked me after the race when they carried me off to a physio table if I would do it again - I would say yes. This race is labelled The Ultimate Human Race, and if there is ever a race that tests your love of running and sheer will to complete something, this is it. I would love to go back next year and get in the coveted top 10 where they get solid gold medals (I got a silver, short of gold by a mere 14 seconds!). I am happy though, knowing that I gave it all I could and tried my best.
Thanks, Emma

The Magic Roundabout 10K 10/6/12 by Julie Caseley
This was a beautiful but challenging undulating 10k multi terrain race run in near perfect conditions.
The start was at the Roundabout, 650m uphill from the race HQ at an elevation of 415m with stunning views over the surrounding countryside. 90% of the course is on springy, close-cropped grass (thanks to a multitude of sheep) with a short section on hard-packed stone track. It was marked with small, white arrows with marshals every 500 m or so. From the start, runners descend through low grassy hillocks to a wide, flat grass track for a fast and enjoyable 1700 metres. There is then turn right up a narrow track for about 300 m then left to descend down a rutted route until, after 3,200 m turn right along the stone track for the next 700 m. This is the lowest part of the course, 150 m below the roundabout, which meets a broad, grassy, uphill section leading to a shallow ford. Having splashed through this, runners follow the track for 500 m before turning uphill just before the 5 km marker. Just before 6 km is the water station, before a road crossing close to the race HQ. After 8 km the course undulates with a couple of challenging hills before a downhill run to the finish, 50 m from race HQ. Excellent prize presentation with cakes to die for!! Well done to Nick Hitchings, Steve R. and Andy Banham.
Thanks, Julie

Forthcoming Events

Bredon Bash 21/6/12
A message from the Evesham Vale Runners ..............Could you possibly mention the Bredon Bash to your members. It is not actually an Evesham Vale organised race, but it is run by some of our members. It is on Thursday June 21st at 7-30pm from the village of Elmley Castle, starting at the cricket club (WR10 3HY). The run is approx 6 miles straight up Bredon Hill with 550 ft of ascent to the tower and back down the same way. All off road except the first and last short sections on the road. Entry is £5 only available on the night from 5.30pm. Clubhouse open for refreshments afterwards.

Also ....

The Cave Rescue Organisation - a duel Mountain / Cave rescue team - are organising the second annual Ingleborough Marathon 2013 which is a full mountain trail marathon to be run on 11th May 2013.
We are also running the Clapham Challenge on the same day - a 12 mile event. Both starting from the Rescue Depot Clapham, North Yorkshire.
Both are open to either runners or walkers with the shorter route being perfect for families.
We'd appreciate coverage and inclusion in your events listing.
Details from www.cro.org.uk with on-line entry.
Many thanks, Malcolm C. Linford mcl.ear@virgin.net

MJ Banners

From Stuart B - We have two 3 metre ‘Malvern Joggers’ feather banners available to take to races and other events. If you want to borrow them, one is usually with Sam Burnage and the other with Stuart Brown.

Kit Announcement

From Roodie - Hi all I should have the new 2012 vest’s in my possession on Wednesday night – please bring your cheque books.
I am also going to place another order for Hoodies and the Luminous “T” shirts.
Please let me know what you require size wise and what name you would like printed on back and front of hoodies – these are £17 non zip and £19 with zip printed front and rear.
Luminous tops come in small medium large and x large and are luminous yellow for men, ladies also have the option of pink or orange if they prefer – these are £12 printed Malvern jogger’s front and rear.
Cheers, Steve email..... steveroode1@yahoo.co.uk

Summer Solstice Run

Sundance at sunrise .....
After the brilliant success of last year when Kester Wilkinson kindly invited the Malvern Joggers for a Summer Solstice run we are all looking to recreate it again this year !!
So on Thursday 21st June, at 4am The Malvern Joggers are jogging from the Hollybush via Midsummer hill and the obelisk to see the Solstice sunrise on British Camp. bacon sandwiches and cup of tea on the top and then a gentle jog back to the hollybush car park. if you fancy coming drop a note here so we order enough bacon. You can then all go to work feeling smug. Hopefully Kester will be joining us this year otherwise we will have to organise our own catering.
NB you will need to confirm attendance on the Malvern Joggers event Facebook page or by E Mailing paul@newman8840.fslife.co.uk
Sunrise is @ 5.14 am!

Snowdonia Marathon Accommodation 27/10/12

Herefordshire Summer Off Road League 2012 - Summer Dates

20 June Aconbury, 4 July Kinnersley, 18 July Westhope, 1 August Shobdon
All races are on Wednesdays and start at 7.15pm.
Please let me know if interested in taking part. Jonathan (079 7416 8577 or green.jonathan@virgin.net)

Summer Running Venues 2012

Acorns Triple Run 2012 including the Malvern Half Marathon - Sunday 24th June
Are you available to run or to volunteer on the day?

Adidas Thunder 24 hour Relay www.tr24.co.uk 28-29/7/12

From Paul Newman - Having spoken to the organisers today, the event is getting full up and looks like being over- subscribed. A lot of MJ's have said they'd like to take part, but we are all in danger of missing out if we don't get in QUICK ! a cheq for £29.38 secures a cracking weekend away with the joggers and 3/4 10k races plus a fantastic goodie bag. I've entered one team already and with 30+ joggers saying they'd like to come there is the potential for a few more, but The Black Pears and Worcester Park run are also sending teams but with limited entry to 2000 runners, the race is filling up fast. Please make chqs payable to Pro Velo Support. More details on our Malvern joggers Facebook page.
Cheers Paul paul@newman8840.fslife.co.uk

Wed night leaders rota

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tues 12/6 Speed Training 5.45pm Morrison’s
Wed 13/6 Malvern Joggers 10K
Sat 16/6 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sat 16/6 Humph’s Hilly Half (Bourton-on-the-Water)
Sun 17/6 Darren’s Dash - Hereford
Thu 21/6 Summer Solstice Run – meet Hollybush 4am
Fri 22/6 Blakedown Bolt - Kidderminster
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run 1/2M & 5K – Three Counties Showground, Malvern (CL)
Sun 24/6 Worcester Race for Life 5K
Sun 24/6 Whitbourne Hall Challenge – 5 Miles
Sat 30/6 BPJs Summer Ball – Worcs CCC "Posh Frocks & Black Tie" with charity auction. All MJs invited.
Sat 30/6 Stratford Summer Six
Sat 30/6 Gord’s 6 – Sugwas, Herefordshire
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Sat 14/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 3 June 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Wednesday night Trotter's Run from British Camp

From Geoff..... The link for this week's run is:

www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=274633

Distance is 4.6 miles, but with 159 metres of climbing, it is equivalent to a flat run of 5¼ miles. I calculate the Degree of Difficulty as 46%, which is a little bit harder than last week's run from the Chase (43%), but you seemed to be comfortable with that, so let's give it a whirl. See you Wednesday.

England Athletics Registrations (also from Geoff)

I have sent off the registrations for England Athletics membership this week and I thought you might be interested to know the details:

We have 191 registered members - i.e. 1st Claim members who are over 11 years old. 19 of these are under 18 years old. These members should be receiving their membership cards from England Athletics in due course, but it can take a while. In the meantime you should have received an e-mail from me confirming your membership details (including EA registration).

In addition to this we have 8 2nd Claim members and 25 under 11 members. I.e 224 members in total.

Some of you (especially those who didn't get a place in the ballot) are interested in the allocation of club places for the London Marathon. The rules for this year haven't been announced yet, but there is no reason to believe they will be any different from last year.

A club gets one London Marathon place for every 50 members, i.e. 1st claim members who are over 18 years old; so at the moment we have 172 qualifying members (although I have a couple more new membership applications to process since Wednesday), entitling us to 3 club places. The allocation takes place in October so there is a bit of time to get the numbers up.

However, England Athletics are not particularly accurate about recording membership - at the moment they have us listed as having 247 members. London Marathon places are based on EA membership numbers, so I am hopeful that we may just sneak in for that valuable 4th place.

I'll keep you posted as more information becomes available

Coronation Day 1952 my first race day – by MJ Barry Swindells

This is the jubilee week and its 60 years for me to.

Quite a few MJs ask when I first started to run; well my first race was on Coronation day June 2 1952.

I was born in the Longdendale valley which before the government’s boundary changes was in what was known as the ‘pan handle of Cheshire’. A valley separating Lancashire on the north (Hobson Moor) from Yorkshire on the south (Dark Peak) and also with a boundary with Derbyshire and the Peak District (White Peak) on the south side. Ideal running country. The valley’s main village is Hollingsworth at the lower end of the valley then Tintwistle and above that a series of seven reservoirs feeding the River Etherow which is one of three river feeds forming the Mersey. There are a further two reservoirs in the valley Arnfield and Hollingworth. So, with nine reservoirs I suppose it does rain quite a bit in this area of the Pennines.

I attended the village school which was Longdendale Primary and Secondary schools which is where the running begins. School dinners in the 50’s were pretty much as they are today, so it was not a major decision to opt out and go to my Gran’s for some real home cooking. Home made meat and potato pie followed by rice pudding springs to mind. The trouble was that Gran lived about a mile from the school and with only an hour for lunch and the buses out of sync with the school time table the question was how to get there, have lunch and get back to school in 60 minutes? Easy, run there and back! So from about nine years of age this was part of my daily routine. On the way back to school, occasionally, the bus would be heading in the same direction as me and after a short climb from Gran’s cottage followed by a gradual descent there was a good chance I could beat the bus back to the school gates. If I left my departure a bit late I could have a race most days!

At eleven like most other kids in the 50’s I just moved up into the secondary school -you had to be pretty good to get a place at the Grammar School in those days.

The choices for sport in the secondary school were soccer, rugby and cross country, so as a pretty skinny kid it was an easy decision what to do – go for a run. The cross country course took you from the back of the school heading up the fields and onto Hobson Moor, finishing high enough up and along the moor to look down on to Arnfield Reservoir before dropping back down into the valley and heading back towards the school. I never got to know the length of the run at the time but having checked with route planner it comes in at 3.84 miles.

All in all, with a 2 miles run each lunch time plus a good XC twice a week the Longdendale Schools sports day to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elisabeth seemed a good fun day, and the various races looked great with a sneaky notion that, even at twelve, few in the school were faster than me. I had a good afternoon winning a whole series of events and ensuring my House won the school trophy.
This running was good stuff, I loved it.

Shortly after this my father said Joe Lancaster, who lived in the village, wanted to take me down to a running club. So off I went to Denton with this guy one Sunday morning to East Cheshire Harriers, a club where you were expected to train with your squad Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and race on the track in the Manchester and District League in the summer and XC in the winter. At thirteen a rigorous training routine which I still try to follow. I soon found out the Joe was pretty hot stuff, recording 20 miles in 1:49 and the world record for 2 hours of 22 miles 418 yards. In the early 1950’s distances of over 20 miles were formidable distances, in 1952 Emil Zatopek’s world record for the marathon was 2:29:09.

Thanks Barry - Chris

Age Related Performances.

Also from Barry ....

MJ times for the Tewksbury 1/2 have been added to the rankings on the club web page.
I cannot include some names as i do not have DOB and age categories are not recorded in five year sections.
Have a look at the tables to see how you are doing, if anyone is recorded in the wrong age group please let me know.
email .... barry.swindells267@btinternet.com

The Real Torch Relay

Last Wednesday I was emailed by the organisers of the above because they had no-one to run Leg 65 of 149 which was Powick to Little Malvern.

The event is explained here ..........
The Endurancelife Real Relay is an exciting attempt to follow the entire route of the official Olympic Torch around Britain in one continuous non-stop journey, running every step of the way. Starting out from Land’s End at midnight on Monday 28 May, ten days behind the official Olympic Torch, the Real Relay will involve hundreds of runners from across Great Britain running through the day and night on an 8000 mile mission to reach London in time for the Olympic Games opening ceremony. We’re calling on runners from all over Great Britain to join the relay by signing up to run one or more of the stages (below) and help us achieve one of the greatest Olympic endeavours of all time. Read More, select a stage to run below, or help us spread the word - tell your friends

I assume there were no volunteers from the wider public because the leg was due to start at 12.30am and was mainly uphill. So a major headache for the organiser’s! The event could have ground to halt before it had even got halfway around the country. Could the MJs save the day? You bet! as a group of our runners ran the leg together.

MJs Paella Party

Race Reports
Crocodile 8 3/6/12 by Lynda Walford
Despite the weather this was yet another fab race friendly marshalls guitar players and even a band Alison Hughes and I got right into the spirit and even put on the camoflage hoping the sas might recruit us. All in all a great race that I would recommend to fellow joggers
Thanks Lynda - Chris

Crocodile 8 3/6/12 by Vikki Sivertsen
So many green vests at this afternoons race we must have made a Joggers crocodile of our own ! I counted about 15 of us. I am not a huge fan of off road muddy races, but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this, even though it was very cold, very wet and very muddy. A huge variety of terrain and scenery....that which we could see. This is definitely not a race for the feint hearted, but I would highly recommend it. On a nice afternoon after running this race you would be able to enjoy the beer garden prize giving, and bbq and live music....unfortunately the weather was so bad we were crammed into the pub for prize giving and the band didn’t bother starting to play. The joggers ladies just missed out to Wye valley runners for the team prize, I picked up 3rd lady overall and Julie Mitchell got first female vet 40. A great race, well done to all Joggers, everyone one looked as though they really enjoyed it.
Thanks Vikki - Chris

MJ Banners

Kit Announcement

Summer Solstice Run

Snowdonia Marathon Accommodation 27/10/12

Herefordshire Summer Off Road League 2012 - Summer Dates

Summer Running Venues 2012

Acorns Triple Run 2012 including the Malvern Half Marathon - Sunday 24th June
Are you available to run or to volunteer on the day?

Adidas Thunder 24 hour Relay www.tr24.co.uk 28-29/7/12

Wed night leaders rota

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tues 5/6 Speed Training 5.45pm Morrison’s
Wed 6/6 Club Night – British Camp 7pm
Sat 9/6 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 10/6 Ross-On-Wye 10K
Wed 13/6 Malvern Joggers 10K
Sat 16/6 Humph’s Hilly Half (Bourton-on-the-Water)
Sun 17/6 Darren’s Dash - Hereford
Thu 21/6 Summer Solstice Run – meet Hollybush 4am
Fri 22/6 Blakedown Bolt - Kidderminster
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run 1/2M & 5K – Three Counties Showground, Malvern (CL)
Sun 24/6 Worcester Race for Life 5K
Sun 24/6 Whitbourne Hall Challenge – 5 Miles
Sat 30/6 BPJs Summer Ball – Worcs CCC "Posh Frocks & Black Tie" with charity auction. All MJs invited.
Sat 30/6 Stratford Summer Six
Sat 30/6 Gord’s 6 – Sugwas, Herefordshire
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Sat 14/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 27 May 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Two from Stuart .....

This Wednesday 30th May we are meeting at the Chase Inn where parking is always short. Please do your best to car share or park away from the pub and walk the last bit, Thanks.

Latest News from the Edinburgh Marathon today. Conditions were hot there too. Steve Ollis did 4:10 and Jerry Greer an amazing 3:20.

Wednesday night Jog-trot run from The Chase

From Geoff .....

Here's the link to this week's Jog-trot run from The Chase:

http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=273405

It is quite a short one this week, only 4.3 miles, but I have done that to take into account that it is quite hilly (159 metres of climbing - equivalent to a flat run of about 4.9 miles) and also that it might be quite hot. At a fairly relaxed 13:30 min/mile it should take just under an hour. This week I am introducing a "Degree of Difficulty" estimate so you can compare runs from different locations to see how hard they are likely to be. I estimate this week's run to have a "DoD" of 43%. This compares with last week's DoD of 46% - so a bit easier (yes I do listen to your complaints!). It will be interesting to see whether you think this is a fair assessment after we have done the run.

After this week I will be away for most of the rest of June, so I am looking for volunteers to lead the Jog-trot group. I will provide maps (with directions) of routes we have done before from each location, so it shouldn't be too difficult to lead a run.

Subsidised Transport to Races

Also from Geoff ......

Your committee has agreed a policy on subsidising transport to races - see the attached policy statement

Lake Vyrnwy ½ Marathon

In view of the above item on subsidised transport, I wonder if anyone would be interested in sharing a coach to attend the Lake Vyrnwy ½ Marathon in September. I will need to work out timings, costs, etc. but for the time being, if anyone is interested please let me know, either on Wednesday night or by e-mail to geoff.field@lineone.net

If there is sufficient interest, I'll let you know the full details before you need to commit yourselves.

Age Group Performances

From Barry Swindells - The link to the best recorded times by club members is now up and running on the MJ web site.
Results from the Bath 1/2m, Crowle 10k and Hereford have been used to fill in numerous gaps in the tables.
Short comings in this method of creating records are inevitable. Crowle, for instance, was only in 10 year age increments, so it may be that some times need to be moved up an age group in our tables.
It’s not practical to trawl though all race results looking for MJ times unless there was a reasonable number of MJ entrants. SO hopefully the age group performances as listed will generate a competitive spirit amongst MJ members and I can have some more input from members.
If you have any good times that need recording please email me at barry@malvernjoggers.co.uk
Remember the time must:
a) be after 1 Jan 2011
b) the course must be a certified distance
c) provide a link to the race results
Good running, Barry

Race Reports

Dymock Half Marathon 27/5/12 by Chris Barker
As some of you will know I did Geoff and Jenny’s 40mile bike ride the day before (despite not being a regular cyclist) which was possibly not the best half marathon pre-race preparation especially when you are an MV60 but the bike event (and pub meal) seemed too good an opportunity to miss so I gave it a go. After all, running is different to cycling, isn’t it? different muscles and all that?
I woke this morning ready for the race and the legs felt OK, until I started running at 11am in Dymock on a very hot day. A 10K would have been a better option but that was not on offer.
In the company of a few other MJs I set off hoping for the best but struggled all the way round even resorting to a short walk up a hill around mile 11 or 12. I got round in the end but my Garmin gave up the ghost so I don’t know how long it took me but it wasn’t pretty. Conclusion ... bike ride good, half marathon not good!
Not everyone struggled with it. Here’s some ‘Megs speak’ from Facebook ...... ‘ Dymock half today, 2nd lady home, me and Jayne Ackroyd won first lady team so good day all round very hot, hilly so pleased with my result.

Westonbirt Triathlon 27/5/12 by Vikki Sivertsen
Thought I would ring the changes today and competed in the Westonbirt Triathlon. What a beautiful setting for a Triathlon, especially on such a lovely morning. I had a load of FAQ’s, but everything was clearly explained at the start of each wave, so I needn’t had worried. I was so glad to get the swim over with, 400m in over 10 mins...clearly this needs some work ! The bike leg was great, an undulating route around the surrounding countryside of Westonbirt Girls school and arboretum, I gained a fair few places here. Despite running with Leggo legs, I had a really good 5k run and finished 9th woman overall, 2nd Female Vet, with my run being the 2nd fastest female and 27th fastest out of 398 competitors ! Great day, really enjoyed it.

Forthcoming Event

Beinton 10 Mile Road Race (Hereford) 9/9/12
From the Wye Valley Runners .....Just to let Malvern Joggers know that Wye Valley Runners are holding a new 10 mile road race on September 9th which will also incorporate the Herefordshire County Championships. It is a single lap undulating course starting and finishing at the Rowing Club and mainly run on the lanes of Breinton Parish.
There is already a lot of interest in this event and we have attached a copy of the entry form in case any of your members are interested in participating.
All the Best, Mike Shaw, Wye Valley Runners Committee

MJ Banners

Kit Announcement

Summer Solstice Run

Snowdonia Marathon Accommodation

Herefordshire Summer Off Road League 2012 - Summer Dates

MJ Social Event

Jules and Steve R are planning a Paella night at 17 Lower Howsell Road on Saturday 16th June, we would like to get an idea of numbers so we can plan ahead. If you are interested please e-mail Jules or myself at jem_0410@yahoo.co.uk or steveroode1@yahoo.co.uk
We plan to charge £5 per person and bring your own booze - it should be a late night to take advantage of the long summer evening.
Cheers Jules and Steve

Summer Running Venues 2012

Acorns Triple Run 2012 including the Malvern Half Marathon - Sunday 24th June
Are you available to run or to volunteer on the day?

Adidas Thunder 24 hour Relay www.tr24.co.uk 28-29/7/12

Wed night leaders rota

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tues 29/5 Speed Training 5.45pm Morrison’s
Wed 30/5 Club Night – Chase Inn @Upper Colwall 7pm
Sat 2/6 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 3/6 Crocodile 8 (CL)
Sun 3/6 Fairford 10K - Glos
Sun 10/6 Ross-On-Wye 10K
Wed 13/6 Malvern Joggers 10K
Sat 16/6 Humph’s Hilly Half (Bourton-on-the-Water)
Sun 17/6 Darren’s Dash - Hereford
Thu 21/6 Summer Solstice Run – meet Hollybush 4am
Fri 22/6 Blakedown Bolt - Kidderminster
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run 1/2M & 5K – Three Counties Showground, Malvern (CL)
Sun 24/6 Worcester Race for Life 5K
Sun 24/6 Whitbourne Hall Challenge – 5 Miles
Sat 30/6 BPJs Summer Ball – Worcs CCC "Posh Frocks & Black Tie" with charity auction. All MJs invited.
Sat 30/6 Stratford Summer Six
Sat 30/6 Gord’s 6 – Sugwas, Herefordshire
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Sat 14/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 20 May 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Wednesday night Jog-trot run from The Swan at Newland
From Geoff .....
Here is a link to this week's run from the Swan:

http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=271940

Remember, this is a flat run, just 48 metres climbing, compared to 152 metres last week, so it is a bit further than most runs, but should still be completed in under an hour at 11:00 min/miles. The distance is 5.4 miles.

Social Bike Ride - 26 May
Also from Geoff .....

Jen and I have checked the route for the ride on 26 May and are pleased to report that the Queen Elizabeth pub at Elmley Castle is up and running and makes a very good spot for lunch.
Follow this link to see the route:
http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=270016
It is about 40 miles, but it is pretty flat, so any jogger who has a bike should not have a problem. The planned pace is 10 m.p.h. (6 min/mile). We can make the ride longer / shorter on the day, to suite, or even split it up if necessary.
Start from Malvern St. James sports hall at 10:30 (or 10:15 at our place if you prefer) and the ride should be about 4 hours + lunch.
Let me know if you want to come along.
geoff.field@lineone.net

Age Group Performances
From Barry Swindells - The link to the best recorded times by club members is now up and running on the MJ web site.
Results from the Bath 1/2m, Crowle 10k and Hereford have been used to fill in numerous gaps in the tables.
Short comings in this method of creating records are inevitable. Crowle, for instance, was only in 10 year age increments, so it may be that some times need to be moved up an age group in our tables.
It’s not practical to trawl though all race results looking for MJ times unless there was a reasonable number of MJ entrants. SO hopefully the age group performances as listed will generate a competitive spirit amongst MJ members and I can have some more input from members.
If you have any good times that need recording please email me at barry@malvernjoggers.co.uk
Remember the time must:
a) be after 1 Jan 2011
b) the course must be a certified distance
c) provide a link to the race results
Good running, Barry

MJ Banners
From Stuart B - We have two 3 metre ‘Malvern Joggers’ feather banners available to take to races and other events. If you want to borrow them, one is usually with Sam Burnage and the other with Stuart Brown.

Kit Announcement
From Roodie - Hi all I should have the new 2012 vest’s in my possession on Wednesday night – please bring your cheque books.
I am also going to place another order for Hoodies and the Luminous “T” shirts.
Please let me know what you require size wise and what name you would like printed on back and front of hoodies – these are £17 non zip and £19 with zip printed front and rear.
Luminous tops come in small medium large and x large and are luminous yellow for men, ladies also have the option of pink or orange if they prefer – these are £12 printed Malvern jogger’s front and rear.
Cheers, Steve email..... steveroode1@yahoo.co.uk

Next Tuesdays Hash
From Bradley Crouch - If anyone is interested in running a hash next thursday (24th of may)... I will be setting one for the gg's (Gloucestershire gourmet hash house harriers) from the Farmers Arms Birtsmorton ...
Run starts at 7pm, shall be a little shorter than last hash I set ...

Race Reports
Prague Marathon 13/5/12 by Peter Wilson
Entering this marathon seemed as good a reason as any to revisit the lovely city of Prague, which I last saw over 20 years ago. Back then, if I remember right, the local brew was just 7p a glass, which is probably why that’s pretty much all I remember. This time I was going for a much healthier reason – unlike the majority of the passengers on the flight over, who were kicking off a stag weekend. It was like a booze cruise with wings. One chap kept swigging from his duty free when the stewardess's back was turned and eventually had it confiscated. However he took it well, whiling away the rest of the journey blowing tunes on a mouth organ. You don’t get that sort of thing in business class!
Whilst the stag partiers were still sleeping it off on Sunday morning, about 6000 runners gathered including one apprehensive MJ who was now wishing he’d done a bit more training. The start pens snaked up a street leading off the main Old Town Square, which is where the race begins and ends. Instead of a hooter, there was a burst of classical music – Prague living up to its cultural image. The course map looked like a doodle, turning back and forth over the river Vltava’s many bridges and featuring two large loops in one direction and a couple of out and back sections in the other. For an extra twist we had to pass the finish line with a mere 30 kilometres still to go – don’t you just hate it when that happens.
This was a much different experience to say London. Hardly a costume to be seen, and not a huge amount of spectators, although it was good to hear cries of come on Malvern (yes really). It’s a flat course and quite interesting in places, where it passes through the touristy bits of Prague, though it didn’t pay to take your eyes off the road for too long – you never knew when another set of cobbles or tram tracks was going to appear. I set off with a plan of holding a steady 5 minute K pace and seeing how it went. In theory that would deliver a 3’30 finish but I hadn’t done enough long runs to maintain that pace all the way. However things didn’t slip too much in the second half and I was pleased to clock 3 hours 40, helped by topping up on bits of banana. At the end there was a nice medal, a goody bag containing two bottles of lime green energy drink, and more banana to give me that last bit of energy to totter back to the hotel.
Thanks, Peter

Tewkesbury Half Marathon 20/5/12 by Cathy Spence
This was only my second half marathon, my only other one being Bath, so I didn’t really know what expect. I suffer hugely from nerves in races and yet as we shivered on the start line (it was sooo cold) I seemed rather calm which was a novel experience for me and one I am going to try my hardest to replicate. It was a nice atmosphere at the start, despite the long (and loud) race instructions being read over the speaker for what seemed an eternity.
Around two miles in I felt good only to find some men sprinting past me, once I had got over a minor tantrum, I realised they were taking part in the five mile fun run and as I watched them disappear in to the distance I came across my first sighting of Val and Terry who kept reappearing throughout the race – brilliant support, thank you.

I felt the Malvern Hills power as we undulated over little lumps and bumps and where others were labouring up the hills I did Malvern proud and gave it a bit of welly! I also enjoyed a sighting of a very large bull with HUGE danglers, which made me chuckle!
I waved at everyone, cheered, smiled and generally had a nice time. The finish is a bit weird as all the spectators and runners have to enter/exit through the same gate and there just seems to be loads of people milling about when you are about 30 metres from the line, not really what you need after 13.1 miles. I forgot to stop my garmin but I ran something like 1:45 which is 9 minutes faster than Bath – it’s amazing what a cloudy cold day and a better attitude can do! Well done everyone.
Thanks, Cathy

Tewkesbury Half Marathon 20/5/12 by Julie Caseley
Well done to everyone who ran the Tewkesbury Half Marathon this morning in near perfect conditions. The race
was extremely well organised with enthusiastic marshals, plenty of water stations, champion chip timing and
cheering spectators as we passed through the villages. I counted 15 Malvern Joggers on the results but
unfortunately they didn't put the clubs by the runners' names. A fantastic run by Emma Gooderham who was first female finisher in a time of 1:22:16.
Thanks, Julie

Bulmers Bash 20/5/12 by Chris Barker
No it’s not a ‘last man standing’ cider drinking competition but an off-road race over a 10Kish distance around Bulmer’s orchards at Wichenford near Martley. I did Tewkesbury last year so I thought I’d give this one my support. It was last run two years ago on a Wednesday evening but was this year switched to Sunday. It’s an off-road event ran almost entirely over grassy paths which last year give me a problem because I couldn’t see the potholes in the grass but I only went over on an ankle. This time the ground had a lot more give in it. It’s undulating to say the least so I was going from ‘this is easy’ to this is ‘bloody hard work’ regularly.
There were surprisingly few runners in it and no other MJs but at least it sounds like I finished near the front (which I didn’t). In the end I finished in 59.02 and it measured 6.42 miles. This was 6 minutes slower than two years ago although the finish was in a different place making the event around a quarter of a mile longer. All finishers received a bottle of cider. There’s a surprise!
Next Sunday I’m doing the Dymock Half Marathon if anyone would like to join me. You can usually enter on the day.

Forthcoming Race
The Crocodile 8 - Sunday 3/6/12 (an annual favourite of the MJs)
From the organisers.......We are contacting you to remind you that the Crocodile 8 Multi Terrain Race is only 2 weeks away!!
What an amazing way to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee!!
Whilst we are accepting entries on the day, we strongly recommend that anyone wishing to take part in this race should send the completed entry form (attatched) to us in order to guarantee their place.
New to this years race is our 'Junior Croc' aimed at senior school aged children (11-15 yrs). 1.9 miles, starting at the rear of the main race and following the same route past the church and through the orchard, the Junior Croc breaks away from the main route at Court Farm to return to the finish at the school. Junior school aged children can take part in our Mini Croc races at 2pm on the school grounds.
Further race information, course map and previous race results can be found on our website which is www.crocodile8.org.uk.
The gents record was, again smashed last year by Luke Mason of Wye Valley Runners in 49.30mins. The general pace has increased considerably in recent years with 31 runners achieving the hallowed sub 60 mins goal (over 50% of those being in vet categories!) Perhaps our recent rainfall will slow the pace somewhat this year!
The ladies record (set in 2005 by Lisa Dent 54.26 mins) still remains intact, perhaps somebody from your club will be able to beat it!
We would be grateful if you could pass this e-mail onto your club members and perhaps add the race to your fixtures list, there is always a great atmosphere both during the race and afterwards at The Bell Inn, Tillington where the prizes are presented and a post race party!
Thank you in advance for your support of this great event, we look forward to seeing you there.
The Crocodile 8 Committee

Summer Solstice Run
Sundance at sunrise .....
After the brilliant success of last year when Kester Wilkinson kindly invited the Malvern Joggers for a Summer Solstice run we are all looking to recreate it again this year !!
So on Thursday 21st June, at 4am The Malvern Joggers are jogging from the Hollybush via Midsummer hill and the obelisk to see the Solstice sunrise on British Camp. bacon sandwiches and cup of tea on the top and then a gentle jog back to the hollybush car park. if you fancy coming drop a note here so we order enough bacon. You can then all go to work feeling smug. Hopefully Kester will be joining us this year otherwise we will have to organise our own catering.
NB you will need to confirm attendance on the Malvern Joggers event Facebook page or by E Mailing paul@newman8840.fslife.co.uk
Sunrise is @ 5.14 am!

Snowdonia Marathon Accommodation
From Andy Milton - For those Joggers taking part in the Snowdonia marathon in October, I have provisonally booked Ben's Bunkhouse which is close to the start of the marathon. It holds 18 and the cost is £200 for a night. I have booked both the 26th & 27th nights. If we get a full house it will be £11 each per night. Could all those wishing to use this facility please e mail me on themiltons4@hotmail.com or face book . I would also appreciate a £10 deposit as confirmation. Cheers, Andy

Herefordshire Summer Off Road League 2012 - Summer Dates
20 June Aconbury, 4 July Kinnersley, 18 July Westhope, 1 August Shobdon
All races are on Wednesdays and start at 7.15pm.
Please let me know if interested in taking part. Jonathan (079 7416 8577 or green.jonathan@virgin.net)

MJ Social Event
Jules and Steve R are planning a Paella night at 17 Lower Howsell Road on Saturday 16th June, we would like to get an idea of numbers so we can plan ahead. If you are interested please e-mail Jules or myself at jem_0410@yahoo.co.uk or steveroode1@yahoo.co.uk
We plan to charge £5 per person and bring your own booze - it should be a late night to take advantage of the long summer evening.
Cheers Jules and Steve

Acorns Triple Run 2012 including the Malvern Half Marathon - Sunday 24th June
Are you available to run or to volunteer on the day?

Adidas Thunder 24 hour Relay www.tr24.co.uk 28-29/7/12
From Paul Newman - Having spoken to the organisers today, the event is getting full up and looks like being over- subscribed. A lot of MJ's have said they'd like to take part, but we are all in danger of missing out if we don't get in QUICK ! a cheq for £29.38 secures a cracking weekend away with the joggers and 3/4 10k races plus a fantastic goodie bag. I've entered one team already and with 30+ joggers saying they'd like to come there is the potential for a few more, but The Black Pears and Worcester Park run are also sending teams but with limited entry to 2000 runners, the race is filling up fast. Please make chqs payable to Pro Velo Support. More details on our Malvern joggers Facebook page.
Cheers Paul paul@newman8840.fslife.co.uk

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tues 22/5 Speed Training 5.45pm Morrison’s
Wed 23/5 Club Night – Swan @Newland 7pm
Fri 25/5 Olympic Torch through Malvern
Sat 26/5 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sat 26/5 Social Bike Ride - see Geoff Field
Sun 27/5 Dymock Half Marathon
Fri 1/6 Severn Challenge - Worcester
Sun 3/6 Crocodile 8 (CL)
Sun 3/6 Fairford 10K - Glos
Sun 10/6 Ross-On-Wye 10K
Wed 13/6 Malvern Joggers 10K
Sat 16/6 Humph’s Hilly Half (Bourton-on-the-Water)
Sun 17/6 Darren’s Dash - Hereford
Thu 21/6 Summer Solstice Run – meet Hollybush 4am
Fri 22/6 Blakedown Bolt - Kidderminster
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run 1/2M & 5K – Three Counties Showground, Malvern (CL)
Sun 24/6 Worcester Race for Life 5K
Sun 24/6 Whitbourne Hall Challenge – 5 Miles
Sat 30/6 BPJs Summer Ball – Worcs CCC "Posh Frocks & Black Tie" with charity auction. All MJs invited.
Sat 30/6 Stratford Summer Six
Sat 30/6 Gord’s 6 – Sugwas, Herefordshire
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Sat 14/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race (CL)
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 13 May 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

The following three items from Geoff .....

Membership Renewal
The end of May deadline for England Athletics membership registrations is fast approaching, so if you have not got round to renewing your Malvern Joggers subscription yet, but still intend to do so, please let me know, otherwise your EA affiliation will lapse at the end of May. I will be sending a personal e-mail to everyone who was a member last year but has not renewed in 2012.

To avoid being dis-affiliated please e-mail me as soon as possible at geoff.field@lineone.net

Wednesday Night Jog-trot run
This week (and in future) I am giving you the route for Wednesday's run from West of England car park by way of a weblink, rather than as an attachment (which was quite a large file, so took a long time to download). Follow this link to the route http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=270293

This will direct you to the Good Run Guide website, where you can do all sorts of things:
click on the "Full Screen" button in the top right corner to get a larger version of the map
click on the + or - buttons in the top left corner to zoom in or out
use the "Map Type" spindown box to see it as a footpath, satellite map or other options
check the "Show Hill Profile" box to see how hilly the route is
click the little "Running Man" icon to animate the route (show the direction of running)
click on the "Pace" button (top right corner below the Full Screen button) to see how long it should take at different pace.
I estimate that the run should take about 50 min. base on 11:30 min miles, taking into account that there is 152 metres climb, which makes it equivalent to just over 5 miles flat equivalent.

See you Wednesday

Social Bike Ride - 26 May
Jen and I have firmed up on the proposed route for the ride on 26 May (subject to sussing out the pub at Elmley Castle, which has only recently opened after being semi-closed for a few years - alternatives are available).

Follow this link to see the route (see "Wednesday night Jog-trot" for instructions on how to use it):
http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RouteViewer.asp?RouteType=S&RouteID=270016

It actually works out at about 40 miles and the planned pace is 10 m.p.h. (6 min/mile), but it is pretty flat, so any jogger who has a bike should not have a problem. We can make the ride longer / shorter on the day, to suite, or even split it up if necessary.

Start from Malvern St. James sports hall at 10:30 (or 10:15 at our place if you prefer) and the ride should be about 4 hours + lunch.

Let me know if you want to come along.

geoff.field@lineone.net

Summer Solstice Run
From Sundance Paul .....
After the brilliant success of last year when Kester Wilkinson kindly invited the Malvern Joggers for a Summer Solstice run we are all looking to recreate it again this year !!
So on Thursday 21st June, at 4am The Malvern Joggers are jogging from the Hollybush via Midsummer hill and the obelisk to see the Solstice sunrise on British Camp. bacon sandwiches and cup of tea on the top and then a gentle jog back to the hollybush car park. if you fancy coming drop a note here so we order enough bacon. You can then all go to work feeling smug. Hopefully Kester will be joining us this year otherwise we will have to organise our own catering.
NB you will need to confirm attendance on the Malvern Joggers event Facebook page or by E Mailing paul@newman8840.fslife.co.uk
Sunrise is @ 5.14 am!

Race Reports

Crowle Races 13/5/12 by Stuart Brown
This morning we had a great turnout of both junior and senior Malvern Joggers for the tenth Crowle 10k which took place in brilliant sunshine.
The junior race involved a score or more juniors enjoying the competition, who were enthusiastically supported by the crowd. Without exception they paced themselves well on the four laps of the mile event.
This was probably as good a turnout of MJs at Crowle as we’ve ever had. Several MJs won prizes and as usual the ladies outshone the men. This is what I think we won:-
Vikki Sivertsen was the 3rd lady overall and was the fastest female vet in 41:09.
Alison Owens was the second vet lady to finish and was awarded the 1st prize for female vets (because they only give 1 prize per person!).
Kareen Mann was the 3rd female vet 50 to finish.
Phil Jackson was first male in the 60 and over category in 41.50 and
Barry Swindells was 3rd in the category.
There were also plenty of PB’s.
Thanks to everyone for being such good sports, encouraging and supporting one another.
Thanks, Stuart

MJ Juniors at Crowle 10K by Andy Dickenson
Well done to the 20 odd MJ Juniors who turned out today for the 1 mile junior race at Crowle. 4 lung busting laps of the playing field were completed with the incentive of a goody bag at the finish! Not sure all listened to the wise advice of their coaches about not going off too fast, but who amongst has never done that? Special mention to the 2 Ellens (Wikeley and Staniforth) who were 1st and 3rd in the girl’s race with Ellen W running some much older lads close right up to the line. Lovely to have so much support from the seniors for the young runners and they were delighted to return the compliment for all those in the 10K. Next up the 5k at Acorns. See you all there!
Thanks, Andy

Hereford Half Marathon 13/5/12 by Chris Barker
I would have done Crowle and Hereford but unfortunately this year they fell on the same day.
I thought if I’m putting my kit on for a race I might as well do a Half Marathon as do 6 miles so off I went to Hereford. I’ve done Crowle nine times over the years so no harm giving it a rest. It is the scene on my 10K PB, so it’s one of my favourites and I will be back.
As I suspected not a lot of other MJs at Hereford, just one in fact, a bare-footed Lucy Prosser who I met up with just past the Crocodile 8 race HQ at roughly the halfway point. Thirteen miles is a long way without any footwear. I hope you got to the finish OK Lucy!
The race starts on the main road outside the Leisure Centre and finishes on the adjacent race course where the last half mile involves running on the all-weather horse gallop. There was not a lot of horse power in my performance although I managed to keep the two hour half marathon at bay with a 1.53 something.
All finishers received a t-shirt for the collection, another one that fits, I’m on a roll!
A message for our race committee, I gave out all of the MJ 10K race entry forms I was given.

Forthcoming Events -
Stratford's Big 10k 2012 - Sunday 9th September 2012
ENTRY NOW OPEN!!!
Perfectly placed after what will hopefully be a fantastic Olympic Games, this excellent 10K race should meet all your running and athletic ambitions. Motivation should not be a problem!!
We can't guarantee it'll be a gold but you will get a medal (plus Race T-Shirt and "Goodie" Bag) for completing the beautiful course that takes in both the countryside around Stratford and the Town itself as you run past the newly refurbished Theatre. This improved course now starts and finishes on Stratford Recreation Ground which means you get the moderately undulating part of the race done in the first 4K followed by the flatter second half.
With a mystery guest coming to start the race (more details to be announced!!) this is one race not to miss.
Entries are already coming in thick and fast so don't delay - bag yourself an entry today!!!

Acorns Triple Run 2012 including the Malvern Half Marathon - Sunday 24th June
Are you available to run or to volunteer on the day?
From Sarah Grout I do hope that as a club you will give this, our LOCAL event, your full support if you happen to be available. Of course not everyone wants to run a Half Marathon - and there are the wonderful 5K Spring Run and 1K Chicken Run (for people with special needs) events too, hence the 'Triple Run'. The event is intended to be fully inclusive. I am proud to have been one of the founder organisers of the event when friends of ours lost their son, aged 8, to a brain tumour. They wanted to thank Acorns Children's Hospice for the support they had provided and got a group of us Mums together to organise a fun run designed to be fully inclusive and which would help to break down the barriers between able-bodied and disabled people. The three runs start and finish under the same archway and everybody gets the same medal regardless of 1K, 5K or 13.1 miles. It is open to male and female, young and old and of course the 1K is suited to wheelchair users and the 5K suited to pushchairs, albeit woodland. Some of you may know 'Mick and Phil' who run the Half Marathon every year with the wheelchair too.
If you and your family don't wish to run but have spare time, we are on the look out for volunteers. 300 volunteers are needed that morning to help with marshalling, handing out medals, bananas, water, etc etc. over 3 runs. There are jobs which require people for between roughly 2 and 4 hours so it won't take up the whole day. Me and my daughter Briony are seeking volunteers for the event and have a list going if you feel you might be able to help. Email me on sarahsgrout@aol.com .
I have entry forms in the shop (The Malvern Event Organiser) or you can register to run online at
http://www.acorns.org.uk/triplerun
Thank you, Grouty

MJs Champions League
Race selected for the competition up to the end of May is:-
20th May - Tewkesbury Half Marathon

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tues 15/5 Speed Training 5.45pm Morrison’s
Wed 16/5 Club Night – Gullet Quarry car park 7pm
Sat 19/5 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL) & 5 Mile Fun Run
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K -Hereford
Fri 25/5 Olympic Torch through Malvern
Sat 26/5 Social Bike Ride - see Geoff Field
Sun 27/5 Dymock Half Marathon
Fri 1/6 Severn Challenge - Worcester
Sun 3/6 Crocodile 8 (CL)
Sun 3/6 Fairford 10K - Glos
Sun 10/6 Ross-On-Wye 10K
Wed 13/6 Malvern Joggers 10K
Sat 16/6 Humph’s Hilly Half (Bourton-on-the-Water)
Sun 17/6 Darren’s Dash - Hereford
Thu 21/6 Summer Solstice Run – meet Hollybush 4am
Fri 22/6 Blakedown Bolt - Kidderminster
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run 1/2M & 5K – Three Counties Showground, Malvern (CL)
Sun 24/6 Worcester Race for Life 5K
Sun 24/6 Whitbourne Hall Challenge – 5 Miles
Sat 30/6 BPJs Summer Ball – Worcs CCC "Posh Frocks & Black Tie" with charity auction. All MJs invited.
Sat 30/6 Stratford Summer Six
Sat 30/6 Gord’s 6 – Sugwas, Herefordshire
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Sat 14/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 06 May 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Cardiac Risk Assessment
From Geoff Field ..... I am sure you will all have heard of the tragic death of Claire Squires during this year's London Marathon. Apparently she had a cardiac arrhythmia, which she knew about but competed anyway. This is just one of several cases recently of apparently fit young athletes collapsing as a result of cardiac problems. In light of this the following message from England Athletics may be of interested to Joggers between the ages of 14 and 35:-

England Athletics, UKA and the other home country governing bodies are alert to our responsibilities to all participants in athletics in respect of all aspects of health and safety. One particular area that young athletes and their parents must be aware of is the risk of cardiac problems.
There have been instances of young athletes suffering potentially fatal heart conditions without being aware that they are at risk.
England Athletics would like to make you aware of a piece of work that has been undertaken by UKA. UKA has worked with Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) for several years, providing a screening service to athletes on the World Class Performance Programme. UKA and CRY are now seeking to encourage more athletes to use CRY’s screening service to help to identify any cardiac problems that may be otherwise hidden.
CRY is a charity that was established to raise awareness of conditions that can lead to the sudden cardiac death of young people. They operate a screening programme at a number of clinics around the UK and support this with mobile units that travel to other locations.
Full information about CRY and their services can be found on their website at http://www.c-r-y.org.uk. Young people between the age of 14 and 35 who would like to have cardiac testing can go to http://www.testmyheart.org.
You can also see http://www.uka.org.uk/governance/health-safety/cardiac-screening-for-athletes/ for information on work being done by UKA in this area.

Wednesday night at Gullet Quarry
From Geoff - Attached is the route for the Jog-Trot run on Wednesday night. This week I have saved it in .pdf format, so any of you who have had problems opening previous route maps should be O.K. with this one (provided you have Adobe Reader or equivalent installed on your computer - this is a free download available from http://www.adobe.com/downloads ).
The route is 5.1 miles, mostly off road, with a total height climb of 133 metres, which makes it equivalent to a 5.6 mile flat run. It should take about an hour.

Summer 10K PB Training
With Jayne Ackroyd ..... Now that the spring marathon season is drawing to a close, the PBs are in the bag and the celebrations are done, its time to turn our thoughts to a summer 10k PB!
I'm starting an 8 week 10k speed training programme this week, aimed at the Evesham 10k.
Meet at 5:45, Morrisons on Tues 8th May.
All welcome, see you there!

Social Bike Ride - 26 May
From Geoff - Jen and I are planning a bike ride on Saturday 26 May, with the emphasis on the social aspects of the ride (gentle pace - about 10 m.p.h. - and a pub lunch stop, possibly at Elmley Castle).
Route and timings are yet to be decided, but if you can let me know if you are interested - geoff.field@lineone.net - I'll let you have the details.

Summer Solstice Run
After the brilliant success of last year when Kester Wilkinson kindly invited the Malvern Joggers for a Summer Solstice run we are all looking to recreate it again this year !!
So on Thursday 21st June, at 4am The Malvern Joggers are jogging from the Hollybush via Midsummer hill and the obelisk to see the Solstice sunrise on British Camp. bacon sandwiches and cup of tea on the top and then a gentle jog back to the hollybush car park. if you fancy coming drop a note here so we order enough bacon. You can then all go to work feeling smug. Hopefully Kester will be joining us this year otherwise we will have to organise our own catering.
NB you will need to confirm attendance on the Malvern Joggers event Facebook page or by E Mailing paul@newman8840.fslife.co.uk
Sunrise is @ 5.14 am!

Membership
Also From Geoff ....The England Athletics registration began on 1 April and all member’s registration fees have to be paid by the end of June. If you have not already renewed your Malvern Joggers subscription, please do so before the end of May so that I can process it ahead of the deadline.
If you have not renewed your membership by the end of May, I will notify England Athletics that you have resigned from the club and you will no longer be eligible to enter events as an affiliated member.

Race Report
Malvern Hills Ultra 5/5/12 by Brummie Lynda
Yesterday, Ginny Sharp, Paul Newman, Viv Tolley, Megz, Andy Banham, Claire Gilbert, Ian Layden and I did he Malvern hills ultra as a relay team Ginny Sharp and I did the first leg together and though roughly enjoyed it then the whole team did the final leg together it's a really well organised event with drinks and snacks at all check points and pasta and soup at the finish I would recommend this event to everyone especially for the wonderful scenery.
Thanks, Lynda

Crowle 10K To all our runners at this event.....
From Lisa Dainty - Crowle races next week - we will have a group of MJ juniors running. Junior races start at 10.30 if you are racing yourself it would be great if you came a little earlier to support our youngsters.

Forthcoming Events -
The Crocodile 8 – Sunday 3/6/12
From the organiser’s - We are contacting you to remind you that the Crocodile 8 Multi Terrain Race is only 4 weeks away!!
What an amazing way to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee!!
Whilst we are accepting entries on the day, we strongly recommend that anyone wishing to take part in this race should send the completed entry form (attatched) to us in order to guarantee their place.
New to this years race is our 'Junior Croc' aimed at senior school aged children (11-15 yrs). 1.9 miles, starting at the rear of the main race and following the same route past the church and through the orchard, the Junior Croc breaks away from the main route at Court Farm to return to the finish at the school. Junior school aged children can take part in our Mini Croc races at 2pm on the school grounds.
Further race information, course map and previous race results can be found on our website which is www.crocodile8.org.uk.
The gents record was, again smashed last year by Luke Mason of Wye Valley Runners in 49.30mins. The general pace has increased considerably in recent years with 31 runners achieving the hallowed sub 60 mins goal (over 50% of those being in vet categories!) Perhaps our recent rainfall will slow the pace somewhat this year!
The ladies record (set in 2005 by Lisa Dent 54.26 mins) still remains intact, perhaps somebody from your club will be able to beat it!
We would be grateful if you could pass this e-mail onto your club members and perhaps add the race to your fixtures list, there is always a great atmosphere both during the race and afterwards at The Bell Inn, Tillington where the prizes are presented and a post race party!
Thank you in advance for your support of this great event, we look forward to seeing you there.
The Crocodile 8 Committee

Aldridge Running Club 10k – 17/6/12
From the organiser’s - We would like to remind you about The Aldridge Running Club 10k Race/Fun Run this year, so we're sending you a copy of the Race entry form. The 10k Race, 4.3k Fun Run and Children's Race will take place on Sunday 17th June 2012. Please note that there are NO 10k entries on the day.
You can enter by completing the attached booking form and returning to the Race Entry Secretary via the postal address on the form.
We hope to see you at the race on the 17th June.
Kind Regards, Heather

Tamworth Gate Gallop – 1/7/12
I help organise the Gate Gallop which once again this year is raising funds for St Giles Hospice. It is also this year part of the Burton District Summer League so hopefully will be better than ever. The 10K is different to most other runs in that it is completely off road, running on tracks and trails with a few gates and stiles included for good measure. It really is something different and always great great feedback.
I have taken the liberty of attaching an entry form and it would be great if you could include us in your Race Calendar. Best wishes, Pete, 07802196323

Swimming Group
With Alison Hughes - Are any of you Joggers up for some cross training to compliment your running? Or maybe you want to improve your swimming fitness for a triathlon? I'd really like to get a swimming group together starting next month because I'm sick of training on my own!
A typical session would be about 50 / 60 mins potentially on a Friday about 6pm. Sessions would be something like a total of 1800m to 2k but it would be really varied and include all strokes (eg 400m w/u, 4x100m swims, 800m of pyramids, 200m kick, 200m w/d). You could dip in and out though, choose your own stroke and most importantly take things at your own pace. Let me know if you're up for it email ... alison1975@hotmail.com

Acorns Triple Run 2012 including the Malvern Half Marathon - Sunday 24th June
Are you available to run or to volunteer on the day?

MJs Champions League
Races selected for the competition up to the end of May are:-
13th May - Crowle 10k
20th May - Tewkesbury Half Marathon
Please enter well in advance as some of them fill up very quickly.

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tues 8/5 Speed Training 5.45pm Morrison’s
Wed 9/5 Club Night – Gullet Quarry car park 7pm
Sat 12/5 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 13/5 Hereford Half Marathon
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 13/5 Bromsgrove 10K
Sun 13/5 Linda Franks 5 Mile - Cheltenham
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL) & 5 Mile Fun Run
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K -Hereford
Fri 25/5 Olympic Torch through Malvern
Sat 26/5 Social Bike Ride - see Geoff Field
Sun 27/5 Dymock Half Marathon
Fri 1/6 Severn Challenge - Worcester
Sun 3/6 Crocodile 8 (CL)
Sun 3/6 Fairford 10K - Glos
Sun 10/6 Ross-On-Wye 10K
Wed 13/6 Malvern Joggers 10K
Sat 16/6 Humph’s Hilly Half (Bourton-on-the-Water)
Sun 17/6 Darren’s Dash - Hereford
Thu 21/6 Summer Solstice Run – meet Hollybush 4am
Fri 22/6 Blakedown Bolt - Kidderminster
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run 1/2M & 5K – Three Counties Showground, Malvern (CL)
Sun 24/6 Worcester Race for Life 5K
Sun 24/6 Whitbourne Hall Challenge – 5 Miles
Sat 30/6 BPJs Summer Ball – Worcs CCC "Posh Frocks & Black Tie" with charity auction. All MJs invited.
Sat 30/6 Stratford Summer Six
Sat 30/6 Gord’s 6 – Sugwas, Herefordshire
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Sat 14/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 29 April 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Some Notices from Stuart.......

Malvern Joggers Race
Thanks to everyone who has volunteered to help with our race on Wednesday 13th June. We expect to confirm who does what this week.
Now we need MJs to enter the race so that we can show a good long list on the race website.

2013 Virgin London Marathon
The on-line ballot opens at 9.00 am this Monday, 30th April. The ballot places usually go extremely quickly, usually within 24 – 36 hours so don’t forget.

Two from Geoff .....

Wednesday Night Jog-Trot Group
The route for this week's run from British Camp is attached. We are back in the hills this week and some of you will be familiar with this route, as we have done it before. But it is a good run with 137 metres of climbing and a flat equivalent distance of 5.8 miles.

Social Bike Ride - 26 May
Jen and I are planning a bike ride on Saturday 26 May, with the emphasis on the social aspects of the ride (gentle pace - about 10 m.p.h. - and a pub lunch stop, possibly at Elmley Castle).
Route and timings are yet to be decided, but if you can let me know if you are interested - geoff.field@lineone.net - I'll let you have the details.

Race Reports – London Marathon 2012

From Andy Blannin - This was my second London marathon. Everything went well for me such that I took 18 minutes off my PB. A PB is always good, but I was a bit frustrated I didn’t achieve my ultimate goal of running sub 3 hours; missing this target by 2 minutes. I guess that means I’ll be back next year! Looking back I think I went off quickly at the start (as planned to get some space), but then got carried away, forgetting to ease back, and went through the first 10-12 miles too quickly, which later came back to bite! Consequently the last 6 miles were purgatory. The atmosphere at London is always very special, but I would like to say a huge thankyou to all the MJs who cheered around the course – I appreciated this very much; Ron and Phil kept appearing at many places, shouting for all their worth, thanks all MJs for your support. Also, thanks to everyone that has helped share the training, in particular Andy Dickenson, who did all of the long runs with me – I owe you a beer. Tackling stairs was a challenge on Monday and Tuesday, but my legs were significantly better by Wednesday. I’m looking forward to catching up with everyone on Wednesday evenings.
Thanks, Andy

From Stuart Brown - This was my 11th London marathon, it’s definitely my favourite, the atmosphere is electric.
Please understand that I’m not really competitive but for the last few years I’ve been dreaming of achieving a ‘good for age’ time. For men between 41 and 59 it’s 3hrs 15 minutes to get into London. Dream on! I’m now reconciled to the fact that the only way that I stand a chance is to get older, at 60 the target for London is 3:30.
The coach dropped us off at the start at 7.30. Trips to the toilets were well timed and I avoided drinking too much in the next 2¼ hours before the start so no time was lost to pee on route. From pen three it took less than a minute to cross the line. The first mile was still very congested and took half a minute longer that planned. As usual the next 3 miles were then too fast before I settled into a steady pace of 7:50 m/m to reach half way at about 1:42. I took gels every 5 miles from mile 10 and drank all the Lucozade Sport I was offered.
From 17 miles it became much harder, but by now it was much less obvious from following the Garmin average pace. Mile 19 was in the wilderness and my pace slowed by a minute per mile, to well over 9 m/m. Like most runners the next few miles felt really hard and you just have grit your teeth and keep going. Coming along the embankment I perked up and the possibility of my target 3:27 seemed achievable and I picked up the pace. A marvellous thing the human body, mile 25 was just below 7m/m. Where did that come from?
How far is a marathon? I know the majority of runners end up doing more than the 26. 2 mile marathon distance. This year I did my best to take the racing line and stay close to the blue marked line where I could. I still managed to clock an extra 0.25 mile by the end of the race, which added another couple of minutes.
Many thanks to Cathy for lending me her Garmin, it was really useful. I’ll be in front of my PC at 9 am tomorrow ready to enter the ballot for 2013.
Thanks, Stuart

From Vikki Sivertsen - This was my 6th marathon, my 3rd London, and it really was one of the best days of my life. I finished in 3:21:23, Not a marathon PB, but a London PB by a long way. It was also the first time I had managed to finish London with a cramp crippling me. There really is nothing like the London marathon and this year was phenomenal in my opinion. The support was incredible, and what a host of MJ’s we had cheering us on. I saw Ron Rich and Phil 3 times, Ginny and family A couple of times and Roodie twice too. I know there were others but I didn’t spot you sorry. What a great job they did. Personally I cannot fault the day, I smiled all the way round and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. Massive thanks to Ron who always makes sure i am in the right place at the right time! and to Rich for capturing some great moments with his camera.
Thanks, Vikki

Forthcoming Event - Whitebrook Wind-Up Half Marathon 20/5/12
From the Organisers - Please do look at the details of the second Whitebrook Wind-Up Half Marathon being run on May 20th. The course is only 13 miles from the Severn Bridge - very accessible. We had nearly 200 runners last year, and we're looking to get to 300 in 2012.
We had some great feedback from runners last year - you can see it all, and many photographs and videos from last year's event at www.whitebrookwind-up.com. We hope to see you on May 20th - do circulate this email to your running colleagues and friends! Best wishes, Matthew Hall (Race Organiser)

From Geoff ....
Chepstow Challenge
On 19 August I am organising a 100 mile cycle ride from Malvern to Chepstow and back via Monmouth, the Severn Bridge and Gloucester. The distance is 100 miles (well, 105 actually) and the challenge is to ride it in under 8 hours, excluding a lunch stop at The White Hart at Littleton-on-Severn.
It is not a race, but it is more than a social ride - pretty much like an Audax really. The route is mainly on quiet roads, with a couple of sections of disused railway and canal towpath, but it perfectly suitable for road bikes. Mountain bikes are definitely not recommended.
Jenny will provide motorised back-up along the route and at the lunch stop.
No prizes, other than the satisfaction of doing it.
Let me know if you are interested by email to mailto:geoff.field@lineone.net or at a Wednesday night club meeting.
Membership
The England Athletics registration began on 1 April and all member’s registration fees have to be paid by the end of June. If you have not already renewed your Malvern Joggers subscription, please do so before the end of May so that I can process it ahead of the deadline.
If you have not renewed your membership by the end of May, I will notify England Athletics that you have resigned from the club and you will no longer be eligible to enter events as an affiliated member.

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 2/5 Club Night – British Camp car park 7pm
Sat 5/5 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Wed 9/5 Hereford Couriers 5K
Sun 13/5 Hereford Half Marathon
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 13/5 Bromsgrove 10K
Sun 13/5 Linda Franks 5 Mile - Cheltenham
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL) & 5 Mile Fun Run
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K (Hereford)
Fri 25/5 Olympic Torch through Malvern
Sun 27/5 Dymock Half Marathon
Fri 1/6 Severn Challenge - Worcester
Sun 3/6 Crocodile 8 (CL)
Sun 3/6 Fairford 10K - Glos
Sun 10/6 Ross-On-Wye 10K
Wed 13/6 Malvern Joggers 10K
Sat 16/6 Humph’s Hilly Half (Bourton-on-the-Water)
Sun 17/6 Darren’s Dash - Hereford
Fri 22/6 Blakedown Bolt - Kidderminster
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run 1/2M & 5K – Three Counties Showground, Malvern (CL)
Sun 24/6 Worcester Race for Life 5K
Sun 24/6 Whitbourne Hall Challenge – 5 Miles
Sat 30/6 BPJs Summer Ball – Worcs CCC "Posh Frocks & Black Tie" with charity auction. All MJs invited.
Sat 30/6 Stratford Summer Six
Sat 30/6 Gord’s 6 – Sugwas, Herefordshire
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Sat 14/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 13/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 22 April 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Well done to our runners in today’s London Marathon. Some exceptional times were recorded, as follows ...
(These are the ones I have found on the LM website, apologies if I’ve missed anyone).........

Emma Gooderham 02:46:55
Tony Bennet 03:36:06
Stuart Brown 03:29:11
Julie Caseley 03:57:49
Graham Cramp 04:02:35
Amanda Dawson 04:00:48
Paul Durnall 03:30:05
Clare Hill 04:33:15
Megan Judge 03:52:36
Paul Newman 03:39:56
Vikki Sivertsen 03:21:23
Andrew Staniforth 03:18:37
Andy Blannin 03:02:02
Jo Tustin 05:39:07

Our First London Marathon report is from Emma Gooderham ......
After Gloucester marathon in January when I got an injury, I had to stop running for 6 weeks. I was due to go out to South Africa for the two oceans ultra, but this scuppered my plans. In hindsight I had entered london as a back up, but a few weeks ago this even looked doubtful as my injury flared up again when I resumed training and another injury reared! So all strapped up and not knowing what would happen I again couldn't resist today, deciding friday to actually do it. So glad I went as forgot how wonderful this marathon is. I started off with no plan and after 5 miles of 6 min pace thought blimey must slow down a bit! Stayed at a comfy 6.30 ish pace and then last 6 pushed to average 6.19 pace overall and a time of 2.47.55. A PB on this course (although not a marathon PB) and 6th woman home from the masses field. Injuries ached but don't think any further damage. Well chuffed, but what made it special was those lovely MJs supporting, it really did help, if just for a while. All other MJ's running will no doubt give their own story, but they all did fantastically as far as I can see. London really is fantastic. Em

Would all our other LM runners like to send me a report (or a few lines) for the Club News to let us all know what their London Marathon experience was like? - Chris

Four Items from Geoff ....
Walking Party
Our next club outing is a walk on the edges of the Forest of Dean on Saturday 5 May
The walk is about 12½ miles, with a lunch stop at about 9½ miles. The plan is to rendezvous at Waitrose car park in Malvern (I will arrange free parking) at 7:30 for car sharing and a 7:45 departure (coffee at our place for early birds). The drive to Redbrook (6 miles south of Monmouth ) takes 1 hr, parking in P&D car park on right as you get into Redbrook. Depart Redbrook at 9:00 for St Briavels via Offa's Dyke path. Coffee stop (bring your own coffee & cake) in St. Briavels and on to Newland for lunch at the Ostrich Inn (http://theostrichinn.com ) at 13:15.
Gentle stagger (downhill - promise!) for about 45 min back to car park for return to Malvern.
Route map is available at http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5404388
Please let me know if you want to join us, so I can confirm numbers with the Ostrich.
mailto:geoff.field@lineone.net

Chepstow Challenge
On 19 August I am organising a 100 mile cycle ride from Malvern to Chepstow and back via Monmouth, the Severn Bridge and Gloucester. The distance is 100 miles (well, 105 actually) and the challenge is to ride it in under 8 hours, excluding a lunch stop at The White Hart at Littleton-on-Severn.
It is not a race, but it is more than a social ride - pretty much like an Audax really. The route is mainly on quiet roads, with a couple of sections of disused railway and canal towpath, but it perfectly suitable for road bikes. Mountain bikes are definitely not recommended.
Jenny will provide motorised back-up along the route and at the lunch stop.
No prizes, other than the satisfaction of doing it.
Let me know if you are interested by email to mailto:geoff.field@lineone.net or at a Wednesday night club meeting.

Wednesday Night Jog-Trot Group
For a change this week the route is nice and flat - only 36 metres of climbing compared to 165! metres last week, so I have upped the distance to 5.2 miles, although, as usual, I have some options if we are falling behind
This week I am attaching the route map as a word document. which makes it easier for me and, I hope, gives a reasonable idea of the planned route. Grateful for your feedback if you prefer the link to gmap-pedometer which I have used before.

Membership
The England Athletics registration began on 1 April and all member’s registration fees have to be paid by the end of June. If you have not already renewed your Malvern Joggers subscription, please do so before the end of May so that I can process it ahead of the deadline.
If you have not renewed your membership by the end of May, I will notify England Athletics that you have resigned from the club and you will no longer be eligible to enter events as an affiliated member.

Some Notices from Stuart
Helpers for our race. Thank you, we have had great support from Joggers and their families to help at our Race on 13th June. We are finalising the list of who does what and expect to let everyone know their jobs in the next few days.
Runners in our race. Now we need as many MJs as possible to enter the race so that we can quickly get a good list of names up on the website. So please get your race entries to Jerry ASAP.
Race fliers . Jerry Greer and I have a stock of fliers if you are going to a local race in the next month or so.

An Invitation to all Malvern Joggers
From Elaine at Bricycles - I would like to invite all the Malvern Joggers to an open evening at Bricycles. I know that quite a few joggers are also keen cyclist and would like them to come and see some of the good things we are trying to do for Malvern and its community. Also apart from the joggers, Malvern seems to struggle with social events!! If you are able to pass on the invite I would be very grateful. Many Thanks Tanya
Event April 26th 4.30 to 8pm
Bricycles CIC is having an open evening and bike jumble. We would like to show our customers and supporters the new showroom, our new products and services. It will be an opportunity to find out more about us and our
future plans.
This year we have been promoting the importance of cycling being assessable to everyone and would like you to come and see our all ability cycles, such as our wheelchair tandem.
We will be open on the 26th April as normal and then will close late for you to share a glass of wine and a small bite to eat.
Please feel free to invite friends and colleagues. We will discount any bikes and parts ordered on that evening with pleasure at 10%
We would like to promote our recycling effort and thank everyone for their support during 2011 Look forward to seeing you.
This event is being held at Bricycles, 271 Worcester Road, Malvern WR14 1AA.
Please RSVP to elaine@bricycles.co.uk or telephone 01684 577238

Can you help? We need lots more marshals for our race. Many thanks to those Joggers who have already volunteered to help on race night on Wednesday 13th June. Check your diaries and please volunteer to help if you are free, particularly if you ran last year. Please e-mail stuart@malvernjoggers.co.uk if you can help and include your e-mail and phone number.

Herefordshire Summer Off Road League 2012 - Summer Dates
20 June Aconbury
4 July Kinnersley
18 July Westhope
1 August Shobdon
All races are on Wednesdays and start at 7.15pm.
Please let me know if interested in taking part. Jonathan (079 7416 8577 or green.jonathan@virgin.net)

MJ Social Event
Jules and Steve R are planning a Paella night at 17 Lower Howsell road on Saturday 16th June, we would like to get an idea of numbers so we can plan ahead. If you are interested please e-mail Jules or myself at jem_0410@yahoo.co.uk or steveroode1@yahoo.co.uk
We plan to charge £5 per person and bring your own booze - it should be a late night to take advantage of the long summer evening.
Cheers Jules and Steve

Marathon Talk - Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.com By runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 25/4 Club Night – Swan Pub - Newland 7pm
Thu 26/4 Open Evening – Bricycles 4.30 to 8pm
Sat 28/4 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 29/4 Shakespeare Half & Full Marathon
Wed 2/5 DK10K – Dudley Kingswinford
Sat 5/5 MJs Walking Group (Forest-of-Dean) See Geoff
Wed 9/5 Hereford Couriers 5K
Sun 13/5 Hereford Half Marathon
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 13/5 Bromsgrove 10K
Sun 13/5 Linda Franks 5 Mile - Cheltenham
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL) & 5 Mile Fun Run
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K (Hereford)
Fri 25/5 Olympic Torch through Malvern
Sun 27/5 Dymock Half Marathon
Fri 1/6 The Severn Challenge - Worcester
Sun 3/6 Crocodile 8 (CL)
Sun 3/6 Fairford 10K - Glos
Sun 10/6 Ross-On-Wye 10K
Wed 13/6 Malvern Joggers 10K
Sat 16/6 Humph’s Hilly Half (Bourton-on-the-Water)
Sun 17/6 Darren’s Dash - Hereford
Fri 22/6 Blakedown Bolt - Kidderminster
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run 1/2M & 5K – Three Counties Showground, Malvern (CL)
Sun 24/6 Worcester Race for Life 5K
Sun 24/6 Whitbourne Hall Challenge – 5 Miles
Sat 30/6 BPJs Summer Ball – Worcs CCC "Posh Frocks & Black Tie" with charity auction. All MJs invited.
Sat 30/6 Stratford Summer Six
Sat 30/6 Gord’s 6 – Sugwas, Herefordshire
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Sat 14/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 19/8 Chepstow Challenge 100 mile Cycle Ride – See Geoff
Sat 15/9 Alderton 5K
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
Sat 27/10 Snowdonia Marathon
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 15 April 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Some Notices from our Chairman Stuart
Helpers for our race. Thank you, we have had great support from Joggers and their families to help at our Race on 13th June. We are finalising the list of who does what and expect to let everyone know their jobs in the next few days.
Runners in our race. Now we need as many MJs as possible to enter the race so that we can quickly get a good list of names up on the website. So please get your race entries to Jerry ASAP.
Race fliers went out today at Worcester and Eastnor. Jerry Greer and I have a stock of fliers if you are going to a local race in the next month or so.
Marathons this weekend. Gill McCann is in Rotterdam marathon. Sim Foreman and one mystery MJ have entered the Worcester marathon.
Good luck to everyone in the London Marathon next Sunday. The most recent list I have is 14 MJs :- Julie Caseley, Megan Judge, Vikki Sivertsen, Jayne Ackroyd, Jo Tustin, Amanda Dawson, Tony Bennet, Graham Cramp, Andy Blannin, Paul and Jude Newman, Stuart Brown, Bert Lacey and Andrew Staniforth.

Two Items from our Secretary Geoff
Membership
The England Athletics registration began on 1 April and all member’s registration fees have to be paid by the end of June. If you have not already renewed your Malvern Joggers subscription, please do so before the end of May so that I can process it ahead of the deadline.
If you have not renewed your membership by the end of May, I will notify England Athletics that you have resigned from the club and you will no longer be eligible to enter events as an affiliated member.
Jog-Trot Wednesday Run
For any of you wanting to join the Jog-Trot group from Swinyard car park / Gullet Quarry on Wednesday, here is a link to the planned route:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5395531
The route is about 3½ miles, but there is a bit of climbing (157 metres in total), so the flat equivalent distance is just over 4 miles and it should take about 45 mins. There is an optional 10 min. extension near the end if anyone feels up for it.

And ....more from Geoff
Jog-Trot Wednesday Run
For any of you wanting to join the Jog-Trot group from West of England carpark, here is a link to the planned route:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com?r=5408851
The route is about 4½ miles, but there is a bit of climbing, so the flat equivalent distance is about 5 miles and it should take about 55 mins. although there is a shortcut at the end if we are behind time.
Look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, Geoff
Geoff's Cheptow Challenge
And also ..... Geoff’s on his bike .....
Here's one for you cyclists out there.
On 19 August I am organising a 100 mile ride from Malvern to Cheptow and back via Monmouth, the Severn Bridge and Gloucester. The distance is 100 miles (well, 105 actually) and the challenge is to ride it in under 8 hours, excluding a lunch stop at The White Hart at Littleton-on-Severn.
It is not a race, but it is more than a social ride. The route is mainly on quiet roads, with a couple of sections of disused railway and canal towpath, but it perfectly suitable for road bikes. Mountain bikes are definitely not recommended.
Jenny will provide motorised back-up along the route and at the lunch stop.
No prizes, other than the satisfaction of doing it.
Let me know if you are interested by email to geoff.field@lineone.net or at a Wednesday night club meeting.

Race Reports
The Magnificent Eastnor Seven, 15/4/12 by Julie Caseley
Well done to everyone this morning who tackled the nearly 7 mile course at the Deer Park on the Eastnor Castle Estate. The course was described as undulating but you can't get to the Obelisk without a hill or two. A very challenging route so fantastic effort by everyone who completed it. A lovely glass momento at the finish and a doughnut - who could ask for more.
Well done to Jon Newey who was 3rd to finish and to Malvern Joggers ladies who won the team prize - Julie M,
Kareen M and myself. Hope you like white wine girls!
Thanks, Julie

Worcester Half Marathon 15/4/12 by Chris Barker
The last Worcester Half was run in 1996 so it’s been away for a long time. It was my very first race where I discovered that this running lark can be very hard work if you don’t do any training first. Fast forward sixteen years and here I am again, same event but different organisers and location. This time it was based at Sixways, Worcester Rugby Club not Hylton Road.
The course appeared to be inspired by the Droitwich Half Marathon which was run 6 weeks previously over much of the same country lanes. Not that I am complaining as it made for a very pleasant run with a fair amount of sunshine to make the chilly temperatures a bit more bearable. Not a lot of MJs in this so some of our Sunday morning racers could have been at Eastnor. The results are now on the Threshold Events website where I see I finished a battling 348th of 758 in 1.53.39 so I failed to trouble the winner with his 1.13 something. Other runners with Malvern Joggers after their names are Sim Foreman, Lucy Prosser, Steve Ollis, Rebecca Pack, Val Tuckley and Alex Heuer. There was a Goody bag to collect at the finish and a race t-shirt. Mine actually fits.

Race Results
From Stuart B. - In the Rotterdam marathon Gill McCann finished in 3.55.14.
In Worcester the mystery MJ lady was Amanda Duncan who flew round in 3.36.

The Martin Rush Workshop
Just a reminder of the 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon Workshop that the Hereford and Worcester Athletics Network are holding onWednesday 2nd May. The Workshop is taking place at Stourport Sports Club and will running from 7 pm - 9pm. The Workshop costs just £5 and will include a presentation from Martin (national coach mentor) and an career outline from Holly Rush (2:37 marathon runner) and then a questions and answers session to follow.
Please have a look at the attachment and forward to all endurance running contacts within your club. Unfortunately the numbers for this Workshop are currently quite low, and the event will have to be cancelled if numbers do not increase over the next week, so please make the most of this opportunity to hear from Martin and Holly.
Many thanks, Matt Granger, Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Athletics Network Co-ordinator
Run England Activator 07597634304

Outdoor/Fit Camp Sessions
Simon one of the coaches at MSJ has organised a series of outdoor training sessions and is inviting MJs along.
Please see the attachment

Charity Appeal
From Caudwell Children - I am contacting you regarding participating in a Superhero Skydive in aid of Caudwell Children on September 2nd 2012 at Langer Airfield, Nottingham. I have attached the registration and sponsorship pack which contains all the information you need to know!
Can’t make this date or venue? Do not panic! You can Skydive in aid of Caudwell Children from one of 24 airfields across the UK on almost any date of your choice! I have attached a generic skydive pack as well, which again contains all the information you need as well as the relevant registration forms to specify a date and venue for your jump.
If you have any questions or queries then please do not hesitate to contact me.
We also have other challenge event opportunities available including abseils, zip slides, shark dives and bungee jumps, as well as overseas challenge events. Entries also open in a few weeks time for the ballot for our London Marathon 2012 places. If you would like any information on any of our other challenge event opportunities then please let me know.
Caudwell Children is a registered charity which is working to transform the lives of sick and disabled children. We act as a safety net to families providing desperately needed specialist equipment, pioneering therapies, groundbreaking treatment and family support services. You will be pleased to know 100% of the money raised will go direct to the children we help, as our Chairman and benefactor pays for the general running costs of the charity.
I look forward to hearing from you in due course.
Best Wishes, Abi Cligg, Challenge Events Coordinator, Caudwell Children
Tel: 01782 600435, Mobile: 07824339351
abigail.cligg@caudwellchildren.com www.caudwellchildren.com

Can you help? We need lots more marshals for our race. Many thanks to those Joggers who have already volunteered to help on race night on Wednesday 13th June. Check your diaries and please volunteer to help if you are free, particularly if you ran last year. Please e-mail stuart@malvernjoggers.co.uk if you can help and include your e-mail and phone number.

Save The Pheasant
The Pheasant pub at Welland is the watering hole much loved by the Malvern Joggers. Indeed it has, in the past, been the venue for the post race presentation and hospitality in the earlier years of the MJs 10K. You may have noticed that it has been closed for some time and is now starting to look shabby. We want it to be reopened but we now find it may be demolished. There is now a campaign to save it, under the heading .....
"Redevelopment or Public House?" The petition can be found at .....
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/thepheasant/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=system&utm_campaign=Send%2Bto%2BFriend
We really think this is an important cause, and we’d like to encourage you to add your signature, too. It's free and takes just a few seconds of your time.
MJ Social Event
Jules and Steve R are planning a Paella night at 17 Lower Howsell road on Saturday 16th June, we would like to get an idea of numbers so we can plan ahead. If you are interested please e-mail Jules or myself at jem_0410@yahoo.co.uk or steveroode1@yahoo.co.uk
We plan to charge £5 per person and bring your own booze - it should be a late night to take advantage of the long summer evening.
Cheers Jules and Steve

Acorns Triple Run 2012 including the Malvern Half Marathon - Sunday 24th June
Are you available to run or to volunteer on the day?
From Sarah Grout I do hope that as a club you will give this, our LOCAL event, your full support if you happen to be available. Of course not everyone wants to run a Half Marathon - and there are the wonderful 5K Spring Run and 1K Chicken Run (for people with special needs) events too, hence the 'Triple Run'. The event is intended to be fully inclusive. I am proud to have been one of the founder organisers of the event when friends of ours lost their son, aged 8, to a brain tumour. They wanted to thank Acorns Children's Hospice for the support they had provided and got a group of us Mums together to organise a fun run designed to be fully inclusive and which would help to break down the barriers between able-bodied and disabled people. The three runs start and finish under the same archway and everybody gets the same medal regardless of 1K, 5K or 13.1 miles. It is open to male and female, young and old and of course the 1K is suited to wheelchair users and the 5K suited to pushchairs, albeit woodland. Some of you may know 'Mick and Phil' who run the Half Marathon every year with the wheelchair too.
If you and your family don't wish to run but have spare time, we are on the look out for volunteers. 300 volunteers are needed that morning to help with marshalling, handing out medals, bananas, water, etc etc. over 3 runs. There are jobs which require people for between roughly 2 and 4 hours so it won't take up the whole day. Me and my daughter Briony are seeking volunteers for the event and have a list going if you feel you might be able to help. Email me on sarahsgrout@aol.com .
I have entry forms in the shop (The Malvern Event Organiser) or you can register to run online at
http://www.acorns.org.uk/triplerun
Thank you, Grouty

Marathon Talk - Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.comBy runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 18/4 Club Night – West of England Quarry car park, 7pm
Sat 21/4 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 22/4 London Marathon
Sun 22/4 Shobdon Wood 6 – Herefordshire
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 29/4 Shakespeare Half & Full Marathon
Wed 2/5 DK10K – Dudley Kingswinford
Wed 9/5 Hereford Couriers 5K
Sun 13/5 Hereford Half Marathon
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 13/5 Bromsgrove 10K
Sun 13/5 Linda Franks 5 Mile - Cheltenham
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL) & 5 Mile Fun Run
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K (Hereford)
Fri 25/5 Olympic Torch through Malvern
Sun 27/5 Dymock Half Marathon
Fri 1/6 The Severn Challenge - Worcester
Sun 3/6 Crocodile 8 (CL)
Sun 3/6 Fairford 10K - Glos
Sun 10/6 Ross-On-Wye 10K
Wed 13/6 Malvern Joggers 10K
Sat 16/6 Humph’s Hilly Half (Bourton-on-the-Water)
Sun 17/6 Darren’s dash - Hereford
Fri 22/6 Blakedown Bolt - Kidderminster
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run 1/2M & 5K – Three Counties Showground, Malvern (CL)
Sun 24/6 Worcester Race for Life 5K
Sat 30/6 BPJs Summer Ball – Worcs CCC "Posh Frocks & Black Tie" with charity auction. All MJs invited.
Sat 30/6 Stratford Summer Six
Sat 30/6 Gord’s 6 – Sugwas, Herefordshire
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Sat 14/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 8 April 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Race Reports
Cotswold Spring 10K 1/4/2012 by Diane Meakin
I travelled to Temple Guiting for the Cotswold Spring 10k this Sunday. The race is run on rural country lanes. Race instructions and the Pre-race briefing made it clear that running more than 2 abreast could lead to disqualification. This gave me hope of a top 10 finish when the field was spread across the width of the road for the first mile but sadly didn't materialise. The scenery was breathtaking as were several long drags along this undulating course. Definately Malvern Jogger territory. No-one passed this jogger going uphill although some cheeky mare did so on one of the downhill stretches. I took her on the next uphill stretch and didn't see her again. I finished 59th and 8th in my age group (No I,m not about to disclose what that is) in a time of 52.47. I was looking for better but needed more company to stretch me. The finish was in the field outside the village hall which doubled as the car park. Everyone was in after about 1hr 30 and so their was good support for the prise giving. I obviously thought about contesting the results but didn't have photographic evidence of the first mile. Next year I will carry my camera phone.
Thanks, Diane

Outdoor/Fit Camp Sessions
Simon one of the coaches at MSJ has organised a series of outdoor training sessions and is inviting MJs along.
Please see the attachment

Adidas Thunder 24 hour Relay www.tr24.co.uk 28-29/7/12
From Paul Newman - Having spoken to the organisers today, the event is getting full up and looks like being over subscribed. A lot of MJ's have said they'd like to take part, but we are all in danger of missing out if we don't get in QUICK ! a cheq for £29.38 secures a cracking weekend away with the joggers and 3/4 10k races plus a fantastic goodie bag. I've entered one team already and with 30+ joggers saying they'd like to come there is the potential for a few more, but The Black Pears and Worcester Park run are also sending teams but with limited entry to 2000 runners, the race is filling up fast. Please make chqs payable to Pro Velo Support. More details on our Malvern joggers Facebook page.
Cheers Paul paul@newman8840.fslife.co.uk

MJs Champions League
Races selected for the competition up to the end of May are:-
15th April - Eastnor 7
13th May - Crowle 10k
20th May - Tewkesbury Half Marathon
Please enter well in advance as some of them fill up very quickly.

Marathon Talk - Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.com By runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 11/4 Club Night – Gullet Quarry car park, Castlemorton Common 7pm
Sat 14/4 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 15/4 Eastnor 7 (CL)
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Sun 22/4 London Marathon
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K (Hereford)
Sun 3/6 Crocodile 8 (CL)
Wed 13/6 Malvern Joggers 10K
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run 1/2M & 5K – Three Counties Showground, Malvern (CL)
Sat 30/6 BPJs Summer Ball - WorcsCC "Posh Frocks & Black Tie" with charity auction. All MJs invited.
Sat 7/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 1 April 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Two from Stuart B .......
The Summer Runs are here. We have finished at Malvern St James for the summer. Next Wednesday, 4th April we will meet at British Camp car park at 7.00pm to run on the Hills. Don’t forget to buy your Conservators car park permits, they cost £2 for Malvern residents and cover all the car parks on the Hills for the next year.

Linda’s Leders Run Saturday 7/4/12
Linda says .... Could you please announce this on the newsletter this week and ask people to email me if they can make it as I may have to book lunch if nos are high.
Malvern to Ledbury run through the beautiful Worcestershire countryside all abilities welcome approx 7 miles with lunch in Ledbury and train home bring your Purse/wallet and meet us at 10.30am outside Malvern college sports centre on Saturday 7th April please email me if you can come as will book lunch if nos are high lynda.broadway@aol.com ( London marathon guys this will be a fab taper run for you ) x

New Wednesday night running group
From Geoff Field -The number of runners in the Gentle Joggers/Continuous Run groups has grown to almost unmanageable proportions and the gap between the Continuous Run and Relaxed 10 groups has increased so that it is quite a big step up for Continuous runners.
Starting from Wednesday night at British Camp I shall be leading a new group with the intention of bridging that gap. My aim is to have a run of about 5 miles that can be run at approximately 10:30 min. per mile pace, but I will make adjustments to take into account the hilliness of the runs.
If you want to have a look at the route I have planned for Wednesday, you can click on the following link:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5381556
The route is 4.4 miles long, but there are a few climbs (144 metres total climb), which is roughly equivalent to a 5 mile flat run and we should be able to do it in 45 - 50 mins, although I have some short cuts in mind if this proves too ambitious.
I hope that this new group will encourage some of the quicker Gentle Joggers to progress to the Continuous group and the faster Continuous Runners to move up to the new group. And of course, runners from the faster groups who are looking for a gentler run will be welcome too.
And if anyone can think of a name for this group, please let me know - I am using "Jog-Trotters" as a working title, but I am sure you creative types can come up with a better suggestion
Geoff Field

MJ Juniors Handicap Race 1 April, report by Richard Love
It was another really good handicap race this morning, some really good spirited finishes. Well done to all our prize winners and to our new runners who for administrative simplicity went off with no handicap with our fastest runners. Little Jasmine Cole did especially well starting alongside our course record holder and then beating her dad over the line.
Very well done to Cameron Smy, who not only won the handicap but posted the most improved time (49 seconds), most improved girl was Alice Lloyd with an impressive 39 secs off her previous best.
Elliot Crump's boys course record of 6:03 holds by a 2 second whisker from Jack Dickenson's fastest time today of 6:05. Ellen Wikely was once again fastest girl with a very impressive 6:47, beating her previous girls course record.
The mystery of the two runners finishing with a number 9 has been solved, there was only one number 9, but she did finish twice the second time to run in with her friend.
Handicap Race No Handicapped Time Course Time
02:30 18 Cameron Smy 09:58 07:28
00:58 12 Abbie Phillpot 10:02 09:04
00:00 6 Alice Lloyd 10:08 10:08
01:41 5 Holly Love 10:26 08:45
01:51 16 Lauren White 10:27 08:36
04:26 22 Frazer Crump 10:42 06:16
04:38 1 Jack Dickenson 10:43 06:05
03:58 14 Ellen Wikeley 10:45 06:47
03:40 24 Jarv Cleal 10:53 07:13
02:22 23 Ned 10:57 08:35
04:44 21 Elliot Crump 11:02 06:18
00:31 13 Maisey Sharp 11:05 10:34
03:29 19 Ellen Staniforth 11:11 07:42
02:58 9 Alice Russell 11:18 08:20
02:50 17 Hayden Smy 11:33 08:43
04:44 2 Tom Lawson 11:41 06:57
04:44 3 Dom Cole 12:10 07:26
04:44 15 Sam Green 12:16 07:32
04:44 10 Hannah Lawson 12:44 08:00
04:44 20 Alice Staniforth 12:54 08:10
04:44 7 Zac Shervington 13:12 08:28
04:44 8 Elliot Cooke 13:14 08:30
04:44 4 Jasmine Cole 14:34 09:50

Please note .... MJ Juniors will take a break over Easter and will be back at the usual venue of MSJ at 10.30 am on Sunday 22nd April. We look forward to seeing the Juniors then.

Race Reports
Forest-of-Dean Trails Half Marathon 1/4/12 by Julie Caseley
Well done to all those taking part in the Forest of Dean Trails Half Marathon this morning. It turned out to be a lovely warm, sunny day with over 2,500 runners pounding their way around the beautiful trails of the forest. Race HQ was at Speech House and the car parking was in a field adjacent to this lovely hotel which was also very close to the start and the finish of the race. Considering the conditions underfoot (very stony in places) and the number of runners straddling the trails, there were some excellent times. The route itself was lovely with a couple of testing hills, interspersed with some sweeping downhills and lots of flat bits too.
Well done to all those who were at the Scenic 6 this morning too.
Thanks, Julie

Worcester Parkrun
According to Richard Ralphs of Parkrun .......100+ at parkrun this Saturday morning, course record smashed again, and course change negotiated safely by everyone. Thanks to all the volunteers for helping make this happen.
12 MJs took part.
So far 85 MJs have done this event at least once.

Charity Appeal
From our own Phil Jackson ..... I'm running the BUPA London 10,000 on Sunday 27th May in aid of DEBRA (www.debra.org.uk). Debra is the charity set up to support individuals and families with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). This is a very rare genetic, inherited condition which currently affects 5000 sufferers in the UK. For those with the condition, their skin and internal body linings blister with the slightest physical contact. At its mildest, the blistering is confined to the hands and feet making holding things and walking extremely painful. In more severe cases the whole body is affected; wounds heal slowly and it leads to scarring, physical deformity and significant disability. The mouth and oesophagus blister and this makes eating solids impossible. This can lead to malnutrition. Excretion becomes intensely painful. At its most severe it is fatal in infancy and there is a high risk of skin cancer for those who survive infancy. There is, as yet, no effective treatment or cure. We had a presentation from DEBRA in assembly at school which included images of the dreadful way the condition affects young chidren and infants. It was heart-rending and deeply moving.
Please visit my JustGiving page (www.justgiving.com/philip-jackson3) and sponsor me if you can. Many thanks.

Forthcoming Race
The Aviator 4 (Staverton) 6/5/12
From the organisers - Please find attached an entry form for the Aviator 4 – an undulating and fast road race promoted by CLC Striders.
We would be very grateful if you could pass it on to your members and publicize it on your website.
The race is expected to fill up fast so make sure you get your entries in soon!
Regards, The Aviator Four Team

Help needed for our Malvern Joggers 10K Race on 13th June
Dear Joggers, We need your help. Plans are well underway to hold our annual 10k race on Wednesday evening 13th June. Last year with brilliant support from Joggers and their families, we had a great night. 297 runners ran the race and we were able to send a cheque for almost £500 to the County Air Ambulance. This year the club charity is St Richards Hospice.
The format will be the same as last year. Registration in Welland VH, parking on the sports field opposite, same route starting and finishing on the Common and a free BBQ for helpers and runners back at the VH with prize giving etc.
We now need to put together a list of marshals and other helpers so that the event runs smoothly on the night. We need marshals, car parkers, time keepers, help at registration, help at water stations etc. With some jobs it is possible to help and still run the race.
If you helped last year we would like you to be able to run if you want, If you ran last year please think about offering to help.
We need about 40 volunteers in total. All replies to me in the first instance. Please will you e-mail, stuart@malvernjoggers.co.uk if you are able to help on the night. Tell me what you would prefer to do and put your phone number and e-mail address in the message (so that I can cut and paste it).
FYI, Jayne Ackroyd has agreed to organise the marshalling, Richard Love is going to organise his own catering staff for the BBQ, Graham Cramp will look after the time keeping and Jerry Greer will organise registration.
If you want to do the race please get your entries in ASAP so that we can get plenty of names on the website. (If we are short of helpers we may have to ask some club members to give up their place in the race and help).

An Invite from the Black Pear Joggers
OK all you fellow runners at MJ's - this is a formal invite to you all .... Black Pears are hosting a summer ball on Saturday 30th June in the Graeme Hick Pavilion at Worcestershire County Cricket Club - The event is a "Posh Frocks & Black Tie" event with a charity auction in aid of St Richards Hospice.
All tickets are subsidised to just £20.00 each and this includes
A live Band, A Disco, A Pig Roast, Late Bar, Charity Auction
I'm sure it will be a brilliant night out and if any MJ's fancy it just email me at gavin.paskin@googlemail.com to book your tickets or for more information.
Thanks, Gavin Paskin (see Facebook)

Marathon Talk - Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.comBy runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 4/4 Club Night - British Camp car park 7pm
Sat 7/4 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sat 7/4 Linda’s Leders Run 10.30am outside Malvern college sports centre
Sun 15/4 Eastnor 7 (CL)
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Sun 22/4 London Marathon
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K (Hereford)
Sun 3/6 Crocodile 8 (CL)
Wed 13/6 Malvern Joggers 10K
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run 1/2M & 5K – Three Counties Showground, Malvern (CL)
Sat 30/6 BPJs Summer Ball - WorcsCC "Posh Frocks & Black Tie" with charity auction. All MJs invited.
Sat 7/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 25 March 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Milton Keynes Marathon place available
From Jayne Cresswell - I have a place for the Milton Keynes marathon on Sunday 29 April for the bargain price of £25
If anyone would like to buy my number I am to change over details until 31 march, so if they could contact me at jaynecresswell@btinternet.com.
There are still places available if more than 1 want the number, but it would be at the full price.

Forthcoming Races
From Camba Events ... Hi there. I just wanted to update you as to the events that CAMBA EVENTS is promoting this year - you have run in one of our events before so you know that offer quality and enjoyable races at reasonable costs, and I hope that we will be able to welcome you again into a CAMBA EVENTS race during 2012.
SUNDAY APRIL 1st : THE 11th SCENIC SIX at peopleton, near Pershore, Worcestershire. 11.00am
Apologies to you if you have already entered this event - ALL entrees received here so far have been processed and race numbers/information packs returned in the post.
If you haven't entered this enjoyable multi-terrain six miler held in a beautiful peaceful Worcestershire village with amazing cakes to add after-race fuel to your tired bodies, there are still four days to go to the postal closing date on Wednesday. We will turn round ALL entries received up to and including Thursday as long as you have included your stamped addressed envelope (first class stamp please) so please enter in advance and help us to reduce the massive queues we usually have on race morning.
There is also a 2 mile fun run / walk, so bring all the family along for a great morning out in the typical English countryside. Entry forms can be downloaded from our website at www.cambaevents.co.uk
TUESDAY MAY 8th : THE 12th KINGSBURY CLASSIC 10km at Kingsbury Water Park just outside Sutton Coldfield. 7.30pm
Our original event - a two-lap 6.3 mile race around the gorgeous lakes and pools of Kingsbury Water Park, including a mile long stretch along the banks of the River Tame. Despite increased charges to us from KWP, we have maintained our 2011 entry fees, and are once again delighted to have Peel Road Runners on board to help us with marshalling duties. Once again, entry forms can be downloaded at our website at www.cambaevents.co.uk
SATURDAY JUNE 16th : THE BREEDON-ON-THE-HILL RUN at Breedon-on-the-Hill on the Leicestershire/Derbyshire border. 3.00pm
Camba Events resurrected this wonderful race last year, and we are back once again at the pretty village with the quarry next door ! This is a short race for may of you at 6.5kms, BUT more than makes up for the lack of distance with a lung-bursting climb in the first 600 metres, followed by stretches on tarmac, grass, through Derbyshire villages and back home along a cycle track and a final climb up and over fields to St Hardulphs School. More details are available on our website at www.cambaevents.co.uk
SUNDAY JULY 8th : NORTON FUN RUN / 10km in Worcestershire. 9.30am
A brand new event for 2012, which is being held as part of the Norton Community Games which attracted over 1500 people in 2011. A planning meeting is being held on April 10th, and full details of the race(s) will be available on our website at www.cambaevents.co.uk within a couple of days. All proceeds from this event will be split between the Norton Community charities and St Richards Hospice, so all for good causes once again.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 18th : THE 3rd CANNOCK ROTARY 10km on the roads of Cannock Chase in Staffordshire. 11.00pm
Our third year in conjunction with the Cannock Rotary Club, and this hugely popular measured road 10km returns. Pop the date into your diaries, and keep an eye on our website at www.cambaevents.co.uk for entry forms which should be available from the end of April.
If you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to e-mail us, and in the meantime, I hope you enjoy your running over the coming months. We hope to see you at one of the above events.
Best Wishes, RICHARD BAKER, CAMBA EVENTS www.cambaevents.co.uk

And the Aldridge 10K .....
The Aldridge Running Club 10k Race/Fun Run is going to be a fantastic event this year so we're sending you a copy of this years’ Race entry form. The 10k Race, 4.3k Fun Run and Children's Race will take place on Sunday 17th June 2012.
You can enter by completing the attached booking form and returning to the Race Entry Secretary via the postal address on the form, or by entering online at Runners World via the link:
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/events/viewevent.asp?sp=&v=2&EN=67993&ms=
We look forward to receiving your entry and seeing you at the race on the 17th June.

Network Endurance Event
The Hereford and Worcester Athletics Network will be holding a 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon Workshop with Martin and Holly Rush on Wednesday 2nd May. The Workshop will take place at Stourport Sports Club from 7 pm - 9 pm and will cost £5 per person. All coaches and athletes are welcome to attend.
Martin is a national coach mentor for England Athletics and will deliver a presentation about the fundamentals of training 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon. Holly is an international Marathon runner and will discuss her career to date and take part in an Q & A session alongside Martin. Please see the attached flyer for more information and details regarding booking.
Please forward this to all endurance contacts.
Regards, Matt Granger, Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Athletics Network Co-ordinator, Run England Activator
07597634304

Kit News
From Roodie - I have been given the go ahead to offer the 2012 Commemorative running vests to all Joggers Member that want them. I will be taking orders at MSJ tonight so if you want one please let me know – I must have the size that you want as they will be ordered specifically for each individual. See you tonight.
Or you can e-mail me your order to stephen.roode@autobag.co.uk

Orienteering with a difference...anyone fancy a change ??
From Paul Newman ...... On Wednesday our last Winter run from MSJ, we thought we might offer a little bit of FUN ! besides the normal groups, we will be having a group doing a Fun version of Orienteering ! The idea is this we will form ourselves into teams, the aim of each team is to travel to 10 separate destinations in Malvern to find the answer to 10 questions....They could be something like ... "What’s the dish of the day at The Mount Pleasant Hotel tonight ??"
or "How many steps are there leading up from Rose Bank Gardens towards St Anne’s Well ??"
or "How much is a Big Mac at Mc Donald’s ?? {bring back a Mc Donald’s wrapper} "
A few of us have done it in the past and had a gr8 time,the 1st team back or the team with the most correct answers by the 8.15 deadline wins !! there will be a team prize for the winning team !
If you are interested please get to MSJ early so we can sort teams for a prompt exit after the Chairmans speech.

Summer Running Venues 2012
Our first night away from MSJ will be Wednesday 4th April. This is earlier than last year, so for the first couple of weeks we need to keep the routes shorter to get back safely before dark.
41 members voted for their five favourite venues and, after much discussion at the last committee meeting, the majority decision was for the following.
1st Wednesday of the month - British Camp car park.
2nd Wednesday - The Gullet Quarry on Castlemoreton Common. (Swinyard car park)
3rd Wednesday - The West of England Quarry car park, (new venue).
4th Wednesday - The Swan at Newland, parking in the field behind the pub (new venue).
5th Wednesday - The Chase Inn. (overflow parking at the free church)
Please don’t be put off by the locations, not all routes from the venues on the Malverns are hilly, there are plenty of runs around the hills and when you do go on the ridge the views are fantastic.
We are as keen as ever to welcome new runners and to look after beginners so please keep coming.
We will of course need leaders for all the groups, so please give some thought to leading from time to time, sharing the job with a friend makes it easier. Let Jayne Ackroyd know which location you fancy so that we can fill the gaps.
With such a large turnout these days parking is always going to be tricky. Do your best to car share where possible and park sensibly. If you’re a Malvern resident a Conservators car park permit looks like a bargain.
Next year perhaps we should consider voting for 3 of the venues and giving the committee discretion to choose the other two. Otherwise we may never get back to some of our other favourite summer venues!
Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. (stuart@malvernjoggers.co.uk)

MJ Cross-Country - from Jon Green
Herefordshire X-Country League. Make a note that the summer league will comprise 4 races, 1 at the end of June, 2 in July and 1 in early August. Cheers Jonathan M 079 7416 8577

MJs Champions League
Races selected for the competition up to the end of May are:-
1st April - Forest of Dean Half Marathon
15th April - Eastnor 7
13th May - Crowle 10k
20th May - Tewkesbury Half Marathon
Please enter well in advance as some of them fill up very quickly.

Marathon Talk - Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.com By runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 28/3 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Sat 31/3 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 1/4 Forest-of-Dean Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 1/4 Scenic 6 - Peopleton
Sun 15/4 Eastnor 7 (CL)
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Sun 22/4 London Marathon
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K (Hereford)
Sun 3/6 Crocodile 8 (CL)
Wed 13/6 Malvern Joggers 10K
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run 1/2M & 5K – Three Counties Showground, Malvern (CL)
Sat 7/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
CL = Champions League Event

MSJ
We are very pleased to run from Malvern St James Sports Centre during the winter. As well as a great place to meet, Malvern Joggers get:-
Free car parking, free hot showers and clean toilets, 10% discount in the shop if they are an MJ
No joining fee for membership and a 20% discount on the monthly fee for gym, classes and swimming pool
No joining fee for membership and a 20% discount on the monthly fee for swimming pool use
A range of classes open to MJ’s on a drop in basis
A warm bar with cheap bottled beers (not the other way round!)

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 18 March 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

London Marathon Accommodation Available
From Jon Newey ...... I have a hotel room going spare if anyone needs one for the London Marathon. It's a double rrom for one night and is on the DLR so easy access for Excel and also to get to the start on Sunday morning. Breakfast is not included. e-mail me if interested jonnewey@waitrose.com

MJ Social Event
Jules and I are planning a Paella night at 17 Lower Howsell road on Saturday 16th June, we would like to get an idea of numbers so we can plan ahead. If you are interested please e-mail Jules or myself at jem_0410@yahoo.co.uk or steveroode1@yahoo.co.uk
We plan to charge £5 per person and bring your own booze - it should be a late night to take advantage of the long summer evening.
Cheers Jules and Steve

Orienteering with a difference...anyone fancy a change ??
From Paul Newman ...... A WEEK on Wednesday our last Winter run from MSJ, we thought we might offer a little bit of FUN ! besides the normal groups, we will be having a group doing a Fun version of Orienteering ! The idea is this we will form ourselves into teams, the aim of each team is to travel to 10 separate destinations in Malvern to find the answer to 10 questions....They could be something like ... "What’s the dish of the day at The Mount Pleasant Hotel tonight ??"
or "How many steps are there leading up from Rose Bank Gardens towards St Anne’s Well ??"
or "How much is a Big Mac at Mc Donald’s ?? {bring back a Mc Donald’s wrapper} "
A few of us have done it in the past and had a gr8 time,the 1st team back or the team with the most correct answers by the 8.15 deadline wins !! there will be a team prize for the winning team !
If you are interested please get to MSJ early so we can sort teams for a prompt exit after the Chairmans speech.

Forthcoming Event
The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester 7/10/12 11pm
DirtRun is a new multi-terrain 8 mile run, based at the Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester. The run is a mass start event, following tracks, trails, woods and paths, with some obstacles (and a fair amount of mud) thrown in for good measure. Goody bags for all, and category prizes on offer on the day.
Top Barn Activity Centre is the event HQ and we ask you to respect these excellent facilities which include a great on-site cafe, toilets, showers and changing rooms. REGISTRATION CLOSES AT 10:30 prompt
Evesham Vale 10K – Sun 8/7/12
We are now in our 5th year of the Birdseye Sports Evesham 10k run, around the streets, parks and riverside paths of this historic and beautiful town in Worcestershire. As a participant in last year's 10k, we thought you may like to recieve an entry form for this year's race taking place on July 8th. You can also enter online at either the Runner's World or RunBritain websites.
We would very much enjoy seeing you again this year.
Best regards, Entry Secretary
Entry form attached

Race Reports

From the MJ Juniors ....
"Come on all you Malvern Joggers show us what you're made of"
The MJ Juniors have issued a challenge to the Malvern Joggers adults. The Juniors have decided to take the mini green army to Sport Relief and will be running the Sport Relief Mile at Perdiswell Leisure Centre in Worcester on Sunday 25 March. The Juniors reckon they will have more runners there than the seniors - what do you reckon?
You can run a mile, three miles or six miles for Sport Relief on the day and it all goes to a great cause.
So come all you Malvern Joggers set a good example to our young club members and get signed up.
Find out more at www.sportrelief.com
email .......dickensons@btinternet.com

Marathon Talk - Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.comBy runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 21/3 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Sat 24/3 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 25/3 Sport Relief Mile
Sun 1/4 Forest-of-Dean Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 1/4 Scenic 6 - Peopleton
Sun 15/4 Eastnor 7 (CL)
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Sun 22/4 London Marathon
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K (Hereford)
Sun 3/6 Crocodile 8 (CL)
Wed 13/6 Malvern Joggers 10K
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run 1/2M & 5K – Three Counties Showground, Malvern (CL)
Sat 7/7 Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
Sun 7/10 The Dirt Run - Top Barn Activity Centre, Worcester
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 11 March 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

MJs Champions League
The following races have been chosen for the Champions League from June to August inclusive.
Crocodile 8 - 3 June
Malvern Half Marathon - 24 June
Evesham 10k - 8 July
Devil's Chimney Chase (Cheltenham) - date unknown
Bugatti 10k - 1 August?
Tenbury 10k - 5 August

Race Reports
Bath Half Marathon 11th March 2012 by Sarah Grout
Malvern Joggers Nipple Team
17 intrepid boobsters out of a field of 30+ runners from the Malvern Joggers comprised the Malvern Joggers Nipple team running for the charity CoppaFeel: me (Grouty), Jenny Field, Sheila Jackson, Isobel Trumper, Jenny Davies, Jenni Cross, Jayne Cresswell, Jenni Neale, Dominique Edwards, Bec Pack, Bert Lacey, Nicky Baker, Viv Tolley, Debbie Russell, Megz Judge, Paul Hill and Derek Goodman. They looked resplendent with their named CoppaFeel vests and some with big boobs filled with balloons, and there was a great feel of teamwork and a good atmosphere. Unfortunately we were all at different start points. My own start didn’t get going until late and I crossed the start line 10 minutes after the race commenced. In terms of running records I encountered a personal worst, too embarrassing to say how slow I was, however in terms of a positive race experience this has to rank amongst the very personal best. The worst because of a number of excuses a) I’m experiencing Plantar in my foot b) late night before c) I’m hopelessly unfit and undertrained d) it was a warm day and e) I’m convinced my legs have shrunk. The best because, with the boob on my back and my hair sprayed pink, I experienced the most amazing feedback and encouragement from the spectators, I did hundreds of high-5s with kids, had my name and “Come on big booby” called out throughout the race and generally felt so thoroughly privileged to be even running in the event. In terms of awareness-raising for the charity – the boob worked its magic and many runners ran alongside me quizzing me about the charity’s work.
As you will know the team have been fundraising over the last few months through events and inviting sponsorship, some of which has been through our Virgin Money page: www.virginmoneygiving.com/malvernjoggersnipple and other pages for some of the individual team members.
Words do not adequately express how proud I am of our team members, some of whom were injured before and during the race, but who steadfastly committed to that fundraising and completing the race - to the extent that we have raised over £2,000 for CoppaFeel. I’d particularly like to mention Nicky Baker who despite injury completed the event in style and leads the field by personally raising £651. The Malvern Joggers are as ever a formidable force in supporting those charities that are close to the hearts and have helped our members directly and I can’t thank everybody enough for doing this so enthusiastically and to all those MJs who have donated to CoppaFeel so generously. What a brilliant club.
Thanks, Grouty

Some Messages from Stuart B.....
We are keen to help runners move up to a faster group when they are able. So please remember to keep the pace of the groups as advertised and don’t start off too fast, look after new group members and muster regularly to the back of the group (which is not the same as stopping for a chat while the others catch up!).

Marathon Talk - Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.comBy runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 14/3 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Sat 17/3 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 25/3 Sport Relief Mile
Sun 1/4 Forest-of-Dean Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 1/4 Scenic 6 - Peopleton
Sun 15/4 Eastnor 7 (CL)
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K (Hereford)
Sun 3/6 Crocodile 8 (CL)
Wed 13/6 Malvern Joggers 10K
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run 1/2M & 5K – Three Counties Showground, Malvern (CL)
Sun 8/7 Evesham 10K (CL)
Sun Devil’s Chimney Chase – Cheltenham (CL)
Wed /8 Bugatti 10K (CL)
Sun 5/8 Tenbury 10K (CL)
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 4 March 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Some Messages from our Chairman Stuart .....
This Wednesday if the weather is reasonable we will aim to meet up outside MSJ before we run. Meet by the hockey pitches to keep us away from the traffic.

We are keen to help runners move up to a faster group when they are able. So please remember to keep the pace of the groups as advertised and don’t start off too fast, look after new group members and muster regularly to the back of the group (which is not the same as stopping for a chat while the others catch up!).

Good news from the organisers of the Acorns Triple Run. The route of the 2012 half marathon on June 24th has been improved with the help of Malvern Joggers- no more Guarlford Straight. The route map is attached and there is more information below.

The date of the Malvern Joggers 10k Race is Wednesday evening 13th June.

Acorns Triple Run 2012 including the Malvern Half Marathon - Sunday 24th June
Are you available to run or to volunteer on the day?
From Sarah Grout ........... Stuart Brown and myself have been in consultation with the organisers of the Acorns Triple Run about the route that the Half Marathon takes. Of course over time they have had a good deal of negative feedback about the tedium of the Guarlford Straight and Poolbrook but try as they might, have had difficulties with rerouting because of having to make left turns, and police and highways permissions. Now, I am delighted to say, the route has received permission from the authorities, to change. The new route is attached here.
I do hope that as a club you will give this, our LOCAL event, your full support if you happen to be available. Of course not everyone wants to run a Half Marathon - and there are the wonderful 5K Spring Run and 1K Chicken Run (for people with special needs) events too, hence the 'Triple Run'. The event is intended to be fully inclusive. I am proud to have been one of the founder organisers of the event when friends of ours lost their son, aged 8, to a brain tumour. They wanted to thank Acorns Children's Hospice for the support they had provided and got a group of us Mums together to organise a fun run designed to be fully inclusive and which would help to break down the barriers between able-bodied and disabled people. The three runs start and finish under the same archway and everybody gets the same medal regardless of 1K, 5K or 13.1 miles. It is open to male and female, young and old and of course the 1K is suited to wheelchair users and the 5K suited to pushchairs, albeit woodland. Some of you may know 'Mick and Phil' who run the Half Marathon every year with the wheelchair too.
If you and your family don't wish to run but have spare time, we are on the look out for volunteers. 300 volunteers are needed that morning to help with marshalling, handing out medals, bananas, water, etc etc. over 3 runs. There are jobs which require people for between roughly 2 and 4 hours so it won't take up the whole day. Me and my daughter Briony are seeking volunteers for the event and have a list going if you feel you might be able to help. Email me on sarahsgrout@aol.com .
I have entry forms in the shop (The Malvern Event Organiser) or you can register to run online at
http://www.acorns.org.uk/triplerun
Thank you, Grouty

Urban Racing comes to Malvern
Thanks to MJ Andrew Gallagher for spotting this .....
There are not many sports where a complete newcomer can line up next to a national champion, but Urban Racing is one of them. A new and exciting variant of orienteering, Urban Racing is sweeping the country and it reaches Malvern in March.
On March 10th a top flight race will be held in the town’s streets, parks, commons and the lower parts of the hills. The Great Malvern Urban race is forming part of the UK Cup, a series of classic and new style orienteering races which will attract the country’s elite racers anxious to get noticed prior to selection for the World Championships. It is also part of the Nopesport Urban League which is a hotly contested national series of events which attract racers of all ages from all over the country. The youngest entrant so far is 6 years old and the oldest is over 75.
A specially prepared map has been drawn up by the veteran winner of last year’s Venice Street Race, Mike Hampton of Rugby, and privileged access to certain privately owned corners of the town, like the grounds of Davenham’s and Perrin’s care homes, Manor Park Tennis Club and Malvern St James sports complex, as well as the library and youth centre grounds, should make for an interesting and challenging event from husband and wife team Lynden and Lester Hartmann of Harlequins Orienteering Club and Malvern and District Orienteers.
Lynden, in charge of the logistics, said:” Obviously we continue to enjoy great support with our traditional events on the hills and commons from the Malvern Hills Conservators but coming into the town it’s great that this has extended to the District and Town Councils. It has made my job a lot easier.” Lynden has been working with Community Services Officer Mark Hammond who has been able to take care of access to council parks and facilities as well as assisting with publicity.
Lester is planning the courses and hopes to have some surprises in store for the competitors which will keep them on their toes throughout as they have to make complex navigational decisions while travelling as quickly as possible through a variety of terrain. He said:”I’m laying on a special newcomers’ course which local adults or family groups can have a go at, it’s entry on the day so just turn up at the Priory Lodge on Avenue Road between 11 and 12.30 to sign up. Starts are between 12 and 2pm and the cost for that is £4. Insurance dictates that under 16s on their own have to do one of the special junior courses either within Priory Park, or slightly further a field with supervised road crossing.”
ATBRU, the All Terrain Bike Rescue Unit, will be providing first aid cover although Lynden said: ”to be honest my biggest worry is that the police and fire service will be bothered by people phoning up about “suspicious packages” attached to trees and lamp posts round the town, the control boxes are a bit puzzling, but if they’ve got a red and white flag attached to them then don’t sound the alarm, that’s one of ours!”
The Great Malvern Urban Race is on March 10th 2012 with starts between 12 and 2pm in Priory Park. Full Details are available at www.harlequins.org.uk.

MJ Cross-Country - from Jon Green
Herefordshire Winter X-Country League - MJs in the Medals
Today was the final race of the season followed by the awards presentation. 5 MJs made the journey to Presteigne: John Bristow, Ian Dyson, Chris Jolley, Nigel Sewell and me. The race is run in a very picturesque part of the countryside, but the terrain is challenging and today it was cold and muddy. MJs finished as follows: John (9th), me (18th), Nigel (24th), Ian then Chris. At the awards ceremony we picked up 1 of each type. I won 1st MV50, Nigel 2nd MV50 and Ian 3rd MV55. Well done to Nigel and Ian and a big thank you to all 28 MJs who ran 1 or more of the races this year. Make a note that the summer league will comprise 4 races, 1 at the end of June, 2 in July and 1 in early August. Cheers Jonathan M 079 7416 8577

Race Reports
Droitwich Half Marathon 4/3/12 by Julie Caseley
Well done to a all those runners who were either out training this morning or racing in what was awful wet, cold
and windy conditions. This is the second running of the Droitwich Half Marathon with the race headquarters at
the rather nice Gaudet Luce Golf Club.
The start was about a 5 min jog from the golf club and the finish was outside the clubhouse. The course was a fast one lap around the quiet, scenic country lanes of Droitwich, taking runners through Broughton Green, Earls Commmon and returning via the Salway.
The start was delayed for a minutes silence in memory of Andrew Yarnold who collapsed and subsequently passed away after last years race. The first half of the race, as always, seemed a little easier than the second half which I thought was more hilly with a headwind! Our runners included, in no particular order, Andy Blannin, Nick Hitchings, Vikki Sivertsen, Duncan Cresswell, Julie Mitchell, Chris Barker and myself. The Droitwich Half Marathon also incorporated the Worcestershire Half Marathon Championships. Well done to Vikki who was 3rd lady overall and also came first and won gold in her age group (40-49) in the Worcestershire Half Championships in a PB of 1 hr 30 mins. I finished in 1 hr 50 mins and was third and won bronze in the Worcestershire Half Championships in my age group (50-59). Well done everyone.
Thanks, Julie

The Transport to The Bath Half Marathon
(Val’s Magic Bus) - The Coach taking us to the Bath Half Marathon will be LEAVING MSJ at 7.45am PROMPT on Sunday the 11th of March.
If for any reason you are unable to make it, please let me know because I have a waiting list!
Look forward to seeing you all at MSJ for a cracking day. Do not forget that a packed lunch including a drink is included in the price you have all paid.
Val’s email address is .... val.tuckley@btinternet.com

Forthcoming race – The Scilly 10
From Colin Rowley - I am a Malvern runner who goes out to the isles of Scilly, Cornwall, every year. I don't know if any of your club would be interested but there is a race called The Scilly Ten run every year for charity on the islands. This year it is being run on St Martin’s which is a small, stunningly beautiful island, with lovely beaches. The race is on Sunday 8th April and I think that the local hotel is doing reduced rates for runners. The details can be found at www.scillycharityrun.co.uk.
I am going out for Easter and will be running the race whilst I am there.
I appreciate that it is a long way to go and costly but some of your runners may fancy a holiday. There is also a camp site on the island.
If anyone is interested and would like further details I would be happy to chat.
Regards, Colin Rowley, 01684310628
And also the Timberhonger 10k,
I'm writing to ask if you could let your club members know about the Timberhonger 10k, a race we are holding here in Bromsgrove on the evening of Saturday 7th July 2012.
Now in its 10th year, the race and accompanying Children's Challenge are part of the Bromsgrove Carnival weekend and are becoming increasingly popular events (last year's entry = 490). The 10k is an accurately measured picturesque course on traffic free country lanes, starting and finishing in the town's Sanders Park. Medals to all finishers, vet prizes, free car parking, there are toilets and changing and we'll be chip timed for the first time this year. Organised by Bromsgrove and Redditch AC.
Runners can enter the race via the race web site www.timberhonger10k.co.uk.
Thank you for your help. Mark Graham, Race Director, 07775545311

A Malvern Parkrun?
From Annie Dendy - Hi Joggers, Some of you know all about the parkrun phenomenon that is sweeping the country (and indeed the world!) and, like myself are regulars at our local parkrun at Worcester Country Park on a Saturday morning at 9am. I have spoken about parkrun with many people and some comments made about it being too far to drive for such a short run got me thinking - why can't we have a parkrun in Malvern? I love everything about parkrun, it's ethos and friendly feel, it's accesibility to all people of all ages and all abilities. It certainly helped me get the running bug and has helped me to slowly but surely improve my running over the last few months. Last Saturday I marshalled at Worcester and witnessed a man walk the entire 5km route finishing with a little flurry at the end and being elated commenting "that's the first time i've walked that far in over 10 years!" I also witnessed some pretty speedy front runners who no doubt use it as a warm up exercise. That's the beauty of parkrun.
I'd love to get one up and running in Malvern and have contacted the parkrun team. There are 3 main requirements to set up a parkrun and they are as follows:
1. a suitable 5k course needs to be identified
2. a team of local volunteers need to be built and ready manage the weekly runs
3. we need to find some local funding to help cover 50% of the start-up costs involved - see also 'New Event Details document'
So i am initially throwing this out there as an idea and asking for your feedback. i am not asking you to commit yourselves to anything at this stage. It is all hypothetical at the moment. But parkrun cannot be set up without some people willing to give up some time to get it off the ground. This would not be every Saturday morning by any means and a team of volunteers would need to be established so that people can offer time as and when is convenient to them. If you feel this is something you may be able to get involved in at any level please let me know through joggers or by emaiing me at Adendy15@live.co.uk.
Also if anyone has any ideas of where in Malvern would be suitable for a 5km route, please let me know, I am currentky looking into one from Malvern Youth Centre but it isn't exactly an ideal course. However, it would need to be somewhere that has ample parking opportunities and toilet facilities and ideally tea/coffee facilities which is why I am starting with the youth centre.
So if anyone has any ideas or feedback please let me know. i am very passionate about parkrun and would love to see it in Malvern as i know it would be well received.
Many Thanks, Annie Dendy. email ..... adendy15@live.co.uk

Malvern Joggers Nipple Team 'do Bathalf' 11/3/12
From Sarah Grout - There are only 21 days to go and the Malvern Joggers Nipple team is about to take on the 'Bathalf' in great style, and in aid of the charity 'CoppaFeel'. About 20 of us are fundraising for the event and 7 of us will be wearing a big 'boob' or 'hooter' to raise the profile of the charity which encourages young people (typically 18 - 30) to check themselves for signs of breast cancer. On Friday 17th February (this week!) we are having a Half Term 'Children's Things' fundraising sale at Colwall Village Hall, between 10am and midday. We are selling new and used children's things, like an indoor carboot sale. Tables cost £5 or just come along and support the event, stop for a cake and a cuppa and help us to raise funds for this great cause. If you want a table or need further information contact me, Sarah Grout, on 01684 566511 or email info@malverneventorganiser.co.uk Entry to the sale is FREE for visitors. The more is always the merrier.
If you can't attend, but still want to support the cause, you could help by baking a cake to give to me on Wednesday at Malvern Joggers, or by making a donation of ANY size on our team fundraising page: www.virginmoneygiving.com/malvernjoggersnipple
Thanks so much for any support you can give. Grouty x
Sarah Grout Tel: 01684 566511 | Mob: 07540 271399 Email: info@malverneventorganiser.co.uk |
Shop Address: 10 Church Walk, Malvern, WR14 2XH

MJs Champions League
Races selected for the competition up to the end of May are:-
11th March - Blackminster Half Marathon (Evesham)
1st April - Forest of Dean Half Marathon
15th April - Eastnor 7
13th May - Crowle 10k
20th May - Tewkesbury Half Marathon
Please enter well in advance as some of them fill up very quickly.

Marathon Talk - Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.comBy runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 7/3 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Sat 10/3 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sat 10/3 Gt Malvern Urban Orienteering Race www.harlequins.org.uk with starts between 12 & 2pm in Priory Park
Sun 11/3 Bath Half Marathon
Sun 11/3 Blackminster Half Marathon (Evesham) (CL)
Sun 25/3 Sport Relief Mile
Sun 1/4 Forest-of-Dean Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 1/4 Scenic 6 - Peopleton
Sun 15/4 Eastnor 7 (CL)
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K (Hereford)
Wed 13/6 Malvern Joggers 10K
Sun 24/6 Acorns Triple Run – Three Counties Showground, Malvern
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 26 February 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

PRESTEIGNE XC RACE
From Jom Green .... There's not been much of a response either way yet for Presteigne next Sunday.
So far Nigel Sewell has confirmed that he is intending to run and I am hoping that I'll be able to run.
Steve Ollis, Andy Dickenson and Stuart Brown have each said they are not able to run.
What about everyone else out there? Let me know either way please. (Apologies if you have let me know verbally, but please confirm by email.)
Many thanks, Jonathan H 01684 891 029 M 079 7416 8577
confirmed for ... SUNDAY 4th MARCH 2012
11 out of 12 member clubs registered their date preference and all but one voted for 4th March. So, 4th March it is.
No more snow and ice on the day please.
Next winter (2012/13), if the majority of MJ runners agree, we'll most likely switch to the Gloucestershire League. So, this could be your last opportunity to run in the Herefordshire Winter League. (The thinking is that we'll still do the Herefordshire Summer League.)
Let me know whether or not you plan to run at Presteigne and also any preference for next winter.
Email .... green.jonathan@virgin.net

Race Reports
Mudruuner Icebreaker 19/2/12 by Lucy Prosser
Oh What Fun! A fantastic ‘Icebreaker’ Race by Elsie / Kester. 10k run / 20k MTB / 3k run
It started with a massive hill out towards Ledbury (the one that comes down to the church on the MMM route)– that spread the field somewhat! Then onto the Landrover tracks and it was 10k of the usual muck and slime – much much slimier and wetter than mudrunner back in October! (if that is possible!) the run was grueling, I was thinking we must be close to the finish by now, but no, upon asking a marshal, I was only 6k in! I was running in my new barefoot style merrell trail gloves which were amazing – so light – nothing sticks to them and you don’t get that weighted feet feeling once wet, so I was light on my feet and felt pretty strong the whole way round all things considered!
Then into transition, off with the shoes, and on with the SPD’s, pretty quick there I think – better than my last Duathlon - A quick gel and I was off! The bike, surprise surprise, went up the same hill – within the first half mile I passed 2 flats and a broken chain! (seven P’s and all that!) I had just bought a new set of tyres, and they were performing like a dream, cutting through the mud really well and the grip was amazing, the bike was great – I felt very strong and picked off quite a lot of the runners that had overtaken me. I had one bike snag where my chain got rammed with all sorts of detritus, but I got that sorted – a couple of ‘oh heck I can’t get my feet out of my clips – quickly followed by a big SPLASH/SQUELCH’ moments – (I was fully submerged at one point!!!) OH IT WAS FUN! Lots of pushing / carrying bike up slimey hills, then finally, after 20k of possibly the worst / best mountain biking ever – it was back into transition for the final 3k run around the castle – it led us around the back and through the final river section of mudrunner, which froze the legs nicely! The trail back in was lovely, my feet felt great – the shoes were performing very well. Then someone shouted – come on – your third lady and there’s only 500yds to do!!! So at the thought of getting third place, I put a bit more effort in – and then literally 20m from the finish – another lady (50+ cat GGGRRR) whizzed past me! I was gutted – I thought I was in for a medal – then once over the line, Kester came up to me with my 4th place prize – how happy! Finally – I have won something. I feel like I am back to my old days! My Prize – free entry to the next Mudrunner event! Oblivion here I come!!!
Thanks, Lucy
Action Heart 5 26/2/12 by Julie Caseley
Today I was at the Action Heart 5 mile at Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley. The conditions were perfect although the 9.30 start was a little early!! I've never done this before so it was a whole new experience. There was a race limit of 1000 but there were only 454 finishers which I understand was down on last year’s entry. I think the numbers were fine as there were no road closures and competitors had to run on the pavement which was dodgy at times with cars parked half on and half off the pavement. The start was behind the hospital, then we ran around the hospital and out onto the main road, doing an anti-clockwise route through Sedgley and back to the finish behind the hospital. The first 2 miles was a lung busting uphill before a mile downhill, then from 3 to 5 miles was generally undulating with an uphill finish to the entrance of the hospital. Although the winner finished in an amazing 27:30, for us mere mortals it wasn't a PB potential course. I finished in 41:17.
Thanks, Julie

Marathon Tips
Info supplied by Vikksen......Top tips to help make your 2012 marathon a golden one
Right now, thousands of us are heading into some of the toughest weeks of our training programme, but it seems we need more than just getting our bodies into their peak physicial condition in order to prepare well.
There’s a lot to get right in the run up to a 26.2 mile race, so we asked ASICS PRO team podiatrist, Clifton Bradeley and physiotherapist Sarah Connors to offer us some of their top tips in helping us to maximize our marathon preparations.
1) Get the right shoes; excessively worn shoes can increase repetitive strain injuries in the feet, legs and pelvis. Signs that your trainers need changing include:
- When the outer sole has worn through to the white midsole
- When the midsole feels too soft and collapses easily under pressure. You may see longitudinal creases in the midsole
- When your toes wear through the toe-box, and shoe upper tears
- If one shoe sole becomes asymmetrically worn compared the other
- If one or both shoes no longer stand up straight when placed on a flat surface
2) Increase efficiency by concentrating on keeping your body upright; relaxed neck and shoulders; elbows at 90° or less and arms swinging at the shoulders with hands swinging in front of the sternum (chest bone).
3) Think very carefully before taking on a completely new running style before an event as it may lead to strain and a new injury. Most importantly enjoy your running style. If it is not comfortable and relaxed you won’t get the best performance out of your body.
4) Make sure you vary the surfaces running on add some cross country and trails. Don’t run in the same direction all the time as the camber on the road will change your mechanics.
5) Don’t do too many long runs, build up to one long run as your schedule suggest don’t try and do a marathon distance every week.
6) Don’t ignore niggles; rest and ice for 24 hours then start some easy stretching. If the pain doesn’t ease, don’t try and run through as it will turn into a serious injury that will need a lot more rest.

More Marathon stuff
Info from Sundance Paul.... from "The True Secret of Carbo Loading" and Never Hit the Wall Again
I used to think I knew everything about tapering and carbo loading to avoid hitting the wall. All I had to do was eat lots of pasta and bagels on the three days before a marathon and halve my running miles the week prior, and I'd feel pretty good in the last five or six miles of the race.
Sometimes, I did feel good. More often, though, I'd slow to a jog and smile while silently cursing the spectators encouraging me to pick it up because "I was almost there" at mile 22. Didn't they know that my legs felt like the Scarecrow's and my hips like the Tin Man's before he got oil? But I always had a reason why I had suffered a slam into the wall.
For example, I figured I hit the wall at the 1997 San Francisco Marathon right when I turned off the Great Highway into the headwinds on the upgrade towards the Golden Gate Park pan handle because I had only eaten pasta one night.
I figured I hit the wall at the 1998 Paris Marathon because a week of rich, fat-laden, wonderful cuisine had driven all the glycogen the out of my body.
But when I hit the wall at the 2007 LA Marathon, well, I wasn't sure. Maybe I was just getting too old. The rule of thumb for the impact of age on marathon times is that you slow down a minute a year once you're past your prime. And it must have been that I suffered all 20 years of age-related slowdown at once in the 20 minutes of time lost against my planned pace between mile 19 and the finish that year. Talk about your age catching up to you!
I now realize that I just didn't know squat about carbo loading all those years, because the real secret wasn't discovered until 2002 and I didn't hear about it until last year.
This study by the University of Western Australia, which reads more like a science experiment than a running how-to article, proved you can increase the impact of carbo loading on glycogen levels as much as 90 percent. Then I validated the experiment at the last LA Marathon.
Here's what you do.
Eat lightly and normally the week before the marathon.
The day before your marathon, do a 3 minute, very-high-intensity speed workout in the morning. For me, that meant running two-plus all-out laps at the track, leaving me gasping for breath and really feeling the burn.
Consume 12 grams of carbs for every kilo of lean body mass spread over the next 24 hours. That's a HUGE amount of carbs. For my 150 pound body, that meant buying four 18-ounce cans of ABB Carboforce at 24 Hour Fitness and nursing them down during the course of the day (ten 12-ounce bottles of new Gatorade Carbohydrate Energy Formula would work as well).
If you wade through the study, you'll find the science of it is that your body responds to the all-out workout by getting ready to handle this stress again, i.e., it loads a ton of glycogen into your muscles. Yet the short duration of the workout means it has no impact on your readiness for the race the next day. And Carboforce isn't bad: it tastes like a really syrupy version of Gatorade.
While I must admit to feeling a little bit bloated at the starting line, I breezed past the free cellphone call area coming into downtown LA, where I had hit the wall in 2007, and felt strong all the way to the finish. My time was 23 minutes faster overall, and most of the improvement was in the last 5 miles, thanks to not hitting the wall.

Membership Subscriptions
From our Secretary Geoff - For those of you who have not got round to letting me have your sub, here's a reminder of the benefits of paying before the end of February:
Races run in the club League in Jan and Feb will be counted if you renew your membership by end Feb, otherwise only races run after you have paid your sub will count.
The club ballot for London Marathon places in 2013 will be restricted to those members who pay before end Feb.
This year we have 3 club places in the London Marathon. We only need a few more members than last year to be awarded 4 places for the 2013 event
Of course, you do not have to be a member to run with the club on Wednesday nights, but membership subscriptions are our major source of income and help us to be an active and supportive club for all our runners.
geoff.field@lineone.net

MJs Champions League
Races selected for the competition up to the end of May are:-
4th March - The Treat MT8 (Stourport)
11th March - Blackminster Half Marathon (Evesham)
1st April - Forest of Dean Half Marathon
15th April - Eastnor 7
13th May - Crowle 10k
20th May - Tewkesbury Half Marathon
Please enter well in advance as some of them fill up very quickly.

Marathon Talk - Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.comBy runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 29/2 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Sat 3/3 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon
Sun 4/3 Treat MT8 (Stourport) (CL)
Sat 10/3 Great Malvern Urban Orienteering Race www.harlequins.org.uk
Sun 11/3 Bath Half Marathon
Sun 11/3 Blackminster Half Marathon (Evesham) (CL)
Sun 25/3 Sport Relief Mile
Sun 1/4 Forest-of-Dean Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 1/4 Scenic 6 - Peopleton
Sun 15/4 Eastnor 7 (CL)
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K (Hereford)
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 19 February 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Summer Running Venues
From our Secretary Geoff ....Thanks to all of you who voted for the venues for Wednesday night club runs in the summer.
We are just going to confirm arrangements with the nominated locations and will be able to publish the final list of venues in early March.

Two from Cathy
PRESS COVERAGE FOR THE JOGGERS
Hope you have all seen the good coverage of Muddy Woody in this week's Malvern Gazette - please do send me any information about races you or a group of you are doing that you think might make the papers and I can convert it in to newspaper speak and hopefully get some more coverage for the Joggers, pictures of MJs running in races or group pics are also handy...speaking of which...
CALLING ALL LONDON MARATHONERS - PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
If you are running the London Marathon and want to be in a photo for the papers please wear your Malvern Joggers colours on Wednesday and arrive a little early as I hope to take a couple of photos that I can then send out with a press release - thanks.
Send me any info to Cathy@malvernjoggers.co.uk

INVITATION TO PREVIEW-RUN THE PROPOSED 'Poets Path Potter Marathon' route. SUNDAY 26th FEBRUARY 9am
From Duncan Cresswell - Ultra distance runners 'Ed & Phil' are organising a run next weekend and is a great opportunity to do some off-road marathon training.
Informal training run with a choice of 8, 16, 26 miles distances returning to the HQ at the end of each of 3 different loops - Poets Path II & I and Daffodil Path (2 x 8 miles, 1 x 10 miles) in that order. The routes are way marked, but some maps for groups to use will be available.
Meet at Dymock Cricket Club for car parking and toilets.
9am start in front of Dymock Church (5 mins walk from cricket club)
Hopefully tea and biscuits will be available after each loop, donations welcomed as this is self supporting event (until the inaugural event in 2013!) or the pub next to church is runner-friendly and offers carb-loading beer!
For more info contact Phillip Howells phillip@edandphil.co.uk The cricket club is easy to find on the Newent Rd out of the village, but for more inof see website http://dymock.play-cricket.com

Adidas Thunder 24 hour Relay www.tr24.co.uk
From Paul Newman - Having spoken to the organisers today, the event is getting full up and looks like being over subscribed. A lot of MJ's have said they'd like to take part, but we are all in danger of missing out if we don't get in QUICK ! a cheq for £29.38 secures a cracking weekend away with the joggers and 3/4 10k races plus a fantastic goodie bag. I've entered one team already and with 30+ joggers saying they'd like to come there is the potential for a few more, but The Black Pears and Worcester Park run are also sending teams but with limited entry to 2000 runners, the race is filling up fast. Please make chqs payable to Pro Velo Support. More details on our Malvern joggers Facebook page.
Cheers Paul paul@newman8840.fslife.co.uk

Race Reports
Liversedge Half Marathon - Roberttown Road Runners - 12th Feb by Jayne Ackroyd
I ventured North last weekend for a repeat of the Liversedge Half which I did last year. I remembered the route in vivid detail. Uphill 2-3M, steep down hill 4-5M, steep uphill 6-7M, more uphill 9-10M, downhill 11-12M and an uphill mile to finish. Maybe that was why I forgot to take my Garmin with me? There were a few nice views from the top though. Apparently!
Anyway, I don't quite know why considering the terrain but I love this race. There is always something happening (usually a hill!) and it stays interesting all the way round. Its very friendly, well organised and with 600 competitors a genuine local race. I finished in 1:51:33, which was about 4 mins slower than last year, but I was very pleased as it was my first proper half since last March. And my legs hurt much, much less the day after this time!
Thanks, Jayne

Threshold 10k Winter Series Race 5 - 19th Feb – Ilmington also by Jayne
Did race 4 in this series in Jan, and went back to run the same course in reverse for the final race of this series. Again really friendly, and well organised, and good fun. However, there is that hill! Its huge and whichever way you go up it it hurts. And going downhill the other side hurts nearly as much! This month it was 3k to the top of the hill, 3k down the other side & 4k undulating round the village to finish. With a bit of judicious powerwalking on the really steep bits, I felt fine until 8k when I turned a corner uphill and into the wind. It was a slog from there to the finish! I was, however, 5th lady in 52:22 and won the FV45 age prize :-) Oh, and did I mention that the Vikksen was there too? Over to you Viks .........

Threshold events winter 10K series by Vikki Sivertsen
Threshold events are the organisers for the Worcester half and full marathon later this year but this is a series of 5 road races, one a month from October through to February held at Ilmington which is between Stratford and Evesham.
This race is described as being ‘one of the most beautiful but one of the most challenging’ 10k races in the country. Not wrong on either account! There is a hill, a very big one, called Lark Stoke. The race is run in alternate directions each time so, whichever way, you have to run to the top of the hill and back down the other side.
I have picked up prize money at each event, collecting first in age, two 3rd places, a second and finally, today, a first. This resulted in me being the ladies series winner. Jayne Ackroyd joined me for races 4 and 5, so she got to run the route in both directions and she picked up first in her age group at both races.
There was a lovely hoodie as a reward to all that completed the series, (they even emailed to ask what size you wanted) prize money for 1st 2nd 3rd finishers overall and first in ages. Mugs, T shirts and gloves for finishing the race and a lovely engraved glass for the male and female series winners.
These races have really kept me motivated through the winter between my autumn and spring marathon training and I can highly recommend this series to all MJ’s. Admittedly it is a little way to travel, about an hours’ drive, but the motivation of signing up for the whole series is a great incentive to keep you going through the winter season. It’s a very friendly race, very well organised with enthusiastic, supportive marshalls and the organisers are quick to produce the results online, usually the same evening. As a final bonus there is a warm club house providing tea, coffee and homemade soup for supporters during the race and runners after the race. One for the diary.
Thanks, Vikki

Cirencester Duathlon Race Report 12/2/112 by Lucy Prosser
Kitted out with my five fingers and my bike, I headed for Cirencester for a pre Ice breaker warm up! I had not realized quite how much it had snowed down there! Both the running and bike courses were still very white and it all looked very winter wonderlandish!
It was only a 2m run - 10m bike – 2m run – all off road and it was fantastic!
We set off on the first run – my feet were warm and toasty – much to the amazement of everyone passing me (yes passing me!) but not for long, the ground was hard packed ice and my 5 fingers were struggling to get a grip - the very slippery run was over for me in just over 17 minutes ! And then, once I was on my bike I was flying and I picked off lots – so that made me very happy, although I was wishing the whole way round I had my winter tyres on! I finished the 10m bike in 44:51 minutes, then into transition and this was a laugh – trying to get my 5 fingers back onto wet cold feet was a little bit time consuming (2mins 13secs – a record long transition I reckon!) Then back on my feet again – legs still wanting to go round and round instead of forward but warmed up again after half a mile, this time round the course was slower but easier as all the runners had melted the ice and it was soft again, I was getting a bit tired – I kept telling myself its only 4 miles total running you daft bat, but all things considering, I wasn’t doing too badly – the bike had put me in a good position and I came 7th overall and 2nd in my category out of 25 women – so not too bad and a nice way to get back into racing – with a relatively short run boosted by a nice nickering ride in between! Overall – a brilliant race and lots of fun – lovely atmosphere!
From the results – clearly I need to work on my transitions!!!!
Thanks, Lucy

PRESTEIGNE XC RACE
From Jon Green .... confirmed for SUNDAY 4th MARCH 2012
11 out of 12 member clubs registered their date preference and all but one voted for 4th March. So, 4th March it is.
No more snow and ice on the day please.
Next winter (2012/13), if the majority of MJ runners agree, we'll most likely switch to the Gloucestershire League. So, this could be your last opportunity to run in the Herefordshire Winter League. (The thinking is that we'll still do the Herefordshire Summer League.)
Let me know whether or not you plan to run at Presteigne and also any preference for next winter.

Malvern Joggers Nipple Team 'do Bathalf'
From Sarah Grout - There are only 21 days to go and the Malvern Joggers Nipple team is about to take on the 'Bathalf' in great style, and in aid of the charity 'CoppaFeel'. About 20 of us are fundraising for the event and 7 of us will be wearing a big 'boob' or 'hooter' to raise the profile of the charity which encourages young people (typically 18 - 30) to check themselves for signs of breast cancer. On Friday 17th February (this week!) we are having a Half Term 'Children's Things' fundraising sale at Colwall Village Hall, between 10am and midday. We are selling new and used children's things, like an indoor carboot sale. Tables cost £5 or just come along and support the event, stop for a cake and a cuppa and help us to raise funds for this great cause. If you want a table or need further information contact me, Sarah Grout, on 01684 566511 or email info@malverneventorganiser.co.uk Entry to the sale is FREE for visitors. The more is always the merrier.
If you can't attend, but still want to support the cause, you could help by baking a cake to give to me on Wednesday at Malvern Joggers, or by making a donation of ANY size on our team fundraising page: www.virginmoneygiving.com/malvernjoggersnipple
Thanks so much for any support you can give. Grouty x
Sarah Grout Tel: 01684 566511 | Mob: 07540 271399 Email: info@malverneventorganiser.co.uk |
Shop Address: 10 Church Walk, Malvern, WR14 2XH

Marathon Talk - Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.comBy runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 22/2 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Sat 25/2 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon
Sun 4/3 Treat MT8 (Stourport) (CL)
Sat 10/3 Great Malvern Urban Orienteering Race www.harlequins.org.uk
Sun 11/3 Bath Half Marathon
Sun 11/3 Blackminster Half Marathon (Evesham) (CL)
Sun 1/4 Forest-of-Dean Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 1/4 Scenic 6 - Peopleton
Sun 15/4 Eastnor 7 (CL)
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K (Hereford)
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 12 February 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Summer Run Venues
Thanks to all of you who have cast your votes for this summer's Wednesday evening venues. For those of you who haven't got round to it yet, there is still time before voting closes on Wednesday. The shortlist is:

British Camp (Malvern Hills Hotel or The Chase Inn),
The Chase Inn, Upper Colwall,
The Drum & Monkey, Upton upon Severn,
Gullet Quarry / Swinyard car park (The Plume of Feathers)
Hanley Castle (The Three Kings),
The New Inn, Hereford Road, Leigh Sinton,
The New Inn, Lower Howsell Road, Malvern,
The Old Bush, Callow End, The Swan at Newland
The Swan at Hanley Swan,
Welland Village Hall (The Marlbank),
West of England Quarry (The Brewer's Arms)

To vote, simply rank your chosen location in order of preference from 1 (most preferred) to 5 (least preferred). Attached is a voting form which you can complete and send to geoff.field@lineone.net, or you can just e-mail with your 5 chosen venues to the same address. You can also let me know before this week's run from Malvern St. James on Wednesday night.

Malvern Joggers Nipple Team 'do Bathalf'
From Sarah Grout - There are only 28 days to go and the Malvern Joggers Nipple team is about to take on the 'Bathalf' in great style, and in aid of the charity 'CoppaFeel'. About 20 of us are fundraising for the event and 7 of us will be wearing a big 'boob' or 'hooter' to raise the profile of the charity which encourages young people (typically 18 - 30) to check themselves for signs of breast cancer. On Friday 17th February (this week!) we are having a Half Term 'Children's Things' fundraising sale at Colwall Village Hall, between 10am and midday. We are selling new and used children's things, like an indoor carboot sale. Tables cost £5 or just come along and support the event, stop for a cake and a cuppa and help us to raise funds for this great cause. If you want a table or need further information contact me, Sarah Grout, on 01684 566511 or email info@malverneventorganiser.co.uk Entry to the sale is FREE for visitors. The more is always the merrier.
If you can't attend, but still want to support the cause, you could help by baking a cake to give to me on Wednesday at Malvern Joggers, or by making a donation of ANY size on our team fundraising page: www.virginmoneygiving.com/malvernjoggersnipple
Thanks so much for any support you can give. Grouty x
Sarah Grout Tel: 01684 566511 | Mob: 07540 271399 Email: info@malverneventorganiser.co.uk |
Shop Address: 10 Church Walk, Malvern, WR14 2XH

Garmin Hints & Tips
Also from Geoff - I have been having a few problems with my Garmin Forerunner 205 (also applies to a 305 which is the same, but with a heart-rate monitor). It has been giving me a "battery low" alert after only ½ hr running from a fully charged battery and switching off in about an hour. I thought you might be interested in the following hints and tips I have picked up in trying to sort this out (NB. the batteries are not replaceable):
If your Garmin does not turn on when you press the "On" button, do not despair. Press the "Mode" and the "Reset" buttons simultaneously for a good 5 secs and then release. This resets the software and it should now start.
If you charge your Garmin through your computer, using the cradle and USB cable, disconnect it when fully charged. Apparently, if your computer goes into "Sleep" mode while your Garmin is connected it will stop charging and, in fact, will start discharging.
Every couple of months it is a good idea to let your batteries discharge fully (leave it switched on until the battery runs down) before recharging.
You can do a full system reset by holding down the "Mode", "Reset" and "On" buttons for 5 secs. This will delete any history you have in your watch and will delete any personal settings (including display setting, units preferences, etc), so it’s a good idea to make sure all your data is downloaded to Garmin Training Centre first. Personal settings are easy to reconfigure.
I did a 2¼hr run this morning and my watch was still functioning at the end. I attribute this to doing a full system reset last night. Don't ask me why it works, but it was suggested on a Garmin forum and it seems to have done the trick for me.

BRAND NEW RUNNING SHOES FOR SALE £40.00
Vikki Sivertsen - Adidas Supernova Sequence 3 (Blue/white) women’s, size 6 ½ BRAND NEW, NEVER WORN, BOXED! £40...bargain! They are a ‘stability’ running shoe making them best suited to runners who slightly over pronate as opposed to a neutral runner. These are the make and style of shoe that I have run all my marathons in but I need a 6 not a 6 ½ ! Find me on Facebook: Vikki FitnessMotivator Sivertsen or Mob: 07761 133122.

FREE Sports Massage sessions available!
From Tracey Kenyon - I’m currently training for a VTCT Level 4 qualification in Sports Massage, recognised by the Sports Massage Association. In order to build up my training hours and skills, I am looking for volunteers to practise on for the next few months.
Sports Massage works on the soft tissues of the body, such as muscles, tendons and ligaments. It can be used to improve circulation and lymphatic flow, increase or decrease muscle tone, re-model scar tissue, assist in mental & physical preparation for a sporting activity, or help reduce muscle fatigue after a sporting event. You don’t need to be a sports person either; it can also be beneficial for relieving many day-to-day problems, such as repetitive strain injury, postural problems, sprains & strains, tension and fatigue.
If you’re interested, and you live in the Malvern area and would be available weekday early evenings, I can be contacted by ‘phone on 07811 467 204, or by email: kenyon_tracey@yahoo.co.uk.

Forthcoming Race
From the organiser’s - Hello, I am the chairman of Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research and have been organising the Bromsgrove fun run since my son Marc died of leukaemia in 1989.
We are organising two races a 5 K for fun runners and a 10 K which is a road race, properly measured as a 10k and undulating.
Should you be interested in any of those two races which will take place on 13th May, I am attaching a pdf form for your website.
Some more information are available from www.lrfbromsgrove.org.uk
Many thanks, Kind regards, Nicole Harris, Chairman, Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, Bromsgrove and district branch

Running Kit
From Sheila Jackson - A friend of mine is introducing some new compression garments which work in the same way as Skins but are even better because they have excellent protection against both wind and rain and designed to help in a much quicker and speedier recovery after action.
They are designed to add support to active muscles, leaving them less sore with less damage after exercise - just what some of you long distance runners need!
The garments are also being worn by players from Worcester and Yorkshire cricket and the GB water polo team along with other high profile players in different sports.
If you would like to look at the range of garments and the colours on offer, go to http://fitz4sport.com/ or phone Lee Smith on 07850 680926. If you mention my name he will only charge you £35 for long sleeved tops and £35 for leggings which I think is a bargain.

St Richard's Hospice - Club Charity
Also from Geoff.... Thanks for your nominations for charities to be supported by the club in 2012. The overwhelming number of nominations was for St. Richard's Hospice. In view of this we have decided not to put the matter to a vote, but simply to declare St. Richard's Hospice as the clubs chosen charity for this year. St. Richard's will receive a donation from the Malvern Joggers 10K race and other activities organised by the club.

Race Reports
Muddy Woody 6, 12/2/12 by Julie Caseley
Well done to the 10 Malvern Joggers who turned out on a relatively mild morning (compared to last week) to run, slide and climb around this modified 6.8 mile course through Haugh Woods near Mordiford which involved two
stream crossings together with some steep ascents and descents as well as forest tracks, footpaths and trails. A total of 299 runners successfully completed the course and were rewarded with a Muddy Woody t-shirt, warm drinks, doughnuts and flapjacks (thanks to Cathy for her donation so all MJ's could have flapjacks).
Our runners were Sam Burnage, Megan Judge, Claire Gilbert, Nick Hitchings, Steve Roode, myself, Alison Hughes,
Amanda Duncan, Lynda Broadway and Jenni Neale. A few of us fell, some more than once, but Jenni twisted her knee just over a mile into the race and through sheer determination and probably some pain, managed to finish.
Well done. Pleased to win my age category prize. (Only one runner broke an ankle!!)
Thanks, Julie

Spring Marathons
This is the revised list of MJs who are doing spring marathons so far.
London. Sunday 22nd April 2012 - Ruth Johnstone, Julie Caseley, Megan Judge, Vikki Sivertsen, Jayne Ackroyd, Jo Tustin, Amanda Dawson, Tony Bennett, Graham Cramp, Andy Blannin, Paul Newman, Stuart Brown and Bert Lacey.
Stratford 29th April - Andy Scott
Milton Keynes 29th April - Jayne Cresswell
Edinburgh 17th May - Jerry Greer
Anyone else? if so please inform Stuart ...... stuart.brown37@btopenworld.com

Marathon Talk - Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.com By runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 15/2 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Sat 18/2 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 19/2 Cotswold Marathon & 35 Miler
Sun 19/2 Mudrunner Icebreaker
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon
Sun 4/3 Treat MT8 (Stourport) (CL)
Sat 10/3 Gt Malvern Urban Orienteering Race www.harlequins.org.uk
Sun 11/3 Bath Half Marathon
Sun 11/3 Blackminster Half Marathon (Evesham) (CL)
Sun 1/4 Forest-of-Dean Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 1/4 Scenic 6 - Peopleton
Sun 15/4 Eastnor 7 (CL)
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K (Hereford)
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 5 February 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers, (Special thanks to all those who wished me happy birthday last Thursday)

Summer Run Venues
From Geoff - Thanks for your suggestions for running venues for summer club nights. The committee has rejected a few because of concerns about the adequacy of parking arrangements. This is increasingly important because of the record number of runners we have had turning out on Wednesday nights this year. The excluded venues are: The Marlbank at Upper Welland, The Three Horseshoes on Poolbrook Common and the Green Dragon at Guarlford.
That leaves 12 nominations, so there is still plenty of choice. The shortlist is:

British Camp (Malvern Hills Hotel or The Chase Inn),
The Chase Inn, Upper Colwall,
The Drum & Monkey, Upton upon Severn,
Gullet Quarry / Swinyard car park (The Plume of Feathers)
Hanley Castle (The Three Kings),
The New Inn, Hereford Road, Leigh Sinton,
The New Inn, Lower Howsell Road, Malvern,
The Old Bush, Callow End, The Swan at Newland
The Swan at Hanley Swan,
Welland Village Hall (The Marlbank),
West of England Quarry (The Brewer's Arms)

The final selection will be made by a vote of members. Each member can vote for up 5 locations. To vote, simply rank your chosen location in order of preference from 1 (most preferred) to 5 (least preferred). Attached is a voting form which you can complete and send to geoff.field@lineone.net, or you can just e-mail with your 5 chosen venues to the same address. Voting closes 15 February.

MJs Walking Group Report- Hay Bluff Walk on 4th February
By Jenny Field - After a lot of 'shall we go, shall we not' 9 hardy souls, Geoff and I, Eric, Chris, Isobel, Ros, Derek and first timers Rachel and David, met at Malvern Splash car park at 7.15 on a very very cold day!
We car shared and set off to the start of the proposed walk.
It was to have been a repeat of the very first walk we did one very wet and windy Sunday 2 years ago. We were all looking forward to it hoping for better weather this time so we could enjoy the views from the top of Hay Bluff. Unfortunately the threat of snow and getting stuck in the remote car park at the start of the walk caused us to change the plan.
We parked at the Bull Head pub in Craswall where we were to have lunch at the end of walk and set off on a yomp up a delightful track towards Hay Bluff. There was already a good covering of snow ever where and we had some good icy areas to cope with. The track was pretty level at first but then we started to climb gradually until Ros decided we should take a more vertical route towards the bluff. We huffed and puffed upwards, glad of the heather under the snow to give us some grip. Ros, of course, had nipped up like a mountain goat!
We rewarded ourselves with a coffee break at the top. The sky was really looking black and ominous and snow began to fall so we followed the well marked Offers Dyke path along the ridge a little way then took a gentle decent
back down to the path that took us back to the Pub.
The landlord had laid on Butty Bach specially for us so it would have been rude not to indulge with enthusiasm. We have been to this pub 3 times now and it is a firm favorite. We had a delicious meal in the really delightful bar with a roaring fire. Leaving it to drive home in the snow was pretty difficult but had to be done.
Even though it was not the planned walk it was a very good day. Good company and great to be out in such
beautiful countryside. Heaps of thanks to Eric who organised it, worried over the weather AND drove Geoff and I there and back.
Thanks, Jenny

Race Reports
Stourbridge Stagger 5/2/11 by Julie Caseley
The Stourbridge Stagger is a 10ish mile multi terrain event starting and finishing at Mary Stevens Park in Stourbridge. There is also a 7km ladies only race starting at the same time and run along part of the "Stagger" course. The race went ahead despite heavy snow yesterday. The course conditions were tricky with combinations of lying snow, ice and frozen mud which made 'Dinosaur Beach', 'Joan's Delight' (steep, slippery ascent), 'Slop Gully' and 'Step Hill'
very challenging. However, the long downhill stretch on road through the village of Churchill was very welcome.
I don't think anyone was out to break records today - just getting round was quite an achievement although the
winning time of just over an hour was pretty impressive. Julie Mitchell, Amanda Dawson and I braved the cold
this morning to be awarded a very useful Stourbridge Stagger hand towel at the finish.
Thanks, Julie

Great Malvern Urban Orienteering Race - March 10th
From the local Harlequins Orienteering Club - Hi there, I was wondering if there was any chance you could give some publicity to the Great Malvern Urban Orienteering Race that Harlequins are staging on March 10th. There are the usual courses, available to enter on-line at Fabian 4 or a Newcomers/Family course which can be entered on the day.
Full details are available on the Harlequins website at www.harlequins.org.uk under the March in the Marches banner. I'll attach the flyer and the details:
All the best, Lynden Hartmann

London Marathon - Runner's World Pace Team 2012
Click this link for the full story: http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/event-editorial/runners-world-pace-team-2012/7852.html
Check out http://www.runnersworld.co.uk for more like this.

BRAND NEW RUNNING SHOES FOR SALE £40.00
Adidas Supernova Sequence 3 (Blue/white) women’s, size 6 ½ BRAND NEW, NEVER WORN, BOXED! £40...bargain! They are a ‘stability’ running shoe making them best suited to runners who slightly over pronate as opposed to a neutral runner. These are the make and style of shoe that I have run all my marathons in but I need a 6 not a 6 ½ ! Find me on Facebook: Vikki FitnessMotivator Sivertsen or Mob: 07761 133122.

Tuesday Night Run
With Andy Banham - I am planning to do an alternative run to the hash on Tuesday night. Meet at the Brewers. It will be hash style ie off road (but no trail) the usual sort of distance so will need torches. Couple of beers afterwards. Can you put a notice out for it please as I need some training in how to do that!
Also may be worth advertising the hash the week after is also from the Brewers - a 'lovers' hash for Valentine night to be laid by me and Roodie

Malvern Joggers Website
Love the website? Got any ideas for improving it?
We are looking to set up a "user group" to help Peter Cowling develop and maintain the site. No technical knowledge is needed, but if there is anyone out there with web development experience, that would be a bonus.
If you want to be involved in a user group, let Geoff Field know, either by e-mail to geoff.field@lineone.net, or phone (01684 578652) or see him on Wednesday evening at the club run.

Blackminster Half Marathon (Evesham) Sun 11/3
From me (Chris) - This is one of the races selected for our Champions League Club competition. I thought I would enter this today and pulled up the race website to print a form off. Unfortunately, I find that all 300 places have gone, so if you’ve not yet entered – you’re too late! And if you have and find you cannot use your place, I would be glad to take it off your hands.

Bath Half Marathon – 11/3/11
From Grouty - A group of us from the Malvern Joggers are running at the Bath Half and fundraising for Coppafeel, a charity from which one of our members has benefitted directly. Coppafeel is on a mission to stamp out late detection and misdiagnosis of breast cancer by ensuring that we all (women AND men) know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, know what boobs look and feel like normally, check our boobs regularly throughout our lifetime and have the confidence to seek medical referral if we detect any changes.
Our 'Malvern Joggers Nipple' team will wear the Coppafeel inflatable boobs, decorated bras or boob t-shirts. If you are running in the Bath Half and would like to join our team, we'd be thrilled. Just let me know and I'll add you to the team list. I think there are a few more already signed up, but if you could email me then I can be certain to get the list right. We are seeking sponsorship through our virginmoneygiving page below and will be organising a few fundraising events in the next few weeks, so watch this space for details of events and how you might like to be involved.
If you can't join in but would still like to sponsor us - we'd be really grateful....you can do so at www.virginmoneygiving.com/MalvernJoggersNipple
I will also have a sponsor form in my shop in Church Walk if you prefer not to donate online.
Thank you for any support you can give, of whatever size.
Email...... Sarahsgrout@aol.com

MJs Champions League
Races selected for the competition up to the end of May are:-
12th February - Muddy Woody 6 miles
4th March - The Treat MT8 (Stourport)
11th March - Blackminster Half Marathon (Evesham)
1st April - Forest of Dean Half Marathon
15th April - Eastnor 7
13th May - Crowle 10k
20th May - Tewkesbury Half Marathon
Please enter well in advance as some of them fill up very quickly.

Marathon Talk - Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.com By runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 8/2 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Sat 11/2 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 12/2 Muddy Woody 6 (CL)
Sun 12/2 Wyre Forest MT8
Sun 12/2 Dursley Dozen
Sun 19/2 Cotswold Marathon & 35 Miler
Sun 19/2 Mudrunner Icebreaker
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon
Sun 4/3 Treat MT8 (Stourport) (CL)
Sat 10/3 Gt Malvern Urban Orienteering Race www.harlequins.org.uk
Sun 11/3 Bath Half Marathon
Sun 11/3 Blackminster Half Marathon (Evesham) (CL)
Sun 1/4 Forest-of-Dean Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 1/4 Scenic 6 - Peopleton
Sun 15/4 Eastnor 7 (CL)
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K (Hereford)
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 29 January 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Membership Subscriptions
From our Secretary Geoff - One month into the New Year and we already have 119 paid up members this year - including 31 new members, of whom 16 are Juniors.
For those of you who have not got round to letting me have your sub, here's a reminder of the benefits of paying before the end of February:
Races run in the club League in Jan and Feb will be counted if you renew your membership by end Feb, otherwise only races run after you have paid your sub will count.
The club ballot for London Marathon places in 2013 will be restricted to those members who pay before end Feb.
This year we have 3 club places in the London Marathon. We only need a few more members than last year to be awarded 4 places for the 2013 event
Of course, you do not have to be a member to run with the club on Wednesday nights, but membership subscriptions are our major source of income and help us to be an active and supportive club for all our runners.
geoff.field@lineone.net

Summer Venues
The end of January is the deadline for submitting suggestions for summer running venues. We already have quite a list:
The New Inn (Lower Howsell Road), The Swan at Newland, The Brewers Arms - West Malvern, The Marlbank – Welland, The Three Horseshoes - Poolbrook, The Green Dragon - Guarlford Road
as well as our regulars ...
Gullet Quarry, British Camp, Hanley Castle, Hanley Swan, The Old Bush - Callow End, The Chase Inn - Colwall
The Drum and Monkey - Upton upon Severn
E-mail to geoff.field@lineone.net before Wednesday if you have any further suggestions

MJ Juniors News
From Andy Dickenson - Among the 29 MJs at at the chilly Worcester Parkrun on Saturday we had 10 MJ Juniors competing. A good effort from all resulted in some great runs and some senior scalps were claimed! Good to see that all the U11 MJs that ran with their parents were able to outsprint their parent in the run in to the funnel. They were also better at eating cake! Well done to all who competed. MJ Juniors will back at Parkrun in March.
We will be going to Glos XC League next Saturday at Tewkesbury School. First race is U11 Girls at 12.00, so if you are running please arrive from 11.30 in time to warm up. Full details are at
http://www.tewkesburyac.co.uk/Cross%20Country.html
Seniors can also run if anyone wants a race. It is only a few pounds to enter.
Finally, next Sunday will be our last this half term and there will be no MJ Juniors on 12th February.

Herefordshire Winter X-Country League Race 5 of 5 Presteigne 11.00 am Sunday 5 February 2012
From Jon Green - Yes, it's the final race of the winter x-country league next weekend. The race will be followed by a presentation ceremony of trophies and awards. Please let me know if you want to run. (The only requirement is that you're a club member and you need to wear club colours.) At Presteigne the men will run over the usual 6 or 7 miles and the ladies over about half that distance. There are some hilly bits and there will almost certainly be some mud (but nothing a MJ can't handle). By the way, over the 4 races so far 19 MJ men and 6 MJ ladies have competed and on average 10 MJ's have turned out for each race. Let's have a good turn out for the last race.
Regards Jonathan (079 7416 8577, green.jonathan@virgin.net

Has the Trophy turned-up yet?
Jon says .......I'm trying to locate the ladies x-country team trophy as it needs to go back next weekend!
If anyone knows its whereabouts or can remember anything about what happened to it after it came back to Malvern, please let me know.
Jonathan M 079 7416 8577 green.jonathan@virgin.net

Forthcoming Race
The Bulmer’s Bash 20/5/12 11am Hockham’s Lane, Wichenford, Worcestershire
This is an undulating 6.5 mile off-road hilly course around Bulmer’s orchards. Pre-entry advisable as numbers are limited.
It’s £8 for club members, £10 non-members. There will be entries on the day at £1 extra if there are places available. A medal will be given to all finishers.
Last run in 2010, this is one I did myself and it comes highly recommended.
The entry form is attached. Please print off and keep.

Parkrun
The Worcester Parkrun continues to be popular with the MJs with an unbelievable 29 of our runners including 10 MJ Juniors taking part in yesterday’s event.
In the words of Richard Ralphs from WP - Young guns from Malvern, you were impressive, thanks to all the volunteers too. Maybe you should have a full takeover one week and have a green parkrun.

From Mark Cooke - I have mapped the worcester parkrun on the nikeplus website so if any runners use nike plus and wish to add it to their runs they will find it under "worcester parkrun"
Train hard, live well and come out of every contest, stronger, wiser and ready for more.

Please Note .....
At MSJ it’s particularly important not to block the doors and to leave a clear way through for the other visitors.
Parking can also be in short supply at MSJ so we need to share transport there if possible. Thanks for your help with these points.
The Wednesday groups For safety and enjoyment we need to remind ourselves of a few things. Be realistic about which group you choose to run with so that groups are evenly matched but if groups are too large see if you can move to another to even up the group sizes. Group leaders, particularly in the faster groups, need to be more realistic about the pace we say we are going to run at, we often run significantly faster than we say. Having stated a pace we need to try to run closer to that speed. Everyone should be mindful of runners moving up a group and having to work hard. So please do plenty of mustering by running to the back of the group on a regular basis.
London marathon training is really getting underway and so far our list of London marathon runners includes :- Emma Gooderham, Ruth Johnstone, Julie Caseley, Megan Judge , Vikki Sivertsen, Jayne Ackroyd, Jo Tustin, Amanda Dawson, Tony Bennett, Graham Cramp, Andy Blannin, Paul Newman and Stuart Brown. Andy Scott is off to the Paris marathon the following weekend. Please e-mail stuart@malvernjoggers.co.uk with any additions and corrections.

Supported Charity for 2012
From Geoff Field - Following discussion at the A.G.M. the Committee is seeking nominations for charities to be supported by the club during 2012. The chosen charity(s) will receive a donation from the Malvern Joggers 10K race and other activities organised by the club. It will not affect individual club members fund-raising activities for their own favoured charities, nor will it preclude club fund-raising events for other charities (e.g. the Cop-a-Feel support at the Bath ½ marathon).
Members are requested to submit their nominations by e-mail to the secretary at geoff.field@lineone.net.
You may submit nominations for one local and/or one national charity. Each nomination should be supported by a brief (no more than 50 words) explanation of why you think the club should support the chosen charity. Nominations will be put to a vote of members and, depending on the response, one or two charities will be chosen as the Malvern Joggers charity for 2012.

Bath Half Marathon
From Grouty - A group of us from the Malvern Joggers are running at the Bath Half and fundraising for Coppafeel, a charity from which one of our members has benefitted directly. Coppafeel is on a mission to stamp out late detection and misdiagnosis of breast cancer by ensuring that we all (women AND men) know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, know what boobs look and feel like normally, check our boobs regularly throughout our lifetime and have the confidence to seek medical referral if we detect any changes.
Our 'Malvern Joggers Nipple' team will wear the Coppafeel inflatable boobs, decorated bras or boob t-shirts. If you are running in the Bath Half and would like to join our team, we'd be thrilled. Just let me know and I'll add you to the team list. I think there are a few more already signed up, but if you could email me then I can be certain to get the list right. We are seeking sponsorship through our virginmoneygiving page below and will be organising a few fundraising events in the next few weeks, so watch this space for details of events and how you might like to be involved.
If you can't join in but would still like to sponsor us - we'd be really grateful....you can do so at www.virginmoneygiving.com/MalvernJoggersNipple
I will also have a sponsor form in my shop in Church Walk if you prefer not to donate online.
Thank you for any support you can give, of whatever size.
Email...... Sarahsgrout@aol.com

Malvern Joggers Walking Group
From Eric.... The next Club Walk (and pub lunch) will be on Sat 4th of February. This will be a repeat of our inaugural walk a few years ago.
Start from the CP at the bottom of the Cats Back, up onto the Black Mountains and follow Offa’s Dyke path round, back to the start-about 8 miles.
Then a short drive to the Bulls Head at Craswall for lunch(the landlord said he would open a new barrel of Butty for us as normally at this quiet time he only sells bottled).Choose from the Black Board Menu or if everyone is interested from the Group Menu but could be more expensive !
Approx 7.30 start from Malvern to ensure we are back to the Bulls Head by 1.00pm
If you are interested PLEASE let me know so that I can liaise numbers with the pub.
More details to follow, Eric
email ... elbromage@talktalk.net

MJs Champions League
Races selected for the competition up to the end of May are:-
5th February - Stourbridge Stagger 10 miles
12th February - Muddy Woody 6 miles
4th March - The Treat MT8 (Stourport)
11th March - Blackminster Half Marathon (Evesham)
1st April - Forest of Dean Half Marathon
15th April - Eastnor 7
13th May - Crowle 10k
20th May - Tewkesbury Half Marathon
Please enter well in advance as some of them fill up very quickly.

Marathon Talk - Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.comBy runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 1/2 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Sat 4/2 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sat 4/2 MJs Walking Group – Black Mountains, Offa’s Dyke (elbromage@talktalk.net)
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne
Sun 5/2 Stourbridge Stagger 10 (CL)
Sun 5/2 Mayhill Massacre
Sun 12/2 Muddy Woody 6 (CL)
Sun 12/2 Wyre Forest MT8
Sun 12/2 Dursley Dozen
Sun 19/2 Cotswold Marathon & 35 Miler
Sun 19/2 Mudrunner Icebreaker
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon
Sun 4/3 Treat MT8 (Stourport) (CL)
Sun 11/3 Bath Half Marathon
Sun 11/3 Blackminster Half Marathon (Evesham) (CL)
Sun 1/4 Forest-of-Dean Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 1/4 Scenic 6 - Peopleton
Sun 15/4 Eastnor 7 (CL)
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Sun 20/5 Bulmer’s Bash - Wichenford
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K (Hereford)
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 22 January 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Some Message from our Chairman Stuart.....

The last two Wednesdays we have had record turnouts at MSJ. We counted an amazing 121 runners turn up to run with us on the 11th of Jan. It’s fantastic to have such support for the club but large numbers do create some difficulties if we aren’t careful.

At MSJ it’s particularly important not to block the doors and to leave a clear way through for the other visitors.

Parking can also be in short supply at MSJ so we need to share transport there if possible. Thanks for your help with these points.

Many thanks to everyone who leads the Wednesday groups; without your help it would be chaos.
For safety and enjoyment we need to remind ourselves of a few things. Be realistic about which group you choose to run with so that groups are evenly matched but if groups are too large see if you can move to another to even up the group sizes. Group leaders, particularly in the faster groups, need to be more realistic about the pace we say we are going to run at, we often run significantly faster than we say. Having stated a pace we need to try to run closer to that speed. Everyone should be mindful of runners moving up a group and having to work hard. So please do plenty of mustering by running to the back of the group on a regular basis.

Summer Runs. We are keen to come up with a good list of venues this summer and would value your ideas for suitable places. So far we’ve only heard from 2 people. Geoff’s note later in the blog reminds you what we are looking for. Please send us your suggestions.

London marathon training is really getting underway now with just 13 weeks to race day. So far my list of London marathon runners includes :- Emma Gooderham, Ruth Johnstone, Julie Caseley, Megan Judge , Vikki Sivertsen, Jayne Ackroyd, Jo Tustin, Amanda Dawson, Tony Bennett, Graham Cramp, Andy Blannin, Paul Newman and me. Andy Scott is off to the Paris marathon the following weekend. Please e-mail stuart@malvernjoggers.co.uk with any additions and corrections.

St Richard’s Hospice are organising a Runners Information Evening on Thursday 26th January at 6pm at St Richard’s Hospice, Wildwood Drive, Worcester WR5 2QT. It covers information on fitness, training and nutrition tips. Phone 01905-763963 or e-mail pjones@strichards.org.uk to reserve your seat.

Race Reports
Threshold Events Winter Series Race 4 22nd Jan 2012 by Jayne Ackroyd
This Series of 5 races started in October and there is one per month. So today was race 4. Its described as 'one of the most challenging but beautiful races in the country', and was friendly and well organised. After the first 3-4k round the village, the climb begins. Its initially very steep, then eases off a little, but continues until close to 7k. I had a tactical powerwalk during the steepest part of the hill when I realised that running wasn't actually any faster than walking, but after this I just dug in and slogged up the hill. Apparently the views from the top were spectacular, but I didn't really notice! After 7k there were a couple of kilometres of fast, steep downhill which was pretty hard on the quads and then the last kilometre was slightly up hill again, and seemed to go on for ever, despite the encouragement from Ron! Eventually I made it to the finish in 53:41 and definitely knew I'd done a race! Vikki ran really well to finish second lady overall in 46:25. It was the slowest 10k I've done for quite a few years, but as I was 7th lady and won the FV45 age group prize I'm not complaining at all!
Thanks, Jayne
Blymill 10K 22/1/12 by Julie Caseley
Five Malvern Joggers travelled to Blymhill this morning for the second running of this 10k organised by Dudley Kingswinford Running Club with all proceeds going to the village hall fund. We were Jonathan, myself, Eric Bromage and Geoff and Jenny Field.
This was a multi terrain race but the flattest by far that I have ever taken part in!! Come on you Gentle Joggers - you can do it! The start is in a big field and everyone set off at a cracking pace until the first gate when those in the middle/to the back of the field had to take their turn to get through. This didn't take long but then it was a single track around a field so you could only go as fast as the runner in front which wasn't too bad as it made for a sensible, relaxing start. The marshalling was excellent with the majority of the course off road over farm tracks, open fields and through woods which was lovely. The gusty wind was a problem for some of the time but the last 1.5 km was a dash along a country lane with a tail wind to the finish in a field by the village hall. Congratulations to Jonathan for winning his age category.
Thanks, Julie
Blymill 10K 22/1/12 by Geoff Field
It’s not often I submit a race report and its not often I run a X-country race, but I felt honour-bound to run this one, as it was my fault that it appeared on this year's race calendar. When Julie first mentioned it as a possible, I thought it was the Shifnal 10K (Shifnal is only a few miles away from Blymhill and their race is next week). Anyway, I duly reported that several of us had done the race for the last couple of years and we would probably get a good turnout.
It was only when I logged on for the application form that I realised it was a different race and people who had sounded enthusiastic about it began to back away when they read how muddy and challenging last year's race was.
So, on the day, only five of us turned out for the run - Julie Caseley, Jonathon Green, Eric Bromage, myself and Jenny (under duress).
The journey wasn't bad - under an hour in spite of extensive road works - and the venue was easy enough to find. But when we got out of the car there was a strong wind blowing, which cut right through the fleeces we had prepared ourselves with in balmy Malvern. Fortunately Blymhill village hall is a very impressive new building with good facilities so we were able to shelter from the wind until we were led off on a 5 minute walk to the start - in a potato field.
Fortunately, it hadn't rained for a few days so the anticipated muddy conditions did not materialise and in fact the conditions underfoot were excellent - soft but firm - which I was pleased about because I am still recovering from knee injury. The course was pretty much all of-road, the first 2/3rd being across farmland and tracks, with the only problem being the biting wind which was directly into our faces across a couple of exposed fields. The last section was through woods, which provided welcome shelter from the wind and as the sun came out it was very pleasant indeed.
I finished in a time of 1:03:10, which I was happy about given the wind, a few stiles and my level of fitness and when everyone had finished it was back to the village hall for tea and cakes. We waited round for the prize-giving, which was a bit delayed, but were rewarded by Jonathon receiving the best in category or his 42:02. Out of a field of over 300, that was pretty good going.
Altogether a very pleasant mornings run, but whether it will be back in the League for next year is a different matter.
Thanks, Geoff
Gloucester Marathon & 50K, 22/1/12 by Stuart Brown
Today I went to Gloucester for their marathon and 50k race. The race included 3 undulating circuits for the marathon and four for the 50k. The organisation and marshalling were great, the weather was dry and overcast but quite blustery. Emma Gooderham was the first lady to finish the marathon in 2:49, Steve Roode 3:55, Sim Foreman 4:04 and Megs had to pull out with an injury. I had signed up for the 50k a month ago when it seemed like a good idea! It was hard, energy wasn’t the problem, I got through 1.5 litres of sports drink, four gels, a couple of salt tablets and a packet of crisps. The last 10 miles was really difficult, my legs were very stiff and tired and I had to walk-run most of it but managed just under 5hours. Now it’s back to a sensible marathon training regime if I can walk properly by Tuesday!
Thanks, Stuart

Parkrun News
Last weekend the 1,000,000th parkrun was undertaken and it happened at Worcester’s very own parkrun.
www.parkrun.org.uk and www.parkrun.org.uk/worcester/results/latestresults

From Marathons to Mud Running
Thanks to Paul Newman who spotted this on the BBC website.....
Marathon running has been booming for some time, triathlons have flourished recently and now people are flocking to gruelling assault courses. But how did recreational sport get so extreme?
It was once the case that a jog around the block was a respectable feat, but that's changed.
A half marathon, once the domain of the super fit, has now become rather tame. Today's barometer of fitness is becoming the triathlon and even this now has competition from Herculean assault courses that have competitors running through fire, mud and barbed wire.
But when did we become jaded with the usual forms of sport? When did recreational exercise become so extreme?
In his 1951 book A Question of Upbringing, Anthony Powell describes a boy who is laughed at by his school friends merely because he jogged to keep fit. He was, Powell writes, "known to go voluntarily for 'a run'". It seemed an odd notion at the time.
Now the boy's choice would be utterly commonplace and impressive feats of endurance go unremarked upon. There were 850 triathlon events in England, Scotland and Wales last year, 99 more than 2010.
The majority of those taking part were not elite athletes, but running laymen - albeit very good laymen.
I have been doing triathlons for years - I used to be able to sign up the week before, now it's up to a year before to make sure you get a space”
"It's addictive," says Paitra Sparkes from Birmingham. The 42-year-old children's nurse started competing in triathlons four years ago. Currently she is in training for the Rome marathon in March and she will happily run 14 miles on a Saturday morning as training. That or an open water swim.
"I went to the gym and I played squash, I did all the normal stuff, but I got bored," she says. "When you start doing something different and really pushing yourself you can't stop. You find out what you can really achieve."
Then there are those who go a stage further. By day Lloyd Smith is a clean-cut professional, but come the weekend and he can be found covered in mud, cycling down mountains and running through barbed wire and broken glass. While some go to the gym, Smith takes part in Tough Guy, dubbed "the safest most dangerous event in the world".
"There's underwater tunnelling where you have to completely submerge yourself in muddy water to swim through a small, dark tunnel," says the 32-year-old from Stratford-upon-Avon. "Then there's the suspended electric wires so you get electric shocks as you run. Then it's the broken glass, mud pools and fire to run through."
All this is done in the middle of winter, with this year's event taking place at the end of January.
"I do enjoy it. Usually," Smith says.
He's not unusual. He is one of a host of men and women, young and old, who complete these extreme challenges, all at a time when we are told that life is becoming more sedentary, that we are not doing enough sport.
"When you work hard and do long hours time becomes very precious," adds Smith. "When you go out and do exercise you really try to get the most from it."
Will Dean echoes this view. Two years ago he launched his Tough Mudder event, another gruelling assault course with the strapline, "probably the toughest event on the planet". It includes jumping into a skip filled with fluorescent green ice, dragging a log through mud and again, the electric shocks.
Dean, a 31-year-old Harvard Business School graduate, says: "There has been a big change in what fitness means to people, it's no longer simply about aerobic exercise or body building, the focus is on functional fitness.
"People spend a lot of time working so it is very difficult to commit to team games like football or rugby. Exercise can become very solitary and boring. The thing with Tough Mudder is that you can't get through it on your own, you need the people around you to help you, so it becomes a team game."
Extremer and extremer.....
Tough Guy: 25 obstacles over undulating course in mud and cold. There is a summer version for the less hardy
Iron Man: Extended triathlon - swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles, run 26.2 miles
Tough Mudder: 10-12 mile obstacle course featuring mud, ice baths, barbed wire and electric shocks
Paras 10: 10-mile military training circuit with entrants needing a bergen (rucksack) weighing 35lb (16kg) and a pair of military boots
Brutal 10: Simply 10km cross-country race over hills, streams and undergrowth
Events like the Tough Guy and Tough Mudder are tightly controlled for safety reasons, but as with ordinary long-distance running there are injuries.
"We have had a few broken bones and a lot of hypothermia, but nothing serious, nothing that you wouldn't recover from," Dean says.
At this point, aficionados might point to the traditional sport of fell running. Speeding up a mountain, often requiring navigational skills as well as sure footing and incredible athleticism, sounds extreme.
There have long been fell runs, marathons and all-terrain racing, but the desire for extremes is growing across many sports.
Jodie Marsh transformed herself from a glamour model to a body builder, David Walliams swam the length of the Thames, Eddie Izzard ran a marathon a day, six days a week for seven weeks. There is a powerful idea of ordinary people doing unusual things.
Even people who only do one exercise session a week can prove their mettle by taking part in military boot camps, pole dancing lessons or cage fighting keep fit. One gym chain even offers the Warrior Workout - combat classes to music with fighting sticks.
But we are constantly faced with the idea that participation in sport is in decline. Since 2005, the proportion of 16 to 24-year-olds participating in sport at least once in the past four weeks has decreased, according to the Department for Sport. The latest Health Survey for England data shows us that nearly one in four adults is obese.
"I think we are becoming extreme in both directions," says sport psychologist Dr Victor Thompson. "Humans are essentially animals and animals are, by nature, lazy. But some people choose to do something about it.
"For years people will have been pushing themselves in their careers, but after a while you need a new challenge, another goal. They've been to the gym, they've done that, time for something new.
"I have been doing triathlons for years," he adds. "I used to be able to sign up the week before, now it's up to a year before to make sure you get a space."
Just as running to keep fit was once considered bizarre, maybe mud running will one day seem prosaic. The search for more extreme sport will continue.

Race News from the Wye Valley Runners
Just to let you all know we will be organising a new 10 mile road race this year from the Hereford Rowing Club on Sunday 9th September.
The date for the Wye Valley Summer 10k is Sunday May 20th. .
Gord's 6 will be run on Saturday 30th June.

Free online resource for injured runners .........
My name is Gavin Burt, I’m a club runner with the Serpentine and the Mornington Chasers running clubs, and I run a sports injury clinic in North London, Backs and Beyond (www.backsandbeyond.co.uk). I specialise in running injuries and have recently set up a free online resource for injured runners called the www.runninginjuryoracle.com which I thought might be of interest to you and your club members.
Just as a brief introduction, the www.runninginjuryoracle.com is an online service that gives injured runners the advice they need to get back on their feet. It helps them figure out what their injury is and then offers expert instructions and videos tailored to their specific injury that will aid their recovery.? The www.runninginjuryoracle.com is featured on the serpentine running club’s website (http://www.serpentine.org.uk/pages/advice_health.html), and has been used by Runners World for their injury pages.
I personally created all the content and recovery plans based on my 15 years’ experience as a runner's Osteopath treating the numerous injuries that plague all of us.? It’s a website where injured runners can quickly and easily get accurate, professional advice that they could trust and that would help get them on the road to recovery, whether they are just starting out or have been running for years. Runners can access the site and all its content absolutely free of charge.
I have attached a flow diagram that shows you exactly how the site works. Please feel free to try it out before recommending it to your runners!
I hope you will see the www.runninginjuryoracle.com as a useful tool for your runners and that you will share it with them either on your website or in your regular newsletters. If you do decide to have a link on your website, I have attached a thumbnail for you to use that will make it easily visible to those visiting your site.
Many thanks for your time and consideration, and of course if you have any questions please do call me on the number below, or email me at gavinburt@hotmail.com.
Gavin Burt, registered osteopath, Clinic Director, Backs & Beyond Ltd, 020 7284 4664

Charity Races
KidsCan Children’s Cancer Research Centre would like to let your organisation know that we are offering FREE places in the following runs.
The Greater Manchester Marathon – Sunday 29th April If you have not been successful in the ballot for the London Marathon, this is a great alternative, without the price tag!
The Great Manchester Run – Sunday 20th May The most popular 10Km run in Europe!
The Great North Run – Sunday 16th September Arguably the biggest half marathon event in the world!
How do you take part?
Instead of charging runners to take part in these events, we ask for a £60 refundable deposit cheque.
The cheque is only needed to cover the cost of your place if are not able to run, or cannot raise your sponsorship target. It is not cashed or banked until that point.
There is a different sponsorship target for each run, but as ever we will supply our participants with:
A KidsCan Vest to run and train in – T-shirt for GMR
A JustGiving online sponsor website
Personalised sponsor forms
If you would prefer to make your own JustGiving page, please feel free.
If you know of anyone who is looking for a place in any of this year's runs, please forward this e-mail to them.
Click the BOOK NOW Link and fill in your details. I will be in touch with what to do next so we can get you signed, up and running as part of Team KidsCan!
Thank you for your time.

Worcester Half Marathon
Sign up now for this new event on Sunday, 15th April. Starting and finishing at Worcester Warriors Rugby Ground, Sixways, runners will race around some beautiful rural villages. St Richard's is the chosen charity partner for the event. To book your place call Sara Fernie on 01905 763963 or email sfernie@strichards.org.uk

Summer Running Venues
From our Secretary Geoff - Now the New Year is well and truly under way it is time to think about choosing our running venues for next summer. In all we want 5 venues (one for each Wednesday of the month, plus an extra venue for months with 5 Wednesdays).
Reflecting comments at the A.G.M. your committee is looking for nominations for venues. We are looking for some new locations in addition to the tried and tested ones that we all love so much.
Please send any suggestions for new venues to me at geoff.field@lineone.net. Venues should meet some fairly stringent criteria, i.e.
Adequate parking, preferably off-road
A good range of running routes to cater for all levels of ability
Proximity to a pub suitable for post-run social activity
Suggestions should be submitted by the end of January. The committee will then vet venues for suitability before publishing a list which will be put to a vote by club members. The committee will publish the final list in early March.

Malvern Joggers Walking Group
From Eric.... We have suggested Sat 4 Feb. for the next Club Walk (and pub lunch) This will be a repeat of our inaugural walk a few years ago.
Start from the CP at the bottom of the Cats Back, up onto the Black Mountains and follow Offa’s Dyke path round, back to the start-about 8 miles.
Then a short drive to the Bulls Head at Craswall for lunch(the landlord said he would open a new barrel of Butty for us as normally at this quiet time he only sells bottled).Choose from the Black Board Menu or if everyone is interested from the Group Menu but could be more expensive !
Approx 7.30 start from Malvern to ensure we are back to the Bulls Head by 1.00pm
If you are interested PLEASE let me know so that I can liaise numbers with the pub.
More details to follow, Eric
email ... elbromage@talktalk.net

Bath Half Marathon Transport
Val Tuckley’s Magic Bus Update - Hello, I have one possibly two seats left on the coach to Bath half Marathon on the 11th of March. The cost is £7.50 including a packed lunch for our homeward journey. Please let me know if you’re interested. Email ... val.tuckley@btinternet.com

MJ Juniors - Occasional Volunteers Wanted
From Andy Dickenson - If you are able to spare an hour occasionally on a Sunday morning to be a volunteer helper to assist in organisation, under direction of one of the leaders, please read on.
We could do with some more CRB checked volunteers. The process will involve a phone call, a form and an identity check. It is free for volunteers so will only cost you a bit of time.
If you can help please carry out the CRB check as follows:
1 Call CRB on 0870 909 0844
2. The registered body you are applying to is UK Athletics, registered number 22525500000, your position is Volunteer Junior Helper. You are working in a volunteer capacity and there will be no charge. Your club of course is Malvern Joggers.
3 CRB will send you a form to fill in. Do this!
4. Take the form and 3 forms of id to Geoff Field who will sign off the last part of the form.
It really isn''t that bad! You can offer as little as you like. What we need though is a pool of volunteers we can call upon to assist when we might be otherwise shorthanded.
Any questions please ask please ask - dickensons@btinternet.com

Membership Renewal
From our Secretary Geoff - The club year started on 1 January, so membership is due for renewal. Membership fees remain as last year, i.e. full membership £15:00 for the whole year.
A new membership form for 2012 is attached - this just adds a couple of questions about Nationality and Birthplace, which are required by UK Athletics. Also, if you are not a 1st claim member of Malvern Joggers, it asks for the name of your 1st claim club (Club of Origin)
Also new for this year is the option to pay your membership fees by standing order, saving you the trouble of sending cash or cheques. If you would like to pay by standing order please complete the attached mandate and return it to me (NB do not send it to your bank). The default payment date is 1st February, but if you want to specify a different date for the first year, please do so in the box provided. The reference is your UKA reference number, but if you leave it blank I will fill it in for you before sending the mandate to the bank.
Remember, renewing your membership is not only good for the club, but not doing so before the end of February has a couple of consequences:
Races entered before you have renewed your membership will not count towards your position in the Club League Table
If you have not renewed by end February you will not be eligible to enter the draw for club places for the 2013 London Marathon
I look forward to receiving your membership renewal.
Membership and Standing Order mandate attached
Email ..... geoff.field@lineone.net

Herefordshire Winter X-Country League
From Jon - I hope we can have a full turn out for the last race in the New Year which is .....
Race 5 - 5 February 2012 Presteigne
Regards, Jonathan Green Mob 079 7416 8577

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Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 25/1 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Sat 28/1 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sat 4/2 MJs Walking Group – Black Mountains, Offa’s Dyke (elbromage@talktalk.net)
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne
Sun 5/2 Stourbridge Stagger 10 (CL)
Sun 5/2 Mayhill Massacre
Sun 12/2 Muddy Woody 6 (CL)
Sun 12/2 Wyre Forest MT8
Sun 12/2 Dursley Dozen
Sun 19/2 Cotswold Marathon & 35 Miler
Sun 19/2 Mudrunner Icebreaker
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon
Sun 4/3 Treat MT8 (Stourport) (CL)
Sun 11/3 Bath Half Marathon
Sun 11/3 Blackminster Half Marathon (Evesham) (CL)
Sun 1/4 Forest-of-Dean Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 1/4 Scenic 6 - Peopleton
Sun 15/4 Eastnor 7 (CL)
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 20/5 Wye Valley Runners Summer 10K (Hereford)
CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 15 January 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Bath Half Marathon Transport
Val Tuckley’s Magic Bus Update - Thank you to everyone who has paid for the Coach to the Bath Half Marathon.
If you have NOT, can I ask you all please to ensure its done by the 18th January.
The cost of this transport has been determined on the coach being full, I have a waiting list now so therefore please make your payment to ensure your seat is secured. Email ... val.tuckley@btinternet.com

Mudrunner Oblivion - 29th April 2012, Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire
On Wednesday night before the club run we will be doing the draw for the 3 FREE club places in The Mudrunner Oblivion event, Mudrunner kindly gave us free places for last years Oblivion event but they neglected to tell us that we could have had 3 free places for the last Mudrunner as well. Therefore if you are a club member and fancy doing Oblivion and have never done a Mudrunner event before OR entered Mudrunner last year for the 1st time and fancy a place please let me know before Wednesday and I will put you in the draw...So far in the draw are
Amanda Duncan, Sharon White, Claire Gilbert, Debbie Russell, Ian Laydon, Neil Humpage, Andy Gallagher, Caroline Saunders, David Brett and Jenni Neil.
Good Luck Guys !!

MJs Champions League
Races selected for the competition up to the end of May are:-
22nd January - Blymill 10k, Shifnal, Shropshire
5th February - Stourbridge Stagger 10 miles
12th February - Muddy Woody 6 miles
4th March - The Treat MT8 (Stourport)
11th March - Blackminster Half Marathon (Evesham)
1st April - Forest of Dean Half Marathon
15th April - Eastnor 7
13th May - Crowle 10k
20th May - Tewkesbury Half Marathon
Please enter well in advance as some of them fill up very quickly.

Tuesday Speed
From Jayne A - Sorry to have to say that Tues speed is now FULL! For safety reasons I have to keep the numbers manageable, and we've reached the limit. So future sessions will be restricted to just those who've been to either or both of the first two sessions.

Race Reports
Not the Roman IX - Stratford AC - 11.00am 15/1/2012 by Jayne Ackroyd
This is such a top race I can see why it typically sells out early! I think I was the only Jogger there today, but having done it last year, I couldn't resist going back for another go. Its 12k, chip timed and really well organised. It’s all on road, but generally not busy ones, and it was such a beautiful day today it was a real pleasure to be there. All the uphill is in the first 6k, so once you've made it to half way its pretty much a long run down to the fast finish. I didn't quite break the hour last year, but today I was pleased to finish in 58:29ish, despite having to gingerly mince over a few icy patches. And I'll definitely be back next year, hopefully with a few more Joggers to keep me company!
Thanks, Jayne

Parkrun News
Saturday’s Parkrun featured 12 MJs, possibly the most yet in any one park run. To date 59 MJs have done at least one Parkrun.
See www.parkrun.org.uk and www.parkrun.org.uk/worcester/results/latestresults

Forthcoming Events - Pendine Sands Races, 8th April 2012
Steve Worrallo who started the Malvern Ultra two years ago is organising another interesting event that may fit in with those of us who are doing the London Marathon on 22nd April.
Steve writes - "New to the Ultra Running events calendar is the unique and picturesque Pendine Sands Races, 8th April 2012. We have the fastest mile (fun event) with signed certificates from the Bluebird Trust, a 16 mile half marathon and a 32 mile ultra which can be entered in as relay teams. see more on www.ultrarunning.uk.com"
2012 San Domenico 20 Miler - Sunday 25th March 2012 10AM
From the organiser’s .... Your members who are doing a spring marathon may be interested in entering our 20 mile road race that is four weeks prior to the London Marathon.
In the last 5 years we have had entries from as far away as Yorkshire, London, Devon and Edinburgh. The 2011 race was a record for us with 342 entrants, so we are working hard to make the 2012 race even better. As in previous years we intend the race memento to be a technical wicking t-shirt, as well as providing gels and sports drinks at key water stations.
We would be grateful if you could circulate the race information to your members and we look forward to seeing some of your club members there.
Race website: www.sd20.org.uk
How to enter: By post, Using the attached postal entry form (178Kb PDF) - no need for SAE as race numbers are to be picked up on the day or online at http://www.fabian4.co.uk/default.aspx?EventID=609
Best regards, Ian, Race Director, San Domenico Road Runners www.sandomenico.org.uk www.sd20.org.uk

LM Charity Appeal
From the ‘The Outward Bound Trust’..... One of our biggest fundraising events is the London Marathon. I was wondering if anyone in the club would be interested in running in the London Marathon for us. As a Virgin London Marathon charity we have been allocated a large number of places some of which are still available. In return for their commitment, each runner will be sent a running vests, training guides, fundraising tips and advice on diet and nutrition. After the race itself, we invite runners and their supporters to a well-earned post race reception and treat them to a complimentary massage. ( You can visit www.outwardboundtrust.org.uk/marathon for marathon details.)
The Outward Bound Trust is an educational charity that aims to unlock the potential in young people through discovery and adventure in the wild. The funds that we raise allow as many young people as possible to have the opportunity to engage in adventurous experiences through which they can raise their self-esteem, realise their full potential and achieve more than they ever thought possible. For more information on us you can go to www.outwardbound.org.uk.
If anyone would be interested in running for us could you please have them send an email to marathon@outwardbound.org.uk (it is a regularly monitored email account so we will respond to everyone!) or if we could send you some flyers that you could put out for your members to see please let me know. Thank you,
Kelsey Mattson, Research Coordinator, The Outward Bound Trust, 4th Floor, 207 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8XD
Tel: 020 3301 6481 www.outwardbound.org.uk

Marathon Talk - Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.comBy runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 18/1 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Sat 21/1 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 22/1 Gloucester Marathon & 50K
Sun 22/1 Blymill 10k, Shifnal, Shropshire (CL)
Sat 4/2 MJs Walking Group – Black Mountains, Offa’s Dyke (elbromage@talktalk.net)
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne
Sun 5/2 Stourbridge Stagger 10 (CL)
Sun 5/2 Mayhill Massacre
Sun 12/2 The Muddy Woody 6 (CL)
Sun 12/2 Wyre Forest MT8
Sun 12/2 Dursley Dozen
Sun 19/2 Cotswold Marathon & 35 Miler
Sun 19/2 Mudrunner Icebreaker
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon
Sun 4/3 The Treat MT8 (Stourport) (CL)
Sun 11/3 Bath Half Marathon
Sun 11/3 Blackminster Half Marathon (Evesham) (CL)
Sun 1/4 Forest-of-Dean Half Marathon (CL)
Sun 15/4 Eastnor 7 (CL)
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K (CL)
Sun 20/5 Tewkesbury Half Marathon (CL)
Note CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 08 January 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

MJ Juniors - Occasional Volunteers Wanted
From Andy Dickenson - We had 20 Juniors today at MSJ with a group of over-12's off site and U12's at MSJ, so we are truly up and running. If you are able to spare an hour occasionally on a Sunday morning to be a volunteer helper to assist in organisation, under direction of one of the leaders, please read on.
We could do with some more CRB checked volunteers. The process will involve a phone call, a form and an identity check. It is free for volunteers so will only cost you a bit of time.
If you can help please carry out the CRB check as follows:
1 Call CRB on 0870 909 0844
2. The registered body you are applying to is UK Athletics, registered number 22525500000, your position is Volunteer Junior Helper. You are working in a volunteer capacity and there will be no charge. Your club of course is Malvern Joggers.
3 CRB will send you a form to fill in. Do this!
4. Take the form and 3 forms of id to Geoff Field who will sign off the last part of the form.
It really isn''t that bad! You can offer as little as you like. What we need though is a pool of volunteers we can call upon to assist when we might be otherwise shorthanded.
Any questions please ask please ask - dickensons@btinternet.com

Mudrunner Oblivion - 29th April 2012, Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire
Paul Sundance Newman requests the pleasure of your company in this one, as follows .....This year we have had a lot of interest in MJ's looking to compete in Mud Runner Oblivion in April.
Mud Runner have introduced a discount for teams of any size, so rather than pay £27.50 each as a team you guys pay £25, checkout www.mudrunner.co.uk.
PLUS !!! The Malvern Joggers have 3 FREE PLACES TO GIVE AWAY !! So 3 lucky MJ's who have never competed in a Mud Runner event can enter our free ballot ! If you fancy entering for a free place please see either Stuart or myself.
Adidas Thunder 24 relay www.tr24.co.uk
It looks like we should have about 5 teams competing in this brilliant event,
2 teams of 5, Tabby's Tigers and The Roode Boys team
Plus one fast team and two other mixed teams of 8.
Last year I paid for everyone up front then collected chqs afterwards, unfortunately because of the amount of people looking to enter I can't do it that way this year. So this is how I am looking to do it.
If you would like me to enter your team on your behalf please let me have a chq made out to Pro Velo Support when I have collected enough chqs for a full team I will forward them on. If you are looking to be in a team of 8, the cost of the whole weekend including camping for all the family works out at £29.38 per runner, a team of 5 works out at £45 each. I have one team nearly complete and ready to register so then I will be looking to register the next. We can juggle with who is in which team at a later date.
Cheers, Paul paul@newman8840.fslife.co.uk

Bath Half Marathon
Val Tuckley’s magic bus..... I am in the process of organizing a bus to take people to the Bath Half Marathon on the 11th of March. To date I have 25 seats taken.
If anyone else is interested please call me on 07929515844 to secure a place.

Crowle 10K – Sunday 13/5/12
If you did this one last year you may already have received this message but if you didn’t....
As a supporter of previous year’s events I thought that you would appreciate advance notification that entry for this years Crowle 10K, which will take place on Sunday 13 May 2012, is now open. Apologies if you have received this email more than once, but we have multiple mail groups on which you may be duplicated.
2012 is our tenth anniversary year and so we do hope that you will once again be able to support our event.
For the first time this year entry is available on-line through our website. Alternatively entry can still be made by post. In view of the anticipated demand for places, early advance entry is strongly advised. However, on the day entry will still be available.
Full entry details are available at www.crowle-online.co.uk
We will once again be using the services of Split Second Timing. This worked exceptionally well last year and we expect once again that full race results will be available very quickly after the last runner has crossed the finish line.
The course will follow the same scenic route as in previous years. The two Fun Runs will start at 10.30am with the main 10K race starting at 11.30am. This has become a great family event and as before there will be a children's entertainment area and a Barbecue as well as tea and cakes.
We look forward to welcoming you on the day.

Race Reports
Fladbury Festive 5 and Gloucester Cross Country County Championships
By Emma Gooderham - I've been busy already this year with two races. The first was my local race the Fladbury 5.5, which according to my garmin was actually 5.64. This was a super race helped by the lovely sunny weather, the free hot drink and cake afterwards and the super race HQ which even had the Simpsons running to allieviate pre race nerves. The course which was largely off road was lovely following the river bank, and is my regular running jaunt. I actually ran to this race from home as it was only a mile and a half from my front door. This race is well worth going to as a good start to the year and is becoming quite popular. I finished first lady and about 7th overall. Two other MJ's were also there as far as I could see.
The other race was the Gloucester Cross Country County Championships, and as I was born in Gloucester (Cheltenham) was eligible to get this title and did! the race was held in the fields surrounding Plock Court Tennis centre, which is a huge indoor venue and super for cake and hot drinks after the race. Again the weather was kind and the 6km race of 2 laps of a field was not that challenging bearing in mind I am used to the Hereford XC league where flat doesn't happen. I did have some good competition, but managed to get ahead on the second lap to win overall in a time of 21.53. I have now qualified to represent Gloucestershire in the intercounties XC race in Birmingham on the 10th of March
Thanks, Emma
Herefordshire Winter X-Country League - Race 4 Monkhall Farm Sunday 8 January 2012
From Jon Green - Seven MJs made the 45 minute trip to this race just south of Hereford. The course was pretty much unchanged from last year except that there was more mud and somebody had fiendishly decided to transform the simple stream crossing into a water dip about 0.5m deep and 6m wide. As Nigel will confirm, it was quite big enough for a swim. We all 'enjoyed' the race and had (we think) four MJs in the top 16 finishers. First MJ home was John Bristow very closely followed by Sam Burnage, then Andy Blannin, me, Nigel Sewell, Ian Dyson and Stuart Brown. The final league race and presentation of trophies is Sunday 5 February 2012 at Presteigne. All MJs are welcome to run.
Regards, Jonathan Green Tel. 079 7416 8577
Thanks, Jon

Forthcoming Race
SMaRTT Smasher 10k - Sunday 19th February 2012
From the organiser’s - Calne SMaRTT are hosting the SMaRTT Smasher 10k race on Sunday 19th February 2012, starting at 11am.
The course is a fast flat multi-terrain run along the picturesque national cycle network trail. We are also doing a 1 mile fun run for the children.
I have attached the entry form for your information and would be extremely grateful if you could forward onto your club members. For further information, please visit our website www.calnesmartt.co.uk
Thank you very much for your help and hope to see you on the day.
Jo Gill, Calne SMaRTT, Club Secretary

Parkrun News
From Paul Newman – Myself, Anne Dendy, Cathy Spence, Vikki, Crampy all went to Parkrun this morning and picked up the gold trophy for our Parkrun team prize !! Well Done MJ's! good to see former MJ Guy Little there this morning also.
From the organiser’s - Race stats are up 30 first timers, brilliant to see you, and hope you enjoyed your first Worcester parkrun. If you want to volunteer for next week let us know at worcesteroffice@parkrun.com.
See www.parkrun.org.uk and www.parkrun.org.uk/worcester/results/latestresults

Fancy a Dip?
From Monica who is a swimming coach at MSJ - I have recently started a Swim Fit session at the pool on Tuesday nights from 8.15-9.15 at a cost of £6.00. It is ideal for adding a boost to swimming fitness, for anyone who wants stroke coaching and perfect for any triathletes. I would be grateful if you could spread the word among your members (it is open to MSJ members and non-members)? For more info please direct any joggers to MSJ reception.
Many thanks for your time, Monica
MSJ Sports & Fitness Centre, 33 Barnards Green Road, Great Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 3LH, Tel: 01684584638
info@msjsports.co.uk www.msjsports.co.uk

Droitwich Half Marathon 4/3/12
Anyone fancy a go at this one? good spring marathon training, assuming there are still places available. It’s best to check first. The details are on the Droitwich AC website. I have received the following message from the organiser’s so if you want to know what it’s like beforehand you can watch the video....
I have updated the Half Marathon video clip on YouTube which lasts 7:20 minutes.
It gives a flavour of the route and shows the various road junctions and mileage at each stage.
To access the video, log onto YouTube www.youtube.com
In the search box enter ' 2012 Droitwich Half Marathon '
If it doesn't come up on the search engine, it will find last year’s video "Droitwich Half Marathon".
However, click on the button "2 videos" and you should see the second video for 2012.
I will be sending out final instructions and numbers towards the end of January.
Regards, Martin Smith, Droitwich AC

Hill Reps – with Clare Hill
6.30pm at link top. 5 x 3mins up, build up slowly for London Marathon and anyone planning a different Full or Half Marathon.

Membership Renewal
From our Secretary Geoff - The club year starts again on 1 January, so membership is due for renewal. Membership fees remain as last year, i.e. full membership £15:00 for the whole year.
A new membership form for 2012 is attached - this just adds a couple of questions about Nationality and Birthplace, which are required by UK Athletics. Also, if you are not a 1st claim member of Malvern Joggers, it asks for the name of your 1st claim club (Club of Origin)
Also new for this year is the option to pay your membership fees by standing order, saving you the trouble of sending cash or cheques. If you would like to pay by standing order please complete the attached mandate and return it to me (NB do not send it to your bank). The default payment date is 1st February, but if you want to specify a different date for the first year, please do so in the box provided. The reference is your UKA reference number, but if you leave it blank I will fill it in for you before sending the mandate to the bank.
Remember, renewing your membership is not only good for the club, but not doing so before the end of February has a couple of consequences:
Races entered before you have renewed your membership will not count towards your position in the Club League Table
If you have not renewed by end February you will not be eligible to enter the draw for club places for the 2013 London Marathon
I look forward to receiving your membership renewal.
Membership and Standing Order mandate attached
Email ..... geoff.field@lineone.net

MJs Champions League
The next three races are:-
22 January Blymill 10k, Shifnal, Shropshire
5 February Stourbridge Stagger 10 miles
12 February The Muddy Woody 6 miles
Please enter races well in advance as some of them fill up very quickly.

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Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 11/1 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Sat 14/1 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 15/1 Not the Roman IX - Stratford
Sun 22/1 Gloucester Marathon & 50K
Sun 22/1 Blymill 10k, Shifnal, Shropshire (CL)
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne
Sun 5/2 Stourbridge Stagger 10 (CL)
Sun 5/2 Mayhill Massacre
Sun 12/2 The Muddy Woody 6 (CL)
Sun 12/2 Wyre Forest MT8
Sun 12/2 Dursley Dozen
Sun 19/2 Cotswold Marathon & 35 Miler
Sun 19/2 Mudrunner Icebreaker
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon
Sun 11/3 Bath Half Marathon
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Sun 29/4 Mudrunner Oblivion - Eastnor
Sun 13/5 Crowle 10K
Note CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 01 January 2012

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Some messages from our Chairman Stuart .....
Happy New Year everyone. We had a good turnout for the Hereford 10k this morning, I wasn’t able to stay for the prize giving but with luck someone else has added a note for the blog.
I understand That Malvern Joggers finished the 2011 Worcester parkrun series on Saturday as the club with the most runners.
CIRCUITS. Please note that we have decided to cancel the remaining Thursday circuit sessions at MSJ that were planned for the rest of the winter. While those that attended were very enthusiastic, numbers have been too low to make it viable to continue. It looks as if we had chosen the wrong day or time so we’ll try and canvass opinion and see if there is more support next winter.
Happy Running, Stuart

Parkrun
Malvern Joggers where everywhere at the Worcester Parkrun on New Year’s Eve with 23 MJs taking part out of a total 109 runners. 55 MJs now done at least one parkrun
See www.parkrun.org.uk and www.parkrun.org.uk/worcester/results/latestresults

Race Reports
New Years Day 10K, 1/1/12 by Chris Barker
When I set off I thought this race seemed familiar, no wonder, I didn’t know it at the time but I’ve since found that I’ve done everyone since 2003 (10 in total). I’ve also done the summer version which is the same course in reverse. Alas no special award was forthcoming from the organiser’s. I peaked in 2007 with a 46-16, so, no chance of beating that this year then again who knows. Who would have thought that Blackburn Rovers would have beaten Man U. at Old Trafford on Saturday (good!). No giant killing act from me as I came home in my customary spot which is around 2/3rds of the way from the front. But at least I beat my effort of last year by about one minute.
The results show 19 (I think) MJs running with Ruth Johnstone, Stuart Brown and Barry Swindells collecting race prizes for the MJs. There were 218 runners in total in a race which starts and finishes alongside the River Wye. It’s probably not a PB course because of its undulating nature but a good workout at the start of the New Year.

Forthcoming Races
The organisers of the following results have been in touch .....
BLAKEDOWN BOLT 2012 - Friday 22nd June at 7.15pm.
The Blakedown Bolt is now open for entries - please go to www.churchillvillage.co.uk click on the 'Blakedown Bolt 2012 announced' line and you'll get straight through to our information page, from where you can download an entry form. The Bolt is listed on www.runnersworld.co.uk although currently it appears that it is only viewable if you're a magazine subscriber. We're attempting to get this glitch fixed, but their office is closed until the 4th January. Once it's sorted out, you will be able to enter online via their website. Please note that runnersworld.co.uk charge a fee for their services on top of the regular entry fee.
This is our 6th annual event, and once again we expect we will very quickly have a full field of runners. We're contacting your club to give your members priority notice, but we would ask them to get their entries in quickly.
With all best wishes for the New Year, Lesley Brown, The Blakedown Bolters
Leamington Spa Regency 10k
Entry for the 2012 Wright Hassall Leamington Spa Regency 10k IS NOW OPEN
Previously voted Britain’s 2nd best 10k. 9am Sunday 15th April 2012.
Prizes for 1st (£100), 2nd (£50) & 3rd (£25) Placed Men and Ladies.
All Finishers Receive a Medal, T-Shirt and Goodie Bag. All Proceeds to Local Charities.
Enter Early To Avoid Disappointment - Previous Years Oversubscribed.
Click www.regency10k.co.uk now to enter.
Why not make a New Year’s resolution get your trainers out of the cupboard! How about organising a team of friends or work colleagues?
This year to help people new or relatively new to running local athletes have put together an exciting training program;
The Regency Run in conjunction with Spa Striders, the CSW Athletics Network and the University of Warwick Endurance Academy is organising three training support services to assist runners preparing for this year’s race. The training and coaching package brings together a number of local experts and organisations to advise you regardless of your age, fitness level or aspiration. Further information is available from http://www.regency10k.co.uk/index.php

Herefordshire Winter X-Country League
I hope we can have a full turn out for the last two races in the New Year. These are:
Race 4 - 8 January 2012 Monkhall Farm
Race 5 - 5 February 2012 Presteigne
Regards, Jonathan Green Mob 079 7416 8577

Marathon Talk
Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.com By runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 4/1 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Sat 7/1 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 8/1 MJ Cross-Country, Monkhall Farm
Sun 8/1 Gloucester New Year 10
Sun 15/1 Not the Roman IX - Stratford
Sun 22/1 Gloucester Marathon & 50K
Sun 22/1 Blymill 10k, Shifnal, Shropshire (CL)
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne
Sun 5/2 Stourbridge Stagger 10 (CL)
Sun 5/2 Mayhill Massacre
Sun 12/2 The Muddy Woody 6 (CL)
Sun 12/2 Wyre Forest MT8
Sun 12/2 Dursley Dozen
Sun 19/2 Cotswold Marathon & 35 Miler
Sun 19/2 Mudrunner Icebreaker
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Note CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 18 December 2011

Dear Runners and Joggers,

MJs Champions League
From Race Captain Julie - Having looked at local races in January and February, the Committee and I have decided on the following races to kick start our Champions League for 2012.
1 January Hereford New Year's Day 10k
22 January Blymill 10k, Shifnal, Shropshire
5 February Stourbridge Stagger 10 miles
12 February The Muddy Woody 6 miles
Please enter races well in advance as some of them fill up very quickly.

Christmas Eve Bacon Run
From Jenny Field - Anyone wanting to get into the Christmas spirit and join us in an ALL ability run up to the top of the Worcester Beacon meet at 2pm in Rosebank Gardens. Two groups:- faster longer run with Roodie, slower shorter route with Jenny.
All meet at the top for mulled wine and mince pies. Run down and then gather in Nags Head for those who want more 'festive cheer'.
Wine and mince pies will be supplied by club and transported by Geoff. (not able to run).
Please let us know if you are coming so we can cater accordingly. geoff.field@lineone.net

An Interesting Observation by Our Sec. Geoff .........
Did you know that William Shakespeare was an early Jogger? These lines from "The Winter's Tale" prove it:-
"Jog on, jog on the footpath way
And merrily hent the stile:
A merry heart goes all the day,
Your sad tires in a mile"
He knew what he was talking about!"

Forthcoming Race – The Fladbury Festive Five 2/1/12
Only two MJs in this one last year but they obviously appreciated my participation as they have invited me back, as follows …..
‘ Last year you joined us in Fladbury for the Festive Five. It would be great to see you again on January 2nd – we have a new venue – check out www.fladburyfestivefive.org
There will be a warm welcome and cakes waiting for you! Cheers, Louise, 07968 252847 ‘
And I will be doing it again, if only to see if it’s as cold as last year! Would anyone like to join me?

Race Reports
Telford 10K 18/12/11 by Julie Caseley
Knowing how cold it was this morning, it was a struggle to get out of bed early to go to Telford. However, I managed it and was in plenty of time for the 11.15am start. The elite sub 40 minute runners started at 10.30am.
There were very few facilities at the start as the Town Park is undergoing extensive refurbishment and unfortunately the new Visitor Centre that was due to be completed in early December was not finished. However, there were plenty of entrants for both races and the organisers welcome all abilities. I had a fantastic race last year and knew I would get nowhere near my time of just over 48 minutes, and I didn't!! I was happy to receive a finishers medal and as I was the only one who went to the prize presentation, I was given a lovely technical t- shirt!! I also saw Joan and Barry's name on the start list but didn't see them, so if you were there I hope you had a good race.
Thanks, Julie

Two Christmas Eve Runs
More Roodie ..... O Come all yee faithfull!! meet at the Rose Bank Gardens @ 2.00pm for a run up to the Beacon and back to the Nags for some Christmas Cheer and Merriment, Mince pies and some Port/Mulled wine on top of the Beacon as per usual. All abilities welcome.
And for Gentle Joggers .....
GENTLE JOGGERS CHRISTMAS EVE RUN
From Jenny Field .....There is a Christmas run planned from Rosebank Gardens to the top of Worcester Beacon at 2pm on Christmas Eve.
So that the full range of abilities can take part I will happily lead a group of slower runners up to the top via a shorter route. OK it will be up hill but we are allowed to walk. The reward will be festive cheer at the top and downhill all the way back. Plus, more re-hydration at the Nags Head if desired.
Please let me know if you would be interested. email .... jennifer.field@lineone.net

Marathon Talk - Spring Motivation www.marathontalk.comBy runners, for runners. A weekly podcast dedicated to keeping you on the inside track to successful...

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tue 20/11 Hill Training - 5:45 at Link Top car park for a few reps of Cowleigh Bank
Wed 21/12 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Thu 22/12 MJs Circuit Training- MSJ every Thursday until end of 03/12 8-9pm Cost £2
Sat 24/12 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sat 24/12 Christmas Eve Run - Rose Bank Gardens, 2.00pm
Sun 1/1 New Years Day 10K – Hereford (CL)
Mon 2/1 Fladbury Festive 5
Sun 8/1 MJ Cross-Country, Monkhall Farm
Sun 8/1 Gloucester New Year 10
Sun 15/1 Not the Roman IX - Stratford
Sun 22/1 Gloucester Marathon & 50K
Sun 22/1 Blymill 10k, Shifnal, Shropshire (CL)
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne
Sun 5/2 Stourbridge Stagger 10 (CL)
Sun 5/2 Mayhill Massacre
Sun 12/2 The Muddy Woody 6 (CL)
Sun 12/2 Wyre Forest MT8
Sun 12/2 Dursley Dozen
Sun 19/2 Cotswold Marathon & 35 Miler
Sun 19/2 Mudrunner Icebreaker
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Note CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 11 December 2011

Dear Runners and Joggers,

From Our Chairman Stuart ....
I’ve had a really busy Malvern Joggers week: on Monday evening there was a committee meeting, Tuesday was hill reps, Wednesday was the Christmas party, Thursday circuits, Friday 10 miles round Malvern and Sunday the 10 mile Mortimer Forest off road race. What an understanding wife I have.

Many Thanks to Andy Milton, Steve Roode and their team for all the hard work involved in organising and running Wednesdays Christmas party at the Rugby Club.

Next Sunday your running choices include the annual Hills Run and the Malvern Juniors relay. If you’re not up to the Hills see if you can join the Juniors at MSJ.

Lastly a reminder that there is one more ‘Circuits Session’ before Christmas on Thursday 22nd December between 8 – 9 at MSJ or 7.15 for a short run beforehand.

MJ Juniors Christmas Cracker Relay, 10.30 am Sunday 18th December
From Andy Dickenson .......
Don't forget! You are all invited to join our Junior members in a team relay in which the baton will be a Christmas Cracker. Teams will comprise at least one Junior and 2 or 3 seniors depending on numbers. Each leg will be a lap of MSJ which is about half a mile so even if you have never raced before you will be able to get round. Entry is FREE, but if you can bring some festive fare to share afterwards that would be appreciated. We meet at 10.30 at the pavilion below the astroturf at MSJ. Hope to see you there.
Lisa, Richard, Sam, Andy B & Andy D.
Also,
Race Result Gloucs XC League Congratulatons to Cameron Smy who ran the U11 race in the Gloucester XC League on Saturday to become the first runner to represent the MJ's as an MJ Junior. Cameron ran a steady start but worked his way through the field to finish strongly passing many fading athletes to finish 40th overall. He is now looking foward to taking on all comers at the Christmas Cracker Relay next week.

Race Reports
Mortimer Forest Hill Race 11/12/11 by Graham Cramp
Five Malvern Joggers took part in the Mortimer Forest Hill Race, and what a great race it was too. It was an exceptionally friendly event, with a supportive and encouraging group of runners and plenty of chat on the course. There were some comical wipeouts in the wet and difficult conditions on the steep downhill sections, with runners tripping over each other, but always finishing with a laugh and a handshake. I rate this as one of my favourite races in the calendar, and a must for any aspiring fell runner. If you haven't done it yet, give it a go next year - showers, bacon butties, chips and coffee finished it all off nicely; all credit to Ludlow Runners. Many thanks to Nigel Sewell, Jonathan Green, Ian Dyson and Stuart Brown for great camaraderie and team spirit. We'll be back next year!
Thanks, Graham
Sneyd Christmas Pudding Run 11/12/11 by Julie Caseley
Had a super run at the Sneyd Christmas Pudding 10 mile Run this morning. The weather conditions were great and I managed to finish before it started to pour with rain. The route wasn't particularly exciting but it was flat and once I managed to get my head round the two 5 mile laps, I began to enjoy it more. The last time I did this race was in 2007 when it was a one 10 mile lap but since then, due to health and safety reasons, the organisers have had to alter the course. Still, 10 miles is still 10 miles and I finished in 1 hr 25 mins, 5 mins faster than the Great South Run at the end of October and slightly faster than my last run here in 2007. Hope those who did Mortimer Forest had a good run too.
Thanks, Julie

Hills Run Sunday 18/12/11
From Peter Wilson - If your idea of ideal preparation for the festive season is ticking off the various hills from Chase End to the northern tip, then please join the 8th annual Hills Run on Sunday 18 December. Meet at the North Quarry car park at 9.30 for a lift to the other end followed by a convivial (and definitely not fast) run all the way back, via as many summits as we can agree upon (there is usually some negotiation along the way). Post run refreshment in the Nags, open to all of course. If interested, please contact Nick Hitchings on Facebook or email me on garp1208@aol.com so we can plan the transport.

Forthcoming Race
From David Hibbitt - Worcester Athletic Club .........This is just to give you advance warning that Worcester Athletic Club is hosting "The Bulmers Bash" on Sunday 20th May 2012, a 6.5 mile race around Bulmers orchards at Wichenford. I will e-mail you an entry form once l details have been finalised, there will be one available on the WAC website, hopefully in January.

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Charity Appeal – from Acorns
Dear Runner, If anyone at your running club has a ballot place at the 2012 London Marathon, I’d like to invite them to join Team Acorns – and run for their local children’s hospice.
I work as a physiotherapist at the Acorns hospice in Walsall. At this year’s London Marathon I broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon dressed as a nurse (2:52:26). I’ll be running for Acorns again in 2012 – and I’m hoping to break my own record (or a new record if someone else breaks it before 22 April).
I’ve attached an A4 flyer with details about Team Acorns and how runners from your club can join us. There’s no minimum pledge to run for Acorns – and we welcome runners of all ages and abilities. (You don’t have to dress as a nurse either!)
It would be great if you could put the flyer on your notice board and tell people about Team Acorns. If you’d like to receive the flyer in the post, or you want more information, please call Lucy Shepherd on 01564 825023 or email events@acorns.org.uk
Many thanks for your help. Kevin Harvey, Acorns Children’s Hospice
To find out more about Acorns and our vital work, visit www.acorns.org.uk
Kevin Harvey, Physiotherapist, Acorns Children's Hospice, Walstead Road, Walsall, WS5 4LZ, 01922 422500
mailto:kevin.harvey@acorns.org.uk www.acorns.org.uk

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tue 13/11 Hill Training - 5:45 at Link Top car park for a few reps of Cowleigh Bank
Wed 14/12 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Thu 15/12 MJs Circuit Training- MSJ every Thursday until end of 03/12 8-9pm Cost £2
Sat 17/12 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 18/12 Hills Run. Meet North Quarry car park at 9.30 for a lift to the other end. email.. garp1208@aol.com
Wed 21/12 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Sat 17/12 Xmas Gloucester 5 Mile Race -www.beyondthelimitations.co.uk
Sun 18/12 MJ Juniors Christmas Cracker Relay, 10.30 am
Sat 24/12 Christmas Eve Run - Rose Bank Gardens, 2.00pm
Sun 1/1 New Years Day 10K – Hereford (CL)
Mon 2/1 Fladbury Festive 5
Sun 8/1 MJ Cross-Country, Monkhall Farm
Sun 8/1 Gloucester New Year 10
Sun 15/1 Not the Roman IX - Stratford
Sun 22/1 Gloucester Marathon & 50K
Sun 22/1 Blymill 10k, Shifnal, Shropshire (CL)
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne
Sun 5/2 Stourbridge Stagger 10 (CL)
Sun 5/2 Mayhill Massacre
Sun 12/2 The Muddy Woody 6 (CL)
Sun 12/2 Wyre Forest MT8
Sun 12/2 Dursley Dozen
Sun 19/2 Cotswold Marathon & 35 Miler
Sun 19/2 Mudrunner Icebreaker
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon
Note CL = Champions League Event

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 04 December 2011

Dear Runners and Joggers,

A request from Malvern Joggers for details about your fundraising this year
From Sarah Grout – Hi MJs, now I know for a fact that there are many of you charitable souls who haven't come forward with details of your fundraising.
At our MJs Christmas party on the 7th I am doing our now annual round up on the MJ fundraising year - including a tally of how much we've raised between us all through our running activity and which charities we've supported.
I would welcome hearing from any MJ :
- the charity/ies you've supported
- what events you organised/used/ran in to raise money
- the total you raised (not including GiftAid)
I have heard from a few people (my thanks to those for that!) so no need for them to email again, but I know many out there are hiding their charity lights under a bushel and it would be great to give them a mention too and add your fundraising in to our tally.
My home email is sarahsgrout@aol.com or text 07540 271399 or accessible via work (details below)
Best wishes to all, Grouty
PS: Don't forget I have tickets for the Christmas Party in the shop if you haven't got yours already! The more MJs is ALWAYS the merrier
Sarah Grout Tel: 01684 566511 Mob: 07540 Email: info@malverneventorganiser.co.uk

Circuit Training with Barry Swindells
Warm up run
Get back in form after the M J Xmas party with a warm up before the Thursday circuit. We will be doing a 3 miles run from MSJ starting at 7:15 pm prompt.
Also a useful 'fix' if you need the extra miles.
Route:- Barnards Green, Poolbrooke Rd., Longridge Rd., St. Andrews Rd.
Pace:- 8.5 / 9.0 mins/mile steady. (But no one will be left behind).
If you decide to come please bring spare tee shirt for the gym work.
Endurance Training Phase
By December you should be well into the Endurance phase of you early winter training, September - January.
Endurance = Stamina and Strength training.
Some suggestions:
Gradually increasing the lengths of your training runs for your target distance.
Long reps at target race pace ie. (6 x 800 / 1000 or mile with say 2 mins recovery). Gradually reduce the recoveries to a 1 min. jog as you get stronger. It won't be possible to do 10 Km in 48.00 mins.if you cannot string together 5 or 6 - 800 mts. at 8 m/m pace.
Interval running, 3 or 4 mins. fast then 1 min. jog. Keep it up for 40 or 50 mins. Keep strictly to the timing and No walking.
Hill reps Average slope 1:15; Shallow slopes and Shallow down hill running.
That's the running bit, but for completeness you must be running strong physically, this will also reduce the risk of injuries.
Improve your core stability - hips and lower back exercise, upper body strength - gym work, try to run tall.
All this means gym. work is essential.
Nothing will improve your stamina more than a good competitive Cross Country race.
All the endurance training should be on a four week cycle, three weeks hard work, one week easing off. Then onto the next level.
Finally if you loose running form in any of the above stop and wait for a better day.
The down side is that most of your running has to be done against the clock - the up side is there's nothing like a PB and winning your age group.

Age Related Best Performances (Coming Soon)
From Barry Swindells - The Club has agreed to have a link on the Malvern Joggers web site to the best age group performances of members. The link will also lead to the best five recorded times of all recognised age groups. The groups will be at five year intervals so there is plenty of scope to get included in the listings.
Attached are some simple rules which will be applied and it will be up to the individual to put their personal best times forward for consideration.
The starting date is 1 January 2011, so get those result sheets checked out so we can get the list off to a good start. It should be fairly easy to get on the list initially, but will get progressively more difficult as years go by.

MJ Juniors Christmas Cracker Relay, 10.30 am Sunday 18th December
From Andy Dickenson - You are all invited to join our Junior members in a team relay in which the baton will be a Christmas Cracker. Teams will comprise at least one Junior and 2 or 3 seniors depending on numbers. Each leg will be a lap of MSJ which is about half a mile so even if you have never raced before you will be able to get round. Entry is FREE, but if you can bring some festive fare to share afterwards that would be appreciated. We meet at 10.30 at the pavilion below the astroturf at MSJ. Hope to see you there.
Lisa, Richard, Sam, Andy B & Andy D.
And also .....
MJ Junior XC Race 10th December
MJ Juniors are going to Gloucestershire XC League meeting next Saturday at Prince of Wales stadium, Cheltenham. Registration is from 11.00. U11 Boys and U11 Girls races are at 12.10 and 12.20 respectively and are 1.5 K. U13 Boys and Girls run at 12.35 and 12.50 - each doing 2.4 K. U15 Boys will run 4.8 k at 1.10 and U15 Girls 4.8 K at 1.35.
Please remember it is the parents' responsibility to transport to races. Registration cost is £2.00.
Full details, including venue, directions and course maps are at:
http://www.glosaaa.org.uk/PDFS/Cheltenhamvenuedetails_CLC_Dec%202011.pdf
If you are intending to run please let me know at dickensons@btinternet.com
Thanks, Andy Dickenson

Worcester Full and Half Marathon – Sunday 15th April 2012
A brand new Marathon and Half Marathon comes to the great City of Worcester. Starting and finishing at Worcester Warriors Rugby Ground – Six Ways, runners will race around some beautiful rural villages lying to the East of the City. Both races will happen simultaneously with the race start time at 9:30am. Half Marathon runners will run a one lap course and then come in to the finish right outside the home of Rugby in Worcester while the Marathoners will head around for another loop before the last downhill mile to the finish line, receive their goody bag and to rest their legs.
Our charity partner for this new event is St Richard’s Hospice – a fantasic organisation which provides palliative care for patients in Worcestershire. To run and raise money for this charity please enter the race and then download a sponsorship form by clicking here. To find out more about St Richard’s Hospice please click here.
It’s not compulsory to run to raise money for St Richard’s Hospice but we would really appreciate your to help for such a worthy cause!!
Feel free to look at the Race Info page and the map of the course before entering. But don’t delay too long we are getting entries daily already!!!!
www.thresholdevents.co.uk/running/worcester-marathon/worcester-marathon.php
Entry form attached

Race Reports
Croome Capability Canter 27/11/11 by Annie Dendy
From the perspective of a "Gentle Jogger"......
I arrived at Croome very nervous and questioning whether i should even be there. After a long wait for the start i very nearly got in the car and came home after hearing lots of little snippets about the race such as "it's actually longer than 10K" , "i hope it's not as muddy as last year" " and "there's a few hills!" The look of trepidation on my face must have been evident as Stuart collared me in the warm up area and said "you're not thinking of running off are you Annie?"
Well all i can say is that i did make it round. i didn't think it was possible to go any slower than i did at Evesham 10k earlier this year, especially with the training i've done in between but somehow i managed it. I was pretty much out of my depth and i found the course really tough but the place was beautiful and the sight of 3 green and yellow shirts bounding down the hill at the end to help make sure i got up and finished as well as i could was very heart warming and a sight i shall never forget. Thanks to Roodie, Megz and Ros. Malvern Joggers are an amazing bunch of people and i feel very proud to be part of that. I shall continue to work hard to improve but perhaps cross country is not for the novice! Thanks for all your support
Thanks, Annie

Wednesday Night Run Leaders
Jayne again - I've had conversations/exchanged e-mails with a number of people about offering to lead different groups and changing from leading one group to another. I hope I've remembered all these correctly and reflected them in the rota. If not, please accept my apologies, and do please feel free to remind me! Also, if you are not currently on the rota and would like to be re-instated, please let me know. I'm always grateful for more leaders. Very many thanks to the new people who have joined to lead the Relaxed 10 group in response to my appeal :-)
I am planning to be back with you on Wed nights in the New Year - so see you all then, or at the Xmas party on Wed!
Email....jayne.ackroyd@mac.com

Herefordshire Winter X-Country League - Race 3 Hundred House Sunday 4 December 2011
From Jon Green - Well done and a big thank you to Ruth, John, Nigel, Ian and Chris who turned out to run this morning. Unfortunately many regular runners (me included) were unavailable for this one. A copy of the results are attached. I hope we can have a full turn out for the last two races in the New Year. These are:
Race 4 - 8 January 2012 Monkhall Farm
Race 5 - 5 February 2012 Presteigne
Regards, Jonathan Green Mob 079 7416 8577

Parkrun
42 MJs have now done the Worcester Parkrun at least once. Saturday’s first-timers were Jayne Ackroyd, Viv Tolley, Gill and Liz McCann. www.parkrun.org.uk It’s free to enter but you must register on the website first and print off your barcode.

Christmas Party Announcement
From Andy Milton. Anyone to come please can you e mail me on themiltons4@hotmail.com or phone me on 07962 230885. Thanks, Chuckles entertainments.

Circuit Training - At Malvern St. James Sports Hall.
Sessions will be for 1 hour each, starting at 8:00 p.m. A small fee of £2:00 per session will be charged for each club member (guests £2:50, subject to space being available).
We have booked fortnightly sessions through to the end of March, making 13 sessions in all.
Please bring your fee along on Thursday night - it will be collected before the session.
Alternatively, you can sign up in advance for all 13 sessions at a reduced fee of £20:00.
If you want to take advantage of this offer, please bring your cheque (or cash) with you to the first session.
Hope to see you on Thursday (and Wednesday, of course) Geoff Field, Club Secretary

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tue 6/11 Hill Training - 5:45 at Link Top car park for a few reps of Cowleigh Bank
Wed 7/12 The Joggers Christmas party 7.30pm Malvern Rugby Club
Thu 8/12 MJs Circuit Training- MSJ every Thursday until end of 03/12 8-9pm Cost £2
Sat 10/12 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sat 10/12 MJ Junior XC Race - Prince of Wales stadium, Cheltenham
Sun 11/12 Mortimer Forest 10
Wed 14/12 Club Night – MSJ 7pm
Sat 17/12 Xmas Gloucester 5 Mile Race -www.beyondthelimitations.co.uk
Sun 18/12 MJ Juniors Christmas Cracker Relay, 10.30 am
Sat 24/12 Christmas Eve Run - Rose Bank Gardens @ 2.00pm
Sun 1/1 New Years Day 10K - Hereford
Mon 2/1 Fladbury Festive 5
Sun 8/1 MJ Cross-Country, Monkhall Farm
Sun 22/1 Gloucester Marathon & 50 Miler
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne
Sun 19/2 Cotswold Marathon & 35 Miler
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon
Sun 15/4 Worcester Half & Full Marathon

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 27 November 2011

Dear Runners and Joggers,

MJs Champions League club competition
From Race Captain Julie Caseley ....."Today’s Croome Capability Canter was the last race on this years’ Champions League and as soon as the results go live, the League will be updated and distributed. As discussed at the AGM on Wednesday, if anyone has any suggestions of races that they’d like to see included in the Champions League for 2012 then I will put them to the Committee for possible inclusion.
Suggested races should be within a reasonable distance of Malvern and accessible to Joggers who wish to participate. They can be road, trail, cross country and any distance (except marathon!) A reminder that the
Champions League is open to all members of Malvern Joggers – there are usually 2 races a month, except December when there are none and the male and female trophies are awarded at the Christmas Party. There is also an amnesty in January and February when runners can be allocated points even if they are not a paid up Malvern Jogger but from March, only members are awarded points on the Champions League. Look forward to your comments/suggestions. The first race on the Champions League for 2012 is traditionally the Hereford New Year’s Day 10k. Happy winter running." juliecaseley@tiscali.co.uk

Herefordshire Winter X-Country League - Race 3 Hundred House Sunday 4 December 2011
Race 3 is a week today. Ladies and men will be running the same distance this year. The race start is at 11.00, which will mean leaving MSJ at around 08.45. Please let me know by email, text or phone call if you plan to run. Many thanks. (Contact me on - green.jonathan@virgin.net, 079 7416 8577 or 01684 891029).
After next week, the remaining races are:
Race 4 - 8 January 2012 Monkhall Farm
Race 5 - 5 February 2012 Presteigne
PS Great to see so many MJs at Croome this morning. If you enjoyed it and fancy something similar but a little hillier come along and try the X-Country!
Regards, Jonathan Green H 01684 891 029, M 079 7416 8577

Christmas Party Announcement
From Andy Milton - We need to confirm numbers for the Joggers Xmas party on 7th Dec by end of next week, so all those intending to come and have still not purchased a ticket can you do so by then please. I'm not there this Wednesday but Steve Roode will have some available and Sarah Grout is still selling them in her charity shop next door to Wilkinson’s. Anyone who cannot purchase them by end of next week but wants to come please can you e mail me on themiltons4@hotmail.com or phone me on 07962 230885.
Thanks, Chuckles entertainments.

Race Reports
Croome Capability Canter 10K MT 27/11/11
From Julie Caseley ..... Well done to everyone who ran the Croome Capability Canter 10k this morning – Malvern Joggers had a very good turnout on a beautiful day.
Having not done this race last year, I found the course not too bad at all – the uphill start was OK on fresh legs
but the uphill finish at the end of a slightly long 10k course was a little cruel but it had to be done to get the
medal and the rather nice goody bag.
Congratulations to Julie Mitchell and Jon Newey who won the female vet and male vet age category prizes.
(P.S. Could anyone who ran this race under someone else’s name please let me know asap so points for the Champions League can be allocated correctly). Many thanks. Email .. juliecaseley@tiscali.co.uk
More Croome from Jon Newey .....
Jules is reclining on the sofa this evening drinking fizz from her rather fine crystal tumbler that she won. Yes, she was first Lady Veteran and we think third lady to finish. I have a matching tumbler for being first Male vet having crossed the line in second place. As there were only MV40 and LV40 prizes and also prizes for the first man and woman there was limited opportunity for the rest of the Joggers to cash in, despite a very good run from new MV50 Jon Green who was well inside the top 20.
Roodie was a fringe beneficiary as each prize winner also got a year’s family ticket to Croome Park. As Jules and I had one each we donated one to Roodie. Of course he ran a cracking race too....honest.....

Roodie’s ASS
Next Friday 2nd December get your ASS down to 75 yates hay road @ 6.00pm for a 6.15 start - we are starting speed/hill reps again. Everyone is welcome any speed and ability. A free beer to all participants to carb load (according to runners world).
Cheers, Steve

Christmas Eve Run
More Roodie ..... O Come all yee faithfull!! meet at the Rose Bank Gardens @ 2.00pm for a run up to the Beacon and back to the Nags for some Christmas Cheer and Merriment, Mince pies and some Port/Mulled wine on top of the Beacon as per usual. All abilities welcome.

Wed night leaders rota
If anyone would like to join the Wed night leaders rota, please e-mail me on jayne.ackroyd@mac.com> I would particularly welcome volunteers to lead the Relaxed 10 group, so if you regularly run in that group please consider if you could lead the occasional run. Very many thanks!

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tue /11 Hill Training - 5:45 at Link Top car park for a few reps of Cowleigh Bank
Wed 30/11 Club Run – Malvern St James Sports & Fitness Centre 7pm
Thu 1/12 MJs Circuit Training- MSJ every Thursday until end of 03/12 8-9pm Cost £2
Sat 3/12 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 4/12 MJ Cross-Country, Hundred House (Nr Builth Wells)
Wed 7/12 The Joggers Christmas party 7.30pm Malvern Rugby Club
Sun 11/12 Mortimer Forest 10
Sat 17/12 Xmas Gloucester 5 Mile Race (www.beyondthelimitations.co.uk)
Sun 18/12 MJ Juniors Christmas Cracker Relay, 10.30 am
Sat 24/12 Christmas Eve Run - Rose Bank Gardens @ 2.00pm
Sun 1/1 New Years Day 10K - Hereford
Mon 2/1 Fladbury Festive 5
Sun 8/1 MJ Cross-Country, Monkhall Farm
Sun 22/1 Gloucester Marathon & 50 Miler
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne
Sun 19/2 Cotswold Marathon & 35 Miler
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 20 November 2011

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Annual General Meeting
The club’s A.G.M. will be taking place on Wednesday 23 November at 8:15 p.m. for a prompt 8:30 start. The venue is the Vaughan Hall at Manor Park Sports Club.
There will be a club run as normal at 7:00 p.m. from Malvern St. James, but runs will be shorter to allow people to change before the A.G.M. (don't forget the changing facilities available at MSJ).
There is a bar at Manor Park, so refreshment will be available.

Worcester Parkrun
MJ Paul Newman reports - Another great Park run on Saturday, 11 MJ's in attendance including a few "Virgins" including Steve Roode (I never thought I'd be able to say that)... Megz, Sharon White and Sam Burnage
Richard from Park Run says, we've had 77 MJ's runs of the Worcester parkrun, by 30 different MJ's , at 5k per run that's 385km in total.
This week Megz came in 2nd lady despite having a bad virus, Debbie Russell was 3rd lady several MJ's recorded PB's including Diane Mary Meakin, Debbie Russell, Lettita Barrett and myself. Everyone enjoyed it there were a few youngsters running the race so its one for all the family ! Sam is planning to bring Cathy and "Team Burnage" and get the whole family involved.
I'd encourage all MJ's to give this one a go its free and open to all abilities and age groups !
Worcester Parkrun see ..... http://www.parkrun.org.uk

From the Worcester Parkrun website .....
Far from slowing Worcester parkrunners down, leaves on the running line actually speeds our parkrunners up, well that’s my scientific explanation. The leaves must have offered some extra bounce to our stride as there were an amazing 24 personal bests this week, well done all. If like me you didn’t PB don’t worry there’s always next week, check out the list of PB stars below.
A big WELL DONE to Alex Elsey and Katie Brooks who received their Under 14 “10 parkrun” running shirts. There are further prizes for achieving 50 and 100 parkruns. Who will be Worcesters first “50” parkrunner…?
There was big crowd of 21 parkrunners visiting Worcester parkrun for their first time this week and despite the tape being pulled down around the course (we are watching out for the mystery tape vandal) we all found our way back to the fast downhill finish. We think we may have the fastest finish of any parkrun some runners even missed the funnel this week and shot straight up the bank, specifically designed to slow you down, post sprint. We’ll be widening and extending the funnel to make sure we catch you all next week.
Another big crowd came over from our local club Malvern Joggers, who had 11 runners in the field, you can easily spot them with their cool green tops on. Hope to see you all again soon MJ’s. Thanks for the support.
The race got underway and the start was one the fastest I have ever seen, the smarter runners taking it steady at the start and working their way through the field. Maia Hawkins from Worcester AC lead home the Female runners in a spectacular time of 21:57, especially as she is under 14, well done Maia you’re our first junior winner and it was your debut, the course record is in your sights we’re sure of it.
Terry Conway was back (Ultra runner), and leading the field with about 10 runners trying to hang on to his track, Paul Little nearly managed it but Terry held the lead all the way to come first in 17:17 with Paul 30 seconds behind.
Congratulations to all our PB'ers this week.
Worcester Parkrun see ..... http://www.parkrun.org.uk
And http://www.parkrun.org.uk/worcester/results/clubhistory?clubNum=1693
This week there were 73 runners, of whom 21 were first timers and 24 recorded new Personal Bests. Representatives of 13 different athletics clubs took part.
Worcester parkrun started on 18th June 2011, and since then 409 different runners, including participants from 59 athletics clubs, have completed 1,150 runs covering a total distance of 5,750 km, and there have been 375 new Personal Bests.
The Women's course record is held by MJ Vikki SIVERTSEN who ran in a time of 20:38 on 5th November 2011 (event number 21).

Race Reports
Turin Marathon13/11/11 by Peter Wilson
The Turin marathon isn’t one you often hear mentioned but it has a proud history, claiming to date its origins to 1897, which must make it one of the oldest. However this year’s event was officially the 25th, so along the way there must have been a big gap or lots of little ones. My reasons for choosing this one to run were many and varied but top of the list was: Turin! The Italian Job! Already I could see those little Minis whizzing round the streets and outwitting the chasing police. What could be better than to visit the city and re-enact my own version, involving a newly broken-in pair of trainers and several dobs of vaseline.
From the website the course looked promising - a complete circuit of the city, beginning and ending in the grand Piazza Castello (where also began the famous traffic jam in the movie!). It was portrayed as scenic, with many historical sights. I discovered this was certainly true of the first couple of K’s, and the last come to that, but in between was a very long tour of the outlying districts with not a great deal of variety to distract from the tarmac ahead. But it was well organised, with sponge and refreshment stations every few K and a good race village, where in addition to the usual running gear outlets there were stands selling various local produce, like a regular food market. So instead of hunting for free samples of energy bar, you could nibble on a sausage or try a bit of gorgonzola.
This was not a noticeably international event. Everyone looked and sounded Italian and I saw no club colours from further afield. So as the lone Malvern Jogger I’m not optimistic that my efforts will earn any Champions League points. For the record, I managed to get round in 3 hours 48, which is a personal best on a cheese and sausage pre-race diet.
Thanks, Peter
Runway 10K (Staverton Airport) 20/11/11 by Chris Barker
Chocs away I said as I put down that box of Milk Tray just as the gun sounded for the first ever running event staged by the CLC Striders of Cheltenham. I thought it might be appropriate to get off to a flying start! but instead I joined in with the other punters at the back as normal for me. I was rather interested to see how this one panned out as I didn’t fancy being chased down said runway by a jet aircraft. The Birdman of the Malvern Joggers. I know I’m running better lately but that would be a challenge too far. The race HQ was a pub in the grounds of the airport called The Aviator which is a strange place for a pub but very useful if you’re a nervous type when it comes to flying.
When the race started it quickly made its way out of the confines of the airport and through what looked like a housing estate in the outskirts of Cheltenham. This was a bit dull but then we moved into the countryside which although misty was a lot better than what preceded it. I don’t know what the finisher’s memento was as no-one presented me with anything at the finish and I didn’t go looking for anything. If it was a parachute jump they can keep it. For the record I took me 49.42 to complete the course which put me 67th of the 129 who took part.
I was the soul MJ at this one, James Brown got nothin’ on me.

Macmillan Cancer Support Christmas Fayre
Grouty ....... Saturday, November 26 at 10:00am, Location: Colwall Village Hall
Sarah inviteS you to Macmillan Cancer Support Christmas Fayre and says "Hi All Thought you might be interested to come to Colwall Macmillan's Christmas Fayre next Saturday - all sorts of goodies there for presies, decorations, table coverings, food treats etc.... we'd love to see you there if you can make it. Grouty ".

Grouty’s New Charity Shop
From Sarah .....I thought I ought to point out, just in case you're looking out for a 'charity shop', that my shop is 'The Malvern Event Organiser' in Church Walk, next-door-but-one to Wilkinson, and next door to ' Lace' (for those of you that like beautiful lingerie!). I have the MJs party tickets here and would love to see your smiling faces. I am open 9.30 to 5.30 except Weds (9.30 to 1) and Sunday (10 to 1). I am keen to support any community, school and charity events that you may be involved in, but am not a charity shop as such.

How to get rid of the camel toe
Spotted by Rebecca Pack ......A staggering 55% of women, irrespective of age, size or weight, experience camel toe at some point. Even glamorous, slim, high profile celebrities have suffered the embarrassment of camel toe and it is frequently mentioned in Sex and the City 2. Now thanks to the new, safe and discreet SmoothGroove camel toe remedy, all women can get on with their lives without having to worry about how they look. After all, being a woman is hard enough at times and having a SmoothGroove to hand in your underwear drawer will make it just that little bit easier!

MJs Cross-Country
A reminder of the remaining league races:
Race 3 - 4 December 2011 Hundred House (Nr Builth Wells)
Race 4 - 8 January 2012 Monkhall Farm
Race 5 - 5 February 2012 Presteigne
(All races start at 11.00 am)
Let me know if you will be running the next race at Hundred House.
green.jonathan@virgin.net

MJs Christmas Party
From the Chuckles entertainment agency - The Joggers Christmas party will be held at the rugby club on 7th December starting at 1930. It will be similar proceedings to last year, buffet, awards, entertainment, disco and lots of rowdy behaviour!! I'm not going to be running for the next 2 Wednesdays but will have tickets for sale shortly after that. In the meantime Joggers put it in your diaries, it's one not to be missed!!

MJ Juniors
From Andy Dickenson - Due to our current small numbers we won't be taking teams to the Gloucs XC league next Saturday but we hope, post AGM, to be at the next one in December in force. If any individuals do want to race then http://www.glosaaa.org.uk/PDFS/2011_1105_GlosCCLgevenuedetails.pdf will get you all the race details you need.
MJ Juniors will be training at MSJ at 10.30 next (and every) Sunday.

Virgin London Marathon Club Entries
If you have been unsuccessful in the VLM ballot, don't forget that the club has 3 places available through its affiliation with England Athletics. Place will be allocated by a draw at the Christmas Party, with 2 places for first-time London Marathoners and for a previous runner (But not for anyone who won a place in last year's club draw).
We have seven hopefuls so far, so if you want your name to go into the draw, let Geoff Field - geoff.field@lineone.net - know as soon as possible with some evidence that you have been rejected in the VLM ballot.

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tue /11 Hill Training - 5:45 at Link Top car park for a few reps of Cowleigh Bank
Wed 23/11 Club Run – Malvern St James Sports & Fitness Centre 7pm
Wed 23/11 The MJ’s Annual General Meeting - Vaughan Hall - Manor Park Sports Club. 8.15 for 8.30pm start
Wed 23/11 Last day to apply for club LM places
Thu 24/11 MJs Circuit Training- MSJ every Thursday until end of 03/12 8-9pm Cost £2
Sat 26/11 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 27/11 Croome Capability Canter – Black Pear Joggers
Sun 4/12 MJ Cross-Country, Hundred House (Nr Builth Wells)
Wed 7/12 The Joggers Christmas party 7.30pm Malvern Rugby Club
Sun 11/12 Mortimer Forest 10
Mon 2/1 Fladbury Festive 5
Sun 8/1 MJ Cross-Country, Monkhall Farm
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon

MSJ
We are very pleased to run from Malvern St James Sports Centre during the winter. As well as a great place to meet Malvern Joggers get:-
Free car parking, free hot showers and clean toilets, 10% discount in the shop if they are an MJ
No joining fee for membership and a 20% discount on the monthly fee for gym, classes and swimming pool
No joining fee for membership and a 20% discount on the monthly fee for swimming pool use
A range of classes open to MJ’s on a drop in basis
A warm bar with cheap bottled beers

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 13 November 2011

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Maria Liviero
A message from our Chairman Stuart.....
Dear friends, I am sorry to have to tell you that Maria Liviero died on Saturday afternoon in St Richards Hospice.
Maria had been seriously ill with cancer for some months, though until recently she would regularly be seen walking her dog round Malvern.
Maria and her partner John have been supported in recent weeks by a loyal group of their Malvern Jogger friends and I understand that John is staying with Ros and Derek for the next few days. John is understandably very distressed.
I will let you know more information when I hear any.
Carpe Diem, Stuart

MJs Cross-Country
Herefordshire Winter X-Country League - Race 2 Croft Castle Sunday 13 November 2011 by Jon Green
A great race today over 3 laps of a beautiful, but tough, course. Hills, heat and mud; an unusual combination for winter cross country. 12 MJs made the journey; 2 ladies and 10 men. I don't have the official results but I'm pretty sure that our ladies (Emma and Ruth) dominated their race. (It was a real shame that we didn't have a 3rd lady to give us a ladies team result.) For the men, Adam Wilks finished first (running as a guest). I was first male MJ to count, very closely followed by Nigel Sewell. Then came Andrew Scott with Ian Dyson and Jerry Greer next in close formation. After them was Tony Bennett and Charlie Weller, who did well and enjoyed their first cross country league race. The final MJ to finish was Chris Jolley who ran without cramp this year and so was a much happier and quicker finisher than last year. Croft Ambrey, the race hosts, provided tea, coffee, biscuits and cider as post race refreshment!
A reminder of the remaining league races:
Race 3 - 4 December 2011 Hundred House (Nr Builth Wells)
Race 4 - 8 January 2012 Monkhall Farm
Race 5 - 5 February 2012 Presteigne
(All races start at 11.00 am)
Let me know if you will be running the next race at Hundred House.

Race Reports
SNOWDONIA MARATHON 2011 (EPILOGUE) by Ian Dyson
3 hours 56 minutes – Rubbish!........
Hang on a minute. Let’s think about it. The commentator was saying that it was a tough course. I always knew that there was a bit of climbing to do. The winner came in at 2 hrs 36 mins. That is 30 minutes slower than the London Marathon. London is flat. I guess the biggest hill is going over Tower Bridge. OK, Rob Samuel (the winner) doesn’t sound Kenyan or Ethiopean but the top UK runners would not expect to be much more than 5 to 10 minutes behind.
And John who we met on holiday, said that he “does a bit of running.” His mate told us later that he won the M60+ at London. I looked that up and his time was 3 hrs 03 mins. This time around Snowdonia he clocked (chipped) in at 3:33:38. Again, that is 30 minutes slower than his London time. He might have had an off day! Ah but, he was the first M60+ again so that can’t be such an off day.
Going back to the hills, my GPS recorded an overall ascent of 4428ft. That is four times the Beacon Race, and that took me 58 minutes to do once. (I’ll leave you to work out 4 x 58 mins.)
Right, so! If I can work it out the other way…. On a nice balmy April morning, with no wind, sheltered by all the buildings, no hills, about 15 foot of ascent (unless you count going up and down those cobble stones), I could knock 30 minutes off my time here and expect 3 hr 26 mins.
3:56:55 clock time, 3:55:30 chip time (3:26 London time), 417th overall out of 1431 starting, 13th M55+, in a class international field – both Welsh and English (not forgetting Ledbury). That can’t be too bad a result.
And another thing! (There always is!!). Remember that I said my PB was 3:17 many years ago. Well, I put that time in to an age/time comparison spreadsheet off the internet. The time it came up with was 3 hour 56 mins. And Manchester was a bit flatter than Snowdonia. So I must have run like a 28 year old.
After a few sleeps, forgetfulness kicks in and the pain subsides. What did cause that pain in the first place? What I do remember is that it was a very well organised event from start to finish. The scenery was superb (when the mist cleared) and there was plenty of camaraderie and excellent support from the soaking wet locals. I would recommend this event to anyone with a touch of masochism in them, which probably applies to everyone who considers doing a marathon.
P.S. Anyone fancy the Trail Marathon Wales in June?
Thanks, Ian
More Slog then Sodbury, more Country than Croft, The Roaches Fell Race 13th November by Richard Love
A group of 4 Malvern runners (myself Jon Bristow, Brad Crounch and Jon Newey) made the trek north to the Peak District for this BL Category Fell Race, 15miles and 3,700 ft ascent doesn’t sound too bad by some fell standards, unfortunately that just means you expect to do it faster! The promise of sun and good visibility didn’t materialise until after the race so the views of the spectacular Roaches was hidden, however the wind eroded rocks standing like Henry Moore creations on the top took on a spooky look in the mist. It was a reality big field of around 300 runners that set off out of Merebrook village through perhaps Britain’s dirtiest farm. The gateways to this dairy farm had an aroma that can only be achieved by a few hundred cows passing that way twice daily for milking, with the recent rain the deep cow poo and mud was reasonably unpleasant, worse comes when the mud gives way to pure slurry, it is a there and back route so the knowledge that I’d be passing that way again in a few hours was not encouraging. The main route was very pretty, even in the mist, with clear views it would be stunning. There was a bit of everything, rock, mud, forrest, peat bog (I managed to find a particularly deep bit), streams and hills. I felt pretty good on the way out, and tried hard not think of it as half way as I knew in terms of agony it was going to get worse. By the time I got back the muddy boggy pooey fields and slurry section I’d had enough it just wasn’t funny. I made a slow finish but felt a good day’s running had been done. Final results were not available at time of writing, but highlights were Jon Newey finished 8 overall and first old bastard over 40 in a time of less than 2 and half hours, Jon Bristow was about 80th (I think) in 2:44, I was a fair way back at over 3hrs (I don’t run with a watch!) and Brad (fell race virgin) was about 3:15. A good day out in good company and a satisfying run, what more can anyone want? Now lets open a bottle of wine.
Thanks, Richard

MJs Champions League
A message from Julie Caseley..... Looked at the results for this morning’s Sodbury Slog and Malvern Joggers who took part were Steve R., Amanda Duncan, Megan J., Lynda Walford and Jayne Cresswell. This is a Champions League race so if anyone ran with someone elses number could they please let me know asap otherwise points will be allocated incorrectly.
Email address is juliecaseley@tiscali.co.uk

HAVE YOU ASKED SANTA FOR A NEW GARMIN THIS CHRISTMAS?
If so I would be interested in buying a second hand one if anyone has one they want to part with. I'm not big in to analysing my runs or getting too detailed but would just like something that showed distance, pace etc. Something nice and basic for a technology beginner would be great.
If you think you might be able to help please do email me: cathy@malvernjoggers.co.uk or see me on Wednesday.
Thanks, Cathy Spence

Forthcoming Event
Fladbury Festive 5, Station Road, Fladbury – 2/1/12
This is a Multi Terrain 5 Mile Race (burn off those festive pounds !) in aid of community projects in Fladbury.
Entry £12 non affiliated, £10 affiliated, includes post race refreshments and cakes !
There will be prizes for age categories, spot prizes, and Fladbury Pies & Sausages.
For more info contact Julie Cross on 01386 861699or email the racedirector@fladburyfestivefive.org
Race entry form attached

Two from Roodie
Don’t forget to cast your nominations in this year’s Malvern Joggers Christmas Awards – voting ends this weekend.
I am also putting in another order for MJ hoodies if you have spoken to me recently please confirm your requirements in an e-mail or see me this Wednesday at MSJ.

Tues night hills on MONDAY this week!
From Jayne .....As I have to be away with work on Tues, I shall be doing hill reps on MONDAY evening this week. Usual time and place - 5:45 at Link Top car park. All welcome.
This is the last chance to join us at our starting distance of 8 reps of Cowleigh Bank! Next week we will be adding on an extra rep ....... :-) Hope to see you there
Wed night leaders rota
If anyone would like to join the Wed night leaders rota, please e-mail me on jayne.ackroyd@mac.com> I would particularly welcome volunteers to lead the Relaxed 10 group, so if you regularly run in that group please consider if you could lead the occasional run. Very many thanks!

Charity Appeal - Children In Need
From Sarah Grout - Anyone got spare time on Friday 18th Nov to dress up as a gnome for Children in Need? ...with BBC Hereford and Worcester. Need to have registered around midday and count takes place for world record breaking attempt at 12.30. ... and I'm selling gnome hats and beards in my shop in aid of Children in Need if you happen not to have them in your dressing up box!
Gnome Time with BBC Hereford & Worcester
Friday, November 18 at 10:00am

Next Tuesday’s hash
From Jim Apps - Maybe a bit far for most people but i am doing a hash from the freemasons arms in droitwich on tuesday if anybody is interested :) plus i will be back very shortly with the joggers as my shift patterns have now changed ie i am now on earlies :) yippee

Worcester Parkrun
See ..... http://www.parkrun.org.uk/worcester/results/clubhistory?clubNum=1693

Annual General Meeting
Don't forget to put a note in your diary for the A.G.M. on Wednesday 23 November at 8:15 p.m. for a prompt 8:30 start. The venue is the Vaughan Hall at Manor Park Sports Club.
There will be a club run as normal at 7:00 p.m. from Malvern St. James, but runs will be shorter to allow people to change before the A.G.M. (don't forget the changing facilities available at MSJ).
There is a bar at Manor Park, so refreshment will be available.

Malvern Joggers Christmas Party
From Steve Roode - Christmas is fast approaching and plans are afoot to give you Jogging party animals another great Christmas party (Andy Milton will fill you in with all the details soon). We usually have the Annual Awards presentation and this year will be no different so I would like your nominations for people you think deserve to be recognised in the following categories:-
BEST NEWCOMER, ROUTEMASTER/MISTRESS, WOODEN SPOON, MOST IMPROVED , BEST PERFORMANCE
TEAM OF THE YEAR, JOGGERS JOGGER, ALWAYS A PLEASURE – NEVER A CHORE, CLUB PERSON OF THE YEAR 2011
These are just some of the categories but if you feel that anyone deserves recognition for something they have done running wise then please feel free to nominate them, I am also looking for things from a fun aspect and not only a serious one. Many thanks in advance for spending the time to send me a reply.
I would appreciate it if you could have all votes into me by November 12th and please don’t include me in any of your votes – Jog On!!! ?
Cheers, Steve Roode Email ....steveroode1@yahoo.co.uk

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tue 15/11 Hill Training - 5:45 at Link Top car park for a few reps of Cowleigh Bank
Wed 16/11 Club Run – Malvern St James Sports & Fitness Centre 7pm
Thu 17/11 MJs Circuit Training- MSJ every Thursday until end of 03/12 8-9pm Cost £2
Sat 19/11 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 20/11 Runway 10K – Staverton (CLC Striders)
Sun 20/11 Suicide Six(ish)
Wed 23/11 The MJ’s Annual General Meeting - Vaughan Hall - Manor Park Sports Club. 8.15 for 8.30pm start
Wed 23/11 Last day to apply for club LM places
Sun 27/11 Croome Capability Canter – Black Pear Joggers
Sun 4/12 MJ Cross-Country, Hundred House (Nr Builth Wells)
Wed 7/12 The Joggers Christmas party 7.30pm Malvern Rugby Club
Sun 11/12 Mortimer Forest 10
Mon 2/1 Fladbury Festive 5
Sun 8/1 MJ Cross-Country, Monkhall Farm
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 06 November 2011

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Race Reports
Gloucester Cross Country League by Richard Love
MJ Junior, Holly Love, was the sole Malvern entry in this highly competitive event. In Holly’s Race (Girls Under 11) there was 46 entries. It’s a significant event, well organised with a great team atmosphere, many athletics club bring a mini marquee to establish a (dry) team base. Each race was over a different length, under 11 girls ran 1.67Km. It was a bit touch and go if Holly would compete, not feeling too well she showed great spirit in lining up against a field consisting almost entirely of Athletic Club runners, finishing with a respectable time of 9min 41secs. This will be a great league for MJ Juniors to compete in, we will lack the team depth of the big clubs but it is very competitive atmosphere and any MJ Junior who really gets into it will quickly see the benefits of joining a full Athletics Club and we can take pride in playing a roll it getting that youngster into competive running.
Thanks, Rich
Soweto marathon 6/11/11 by Chris Gooderham
Just to let you know, Emma managed to finish second in the Soweto marathon this morning in a time of 2 hours 44 minutes 9 seconds. This was a PB for her by about 9 minutes. The winning woman was only 17 seconds ahead. Emma is a bit battered and bruised. She said the men crowded her out during the first half of the race and she fell after about 13 km when she hit a speed bump. She has a gashed leg and bruising all down one side, but being her normal stubborn self continued to the finish. This also gets her an elite place at London next year and sits her number 1 in GB for her age group at marathon distance this year. We just hope she gets back to us safe and sound.
Thanks, Chris
SNOWDONIA MARATHON 2011 – RACE DAY (or The Agony and the Ecstasy)by Ian Dyson
Woke up early. Looked out of the window to see some clouds and a bit of blue sky. Weather forecast said rain and wind today. Hopefully the forecast is out by a few hours.
Breakfasted. Drove from Betws-y-Coed to Llanberis. Started drizzly rain at Capel Curig. Still not too bad!
Parked up and getting geared up. Raining harder now with a bit of wind. Base layer with club T-shirt over, then sweatshirt, fleece and anorak with tracky bottoms.
Twenty minute walk to the start, on a bit of straight road just outside Llanberis. Lots of people around so keeping warm in the crowd. Thinking like an Emperor Penguin and keeping on the inside of the crowd. I’m amazed that some people are dressed like Stuart Brown on a frosty QWednesday night i.e. bare arms and shorts.
There is no pushing and jostling to get to the start line. Chip timing means there is no need. Very civilised. The race starts bang (or hooter) on time.
I started off very conservatively, knowing that at some time in a marathon you are going to be faced with hard labour. No political connotations intended.
To get the liberal word over with, that would refer to the number of water stations. The first one after about 4 miles couldn’t cope with the demand. Probably because the pack was still close relatively close together. Thereafter, an excellent service. More at risk of drowning – not just from the rain – than dehydration.
I came across Duncan on the way up to Pen y pass, somewhere about 3 – 4 miles out. We spoke a few words – interrupted by someone who said, “Hi, I’m from Ledbury.” I suppose someone has to!
Anyway, that is when I “sprinted” (Duncan’s word) off, still conservatively.
On the way up to Pen y Pass the drizzly rain was still falling but no problem. The wind was blowing down the valley against us. However, we were in the lea of the little hill on our right (Snowdon or something).
Just over the top the wind was blowing behind us. The opposite direction from on the way up. You might think this shouldn’t be a problem. But, going downhill, trying to look after my soreish knee, and being conservative, it was a challenge.
At the bottom we turned right at the junction with the Beddgelert road. There were plenty of people here, giving good vocal support. The course took a track to the right of the main road. Very rough, loose stones but preferable to tarmac. I was concentrating on the ground, looking where to place feet and avoid potholes and/or stones. Something caught my eye. I looked up to find a big one-eyed TV camera staring straight at me. Intuitively I raised a smile and and waved inanely and probably ended up on the S4C cutting room floor.
Further down the path was smoother and sheltered form the wind and rain. I remember thinking how pleasant this was…. No wind, now feeling warm and going along smoothly. This wasn’t to last!
Through Beddgelert there were quite a few people again. A pub door was open. I was tempted but I had no cash on me, so kept going. It started uphill again. No problem to anyone who runs around Malvern regularly.
This bit got a bit samey. Not un-scienic, but a few miles road running. Passed 13 miles. Comfortable, except for my gloves dripping rainwater from the fingers.
Passed 17 ½ miles. This was my furthest training run distance. The time was 2:23. Almost 10 minutes ahead of my training time. The legs were feeling ok, but not with that warm glow of earlier – a little tired by now.
20 miles. Marathons are too long. I’ll stick to half marathons in future. It’s just too boring.
The wind was blowing left to right carrying the rain horizontally. A guy said, “It looks like we will have the wind behind us going up Waun Fawr.” I said in my usual cheery nature, “Unless it changes direction.”
21 miles. We started uphill again. The wind was behind as we went through the village of Waunfawr. Quite a few people out again, also soaking wet, giving good support. The hill got a bit steeper. My knee got to complain a bit more. We turned right to head towards the open fell. The wind turned left; to head towards us. Hard labour kicked in.
The other knee got in on the act of complaining. I had to walk. Someone coming up behind said, “Come on Malvern, you should be used to hills.” Just as well I couldn’t catch him!
Running again, power walking, running. Another cheery soul said, “Do you always run like that?” I reposted with, “Sometimes I look like an athlete!” Not now though. The groins were also complaining.
The terrain evened off. A bit of respite. It was a good view from up here. Can’t be far now!
24 miles. I had been warned about this. Downhill is supposed to be good. Thios was steep, rugged in places, grassy, very wet, treacherous. Road shoes on and 24 miles no longer in the tank. It was over a mile of agony going downhill. If there was a TV camera along here I don’t remember. I certainly didn’t raise a smile, inane or otherwise.
We hit the damp streets of Llanberis, and ever so closer to the finish. There were a lot of people here. Just on a right turn someone stepped out from the barrier. “Go on , Ian!” My brother, Neil.
What else can you do in these situations? I waved, picked up the pace and tried to look like an athlete.
Two hundred yards further on I crossed the line…. 3 hours 56 minutes on the clock. Rubbish!!!
A space blanket went around me, a piece of slate put in my hand. Ruth was there to greet me, just glad that I had finished. Not half as glad as I was.
Time for a cuppa tea and biscuit – ecstacy!
Thanks, ian
Great South Run 28/10/11 by Julie Caseley
Four Malvern Joggers turned up for the Great South Run at Portsmouth last Sunday - myself, Phil Jackson, Nick Hitchings and Alison Hughes. It was a lovely mild and fairly windless day so conditions were ideal. We were all in the Orange start. Elite women started at 10.40 and the elite men and Orange runners at 10.56 followed by the White and Green starts later. Everything appeared to go very smoothly considering there were 24,000 runners. The run itself is very flat and fast and the best part for me was going through the historic docklands and seeing HMS Victory. I hadn't run since Lake Vyrnwy Half Marathon in September due to injury so this was my comeback race. I decided to take it very steady and aim for a 1 hr 30 min finish. I was comfortable until 7 miles then I felt a little fatigued due to lack of training and general running but this was to be expected. I finished in 1:29:59 (job done!!), Nick in 1:08:07, Phil in 1:10:49 and Alison in 1:27:48. Thanks also to Paul and Samantha for their support. Well done all.
Thanks, Julie
Guy Fawkes 5, 6/11/11 by Chris Barker
While some decided to Slog it out down Sodbury way, I thought, sod that, I’m going to do the Guy Fawkes 5 at Tewkesbury. This has been a very popular event in the past with the MJs but this year it clashed with a few other events. Despite that, around 10 MJs took part this year. The race limit of 400 was reached before the event and on the day 351 took part, which makes you wonder what happened to the other 49 (stayed in bed?). I’m sure they would have enjoyed it had they been there.
It started as always in a narrow country lane about half a mile down the road from race HQ, Tewkesbury High School. The course consists of a flat pan-handle, on tarmac, rising to cross the M5 on two occasions. I trundled round in 41.08 That’s about it! I hope everyone enjoyed themselves at the Slog.

Forthcoming Event – Droitwich Half Marathon 4/3/12
Highly recommended by myself and probably Dunc and Catriona who also did it last year. Don’t wait until just before the event to pre-enter. You will probably be too late. The entry form is attached.

Two from Jayne A.........
Wed night leaders
We are very short of leaders for the 'Relaxed 10' group on a Wednesday evening. Please could I ask those who regularly run with this group to please consider volunteering to lead?
Any offers gratefully received! Many thanks.
Jayne’s email address is .... jayne.ackroyd@mac.com
Tues night session
We are continuing with hill reps on a Tues night between now and Xmas. Meet
5:45 Tues for 8 reps of Cowleigh Bank. All welcome!

CHANCE TO WIN AN iPOD TOUCH
The Telegraph has a competition to win an ipod touch. Just explain what motivated you to start running, why you love your favorite route or the music that gets you going etc.
Go to: telegraph.co.uk/myrun
Don't delay, it’s the last week of the competition.

Kit Department
From Roodie - I am in the process of doing a kit report for our treasurer and find that a number of people are still owing monies for kit, some may have forgotten or simply not seen me in a while, could I ask all of you to get a cheque to me asap. You can always pop it through my door at 75 Yates Hay Road, opposite Dyson Perrins school - your speedy response in this matter will be very much appreciated.
I am also going to put another Hoodies order in over the next week or so, if you require one then please e-mail me with your requirements - I also have a number of Hoodies awaiting collection.
Cheers, Steve email ....steveroode1@yahoo.co.uk

Worcester Parkrun
MJs Robert Kennedy, Vikki Sivertsen and Deb White did the Parkrun for the first time on Saturday. 30 MJs have now done one or more park runs. This free 5K race takes place every Saturday morning.
See ..... http://www.parkrun.org.uk/worcester/results/clubhistory?clubNum=1693

Tues night hill reps
From Jayne A. - We'll be doing hill reps each Tues night between now and Xmas. Meet at Link Top car park at 5:45.
This week we'll be doing 8 x 2 min reps up Cowleigh bank, and then we'll be adding an extra rep every 2-3 weeks.
Everyone can run at their own pace, so all welcome.

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tue 8/11 Hill Training - 5:45 at Link Top car park for a few reps of Cowleigh Bank
Wed 9/11 Club Run – Malvern St James Sports & Fitness Centre 7pm
Thu 10/11 MJs Circuit Training- MSJ every Thursday until end of 03/12 8-9pm Cost £2
Sat 12/11 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 20/11 Runway 10K – Staverton (CLC Striders)
Sun 20/11 Suicide Six(ish)
Wed 23/11 The MJ’s Annual General Meeting - Vaughan Hall - Manor Park Sports Club. 8.15 for 8.30pm start
Wed 23/11 Last day to apply for club LM places
Sun 27/11 Croome Capability Canter – Black Pear Joggers
Sun 4/12 MJ Cross-Country, Hundred House (Nr Builth Wells)
Wed 7/12 The Joggers Christmas party 7.30pm Malvern Rugby Club
Sun 11/12 Mortimer Forest 10
Sun 8/1 MJ Cross-Country, Monkhall Farm
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne
Sun 4/3 Droitwich Half Marathon

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 30 October 2011

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Herefordshire Winter X-Country League
A message of thanks - On behalf of the Herefordshire Athletic Association and all the runners in the Cross Country League, may I express our gratitude to Malvern Joggers for the hospitality extended and hard work involved in putting on last Sunday’s race at Castlemorton Common. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
Everyone I have spoken to enjoyed the event. Hereford Triathlon Club contacted me today asking me to pass on their congratulations for creating such an enjoyable event.
The longer distance for the women proved to be a success. Whether that proves to be the case as winter sets in remains to be seen.
Thanks again to all concerned. Best wishes, Mike Blenkinsop
And from one of the competitors....
I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the cross country on Sunday, thank you to you all. It was a fabulous course, with very helpful and friendly marshalls! I enjoyed every minute of it. Please host more races in the future!
Becki Ansfield - Wye Valley Runners
A reminder about the remaining league races:
Race 2 - 13 November 2011 Croft Castle
Race 3 - 4 December 2011 Hunderd House (Nr Builth Wells)
Race 4 - 8 January 2012 Monkhall Farm
Race 5 - 5 February 2012 Presteigne
(All races start at 11.00 am)
If you plan to run the next race at Croft Castle on 13 November please let Jon Green know.
Email ..... green.jonathan@virgin.net

Worcester Parkrun
Well done to Debbie Russell, Sarah Hale, Nicky Baker and Laura Williams who all did the Worcester Park Run for the first time yesterday. 26 MJs have now done the event at least once. See them all on the Malvern Joggers page at
http://www.parkrun.org.uk/worcester/results/clubhistory?clubNum=1693

Discount for MJs
From Paul Newman - As the new Manager of Crown Trade paints Newtown rd Worcester, I am setting up an discount scheme for all Malvern Joggers, I will be putting trade discount cards into MSJ to give you all an extra discount on any paint and wall paper requirements. Just produce the card instore for your new discounted prices !
email .... paul@newman8840.fslife.co.uk

Race Reports
Snowdonia Marathon - Saturday 29th October by Duncan Cresswell
This is a FANTASTIC marathon and would highly recommend to runners of all abilities. Don't be put off by the course profile as it's not as bad as it appears, especially for all the Hill-Rep-ers. The organisation at the start and finish was good and the support from spectators dotted at many points along the route was brilliant. Whilst it was cold(ish), wet and windy, moral amongst runners was high and didn't dampen at all around the entire course. I'd been suffering with a cold (and still am) and was taken back with the views and scenery. Best bits were the downhills, short use of tracks and the final grassy bit. I ran the first half really well, but suffered with pains in the soles of my feet so a few stops and walking were needed at times, which was frustrating as my fitness levels were good and my legs in general were more than fine; I finished feeling fresh and full of energy. Hopefully some new orthotics will sort out the problem. I finished in a time of 4:35, which I was really pleased with, Ian Dyson sprinted round in 3:55 and Ruth Johnson flew it in 3:12. I would write more, but really you need to run it to appreciate it, you won't regret it :-)
Thanks, Dunc

Wed night leaders
Jayne again - I'm about to do the rota for the next few weeks of Wed night leaders. Would anyone else like to volunteer to join the rota? I'd really appreciate a few extra volunteers for each group. Many thanks.

Socks - Some stuff about socks from the O.S. website
What's the big deal about socks? Surely you can just pull on any old pair you have lying in your bottom drawer and they'll be fine. 3 pairs for a fiver at your local sports shop. Not so, wearing the right socks can make a huge difference to your enjoyment of outdoor activity, and help prevent all kinds of discomfort and injury.
If you haven't tried out some of the latest sock designs you'll be in for a pleasant surprise when you pull a pair on. A decent pair of socks can make a big difference to your experience, and there's a wide range on the market to choose from for walkers, runners and cyclists; all clambering to get pulled on. The longer the distance you plan to travel, the more you need to get a good set of socks for the job. Be kind to your feet.
If you're still not convinced, then perhaps a reminder of what can happen if you don't wear good socks will change your mind: blisters athlete's foot, fungal and bacterial infections sweaty, clammy, smelly feet, and inflammation of the toes, sole and nails
So now you're thinking of getting some good socks, what do you look for? It depends on what type of activity you're doing - walking, running and cycling socks are designed differently so that they protect the parts of your foot most likely to get in trouble. But the general 'good sock' principles are mainly the same.
What makes a good sock? Some would say that if the sock fits, wear it, but although there's truth in that, there are many other things to take into consideration when buying socks - here's a rundown of the main things to look out for.
Well-fitting Get the right size socks; this isn't as obvious as it sounds because socks often have a range a sizes such as 'fits sizes 8-10'; that's quite a big difference in shoe size. Some shops allow you to try on socks, but not many, so the rule of thumb is to get socks in the middle of your foot size, or slightly bigger. Try socks on at home on the carpet first to get a feel for them; you may be able to return if they're really no good.
Cushioning Strengthening of the main areas of rubbing and chafing such as: the toe box, heel, foot arch, Achilles tendon (back of ankle), ball and top of foot.
Protection - Odour reducing, breathable fabric mix, anti-microbial and anti-bacterial, moisture 'wicking' (letting air in, but allowing moisture to move out). The degree of warmth and insulation is also an issue of you intend to go anywhere out-of season. Loose fit padding, flat toe seams and double cuffs abound.
Weight - Runners and cyclists need a much lighter and thinner sock fabric than long distance walkers.
Length - Just above ankle length is ok to protect your foot from the inside of the boot or shoe (short), up the lower calf to the height of normal socks (medium), or cover higher up your calf for more warmth (high)
Seams - The smoother the seams and stitching, the less likely the socks will chafe, rub and irritate your feet.
Drying time - Some socks, usually the heavier walking kind can take a long time to dry out; check approximate drying time. The best plan is to take several pairs with you, especially on a longer multi-day route, so you always have a dry pair. Socks are best kept dry in sealable 'dry bags'.
Materials - Modern synthetics are often mixed with more naturally-occurring substances to create optimum level of durability, condition and shrink resistant, and insulation. Mixes can include: wool, nylon, merino wool, polyester, elastane and acrylics. Manufacturers use a certain mix of fabric types to alter the qualities of the sock, and they also produce their own branded mixes such as Coolmax.
and you thought that socks were just socks?

2012 LM Charity Appeal
From Sense - You may remember that I emailed you in September with an offer for your club runners to take part in the 2012 Virgin London Marathon for a reduced rate.
I know a lot of people were waiting to see if they were successful in the public ballot before applying. Now that the results are out, please could I ask you re-circulate the below and attached information to any of your runners that you thing might be interested?
We would love to have some of your runners on board, but we only have limited spaces available!
Please find further information below:
Sense has charity Gold Bond places available in the 2012 Virgin London Marathon and would really like to offer some to your club runners. In recognition of the time that club runners put into the sport, we are offering places with a discounted fundraising target of £1,200 (normal requirement is £1,500) + £100 registration fee.
We have attached a poster with all the details and we would be so grateful if you could email this to all runners and ask them to contact us directly if they would like a place. I have also attached some text which could be added to your club website if you have one.
If you have a club house or regular meeting place, please let me know and I can send you some promotional posters also.
Sense is a charity which raises funds to help adults and children who have sight and hearing difficulties. We have worked with deafblind people and their families for over 50 years and have set up services, campaigned for change and built up a worldwide reputation for our pioneering work.
Thank you so much for your help with this and I hope we can get some of your runners onboard!
If you have any questions or would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Events team on 0845 127 0063 or email marathon@sense.org.uk.
Best Wishes, Tara Hamdi,Senior National Events Fundraiser , Sense, T.020 7014 9359 www.sense.org.uk
Address: Sense I 101 Pentonville Road I London I N1 9LG

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tue 1/11 Hill Training - 5:45 at Link Top car park for a few reps of Cowleigh Bank
Wed 2/11 Club Run – Malvern St James Sports & Fitness Centre 7pm
Thu 3/11 MJs Circuit Training- MSJ every Thursday until end of 03/12 8-9pm Cost £2
Sat 5/11 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 6/11 Guy Fawkes 5 - Tewkesbury
Sun 13/11 Sodbury Slog
Sun 13/11 MJ Cross- Country, Croft Castle
Sun 20/11 Runway 10K – Staverton (CLC Striders)
Sun 20/11 Suicide Six(ish)
Wed 23/11 The MJ’s Annual General Meeting. Vaughan Hall - Manor Park Sports Club. 8.15 for 8.30pm start
Wed 23/11 Last day to apply for club LM places
Sun 27/11 Croome Capability Canter – Black Pear Joggers
Sun 4/12 MJ Cross-Country, Hundred House (Nr Builth Wells)
Wed 7/12 The Joggers Christmas party 7.30pm Malvern Rugby Club
Sun 11/12 Mortimer Forest 10
Sun 8/1 MJ Cross-Country, Monkhall Farm
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 23 October 2011

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Some messages from our Secretary Geoff .....
Annual General Meeting
Don't forget to put a note in your diary for the A.G.M. on Wednesday 23 November at 8:15 p.m. for a prompt 8:30 start. The venue is the Vaughan Hall at Manor Park Sports Club.
There will be a club run as normal at 7:00 p.m. from Malvern St. James, but runs will be shorter to allow people to change before the A.G.M. (don't forget the changing facilities available at MSJ).
There is a bar at Manor Park, so refreshment will be available.
Virgin London Marathon Club Entries
If you have been unsuccessful in the VLM ballot, don't forget that the club has 3 places available through its affiliation with England Athletics. Place will be allocated by a draw at the Christmas Party, with 2 places for first-time London Marathoners and for a previous runner (But not for anyone who won a place in last year's club draw).
We have seven hopefuls so far, so if you want your name to go into the draw, let Geoff Field - geoff.field@lineone.net - know as soon as possible with some evidence that you have been rejected in the VLM ballot.

Herefordshire Winter X-Country League - Race 1 Castlemorton Common Sunday 23 October 2011
From Jon Green - This was the first race the MJs have hosted for the cross country league and it was a great success. A big thank you to all MJs and their families and friends who gave up their time to be involved: the course markers, the marshalls, the first aiders, the recorder, the refreshmenters (yes, I made that up), the car parking organisers, the Junior Joggers and, of course, the runners. There were around 30 people helping and around 20 MJs running. A fantastic turn out. I've received lots of positive feedback from the league organiser and the other clubs about all aspects of the race, so well done everyone. (I have to say that's it's a relief now that's it's over.) As I write this I don't yet have the results, but if I get them before the news letter goes out I'll forward then to Chris to include. I do however know that the MJs ladies A team of Emma, Ruth and Wendy were victorious in the ladies team event. So particular congratulations to them.
Finally a reminder about the remaining league races:
Race 2 - 13 November 2011 Croft Castle
Race 3 - 4 December 2011 Hunderd House (Nr Builth Wells)
Race 4 - 8 January 2012 Monkhall Farm
Race 5 - 5 February 2012 Presteigne
(All races start at 11.00 am)
Please let me know if you plan to run the next race at Croft Castle on 13 November.
You can contact Jon at..... green.jonathan@virgin.net

Race Reports
MJ Juniors Handicap 23/10/11 by Richard and Lisa
Alongside the Herefordshire Cross Country (hosted by the joggers) we ran a handicapped event for the juniors. We started just after the main event with 6 runners setting off at intervals based on a half mile time set last week. The course was 2km. With such excellent running they were all back, fully refreshed and fed on cakes (who made those lovely cakes?) well in time to watch the grownups finish (actually many of us got a little cold waiting). We received many very positive remarks from visitors who were pleased to see young people taking part, the Herefordshire League time keeper was especially impressed and I think would keep time for us next time. Hopefully in future junior events can be better intergrated into the senior events and invite a wider field of competitors rather than just youngsters with parents in the joggers. There was one non finisher.
H-Cap Handicapped TimeTime Course Time
Jack Dickenson 0:04:40 00:12:40 00:08:00
Adam Dickenson 0:03:35 00:13:23 00:09:48
Cameron Smy 0:03:02 00:12:47 00:09:45
Holly Love 0:02:00 00:12:58 00:10:58
Ellie Blanin 0:01:25 00:12:41 00:11:16

Abingdon Marathon 16/10/11 by Carl Anthony
Perfect weather conditions and a flat course, this had to be good? Race parking wasn’t great took ages to find a space then after a 15mins walk to start there wasn’t much time to get ready (so much for staying in a B&B so I would be there early). Race started on a running track with a small grandstand (not quite Amsterdam style) and then went out onto the outskirts of Abingdon. It was a cold morning but the sun was out, beautiful. After a very gentle uphill first mile the next 6 were very gradually downhill, difficult not to get carried away and run too fast. Calf started hurting at mile 5 but wasn’t slowing me down, so pressed on at ~7:50 pace. My Garmin was playing up as there were lots of overhead power cables, gained 1/10th mile somewhere, should have printed off a wrist band with mile times on. There is a big loop on the country roads that you do twice before coming back through the town. Had to cross roads several times but the marshalling was excellent with stop/go boards for the traffic. Was going well until mile 22, the last section is only very slightly uphill but I had nothing left, dropped 4mins in the last 4 miles. When you get back into Tilsley park there is a loop around the park before getting back to the running track for the grandstand finish. I managed a slight increase in speed over the last 50meters and crossed the line with my arms aloft, finishing in 3:29:13. Very happy that I’ve broken 3:30, so I can now retire from marathon running. Legs are a mess today (Monday) won’t be running for a while.
Thanks, Carl

Cardiff Half Marathon by Dominique Edwards 16/10/2011
Wow – what a fantastic experience! Who would have thought in March when Debs Russell suggested I come along to the joggers, I would now be commenting on my first half marathon!! Finishing times – Clare Hill 1.53.00 (even after holding back at the start to help us get our race right!) Dominique Edwards 2.00.15, Rebecca Pack 2.04.26,
Clare Hill, Rebecca Pack and I were interviewed by TFR - Track Field & Road (www.trackfieldandroad.tv) just before the race, adding to the excitement of the occasion. Clare’s description of the training certainly gave me a final reminder of the time and effort that we had put into the event. The weather was great and our supporters were ready, with cameras poised and instructions to get to mile 9 then back to the finish! I must confess to being extremely nervous and really didn’t know what to expect ….
Clare stayed with me for the first three and a half miles to ensure Becs’ and my pace was set; resulting in a slower start for our personal trainer. At that point I knew I could maintain that pace and made her start her own race. The route itself was actually very boring, with dual carriageways and long stretches throughout. However, even if it had been picturesque I’m not sure I was in the right frame of mind to take it in! With the great long stretches came no escape from the sun: conditions I was not expecting in October.
I got to 10k and realised I had beaten my previous 10k times! It was at that point I actually began to realise just how much I wanted to finish, but finish in the best time possible. At mile 9 came the sound of our fantastic husbands supporting all the MJs and taking brilliant photos!
I hit the ‘wall’ at mile 10 – a point where a lot of people on the route did, but a tap on the shoulder from a man behind me was all the motivation I needed to keep up the pace I had tried to maintain; a small gesture that meant so much.
The crowds got bigger and at the 13 mile marker were our supporters again. I knew the finish was just around the corner – looked at the Garmin and realised it was not possible for a sub 2 hours – only 15 seconds off a sub 2 hour! I crossed the line and what I had achieved hit me, I simply wanted to finish but to finish with that time was overwhelming. Clare was waiting for me – thinking of others as ever! Becs crossed the line just 4 minutes later – a massive achievement made all the more so due to her having a chest infection that week!
After another interview with TFR, and a quick faint we headed home. I still feel on a huge high even with manky toes and achy legs. Bring on Bath half marathon in March … target = sub two hours!!
Well done to all Malvern Joggers :o))
Thanks, Dominique

Snowdonia Marathon 29/10/11 OCTOBER 2011 (PROLOGUE) – Ian Dyson.
Next week I will be attempting the Snowdonia Marathon. The long, hard training is over. It should have been a bit longer and a bit harder, but age takes its toll. A few niggling injuries, niggle for a longer time than they used to. So, I have had to try to extend the runs, extend the number of runs, and extend the hills, while still resting enough to avoid more niggling niggles. The latest being a sore knee after the Beacon race.
Congratulations to all those MJ’s who got PB’s last week at Cardiff, Amsterdam and elsewhere.
I doubt that I will get anywhere near my marathon PB. Three hours and seventeen minutes, in the year 19dot. Not only was I young and fit back then, but Manchester is a little bit flatter than Snowdonia (although probably just as wet!). It also took me three minutes to reach the start line with a very big line up. They didn’t have chip timing then, computers hadn’t been invented. Chip timing next week, which the organisers probably need with 2000 runners.
Anyway, if I get anywhere near 3:40 (the time I did at the Cotswold Marathon in March) I will be very happy. Not least because it means that I have finished.
Because of the challenge of this one, and because a friend has recently been diagnosed with cancer, I’ve decided to run for Cancer Research UK. I left a sponsor form on the MJ notice board at MSJ last week, so you can support me that way or go online to www.runningsponsorme.org/iandyson. No amount too small (or too great)!
Only six days to go now. Time to rest.
Look out for the next exciting instalment in your MJ Club News… The race itself.
Hope to see you Wednesday, Ian.
Thanks, Ian

Lost & Found
Found after last Wednesday's club run:
One flourescent yellow arm band with flashing lights.
If you lost it, see Jenny or Geoff Field at the club run on Wednesday evening (or e-mail geoff.field@lineone.net)

Hill Training
From Jayne Ackroyd - You are invited to join me for a hill session on Tues evening. Meet 5:45 at Link Top car park for a few reps of Cowleigh Bank. All welcome.

Adidas Thunder Run
From Sundance .....Attention all adidas Thunder Runners! Entries for the 2012 TR24 will open on Tuesday the 1st November via the website. Get ready to run!
http://www.tr24.co.uk/index.ht
Last year The Malvern Joggers sent two 7 man teams to Catton Park Derbyshire to compete in this 24 hour relay, everyone who competed last year wants to do it again this year along with quite a few others, so far over 30 MJ's have said they would like to take part.
What is TR24? From Sundance
adidas Thunder Run is a 24 hour off-road relay race against the clock. Whether you run solo or in a team of 2-8 it'll test your tactics, endurance, speed and team work. It's an exhilarating, rewarding and tiring race with a great atmosphere. You'll find TR24 physically challenging and mentally tough but an experience not to be missed.
What to expect:
You can set up camp either the night before or the morning of the race to start soaking up the atmosphere. Once you're geared up, your first runner will assemble at the start line at 12pm and when the claxon goes, together you won't finish for 24 hours.
The rules:
One team member must be on the course at all times during the 24hrs. Runners must complete one full 10km lap before changing over with a team mate but may run 2, 3 or more laps at a time before changeover. The team with the most laps completed when the clock stops after 24hrs will win.
This year we will have both the 8 man teams from last year,
plus we have a solo runner in Megz Judge who is aiming to see how many 10k's she can compete in 24 hours,
we also have Tabitha "Lukes Skyrunners" 5 man all ladies team
Plus Clare Hill is hopefully bringing "Hills Angels" a mixed 8 team,
We should also have enough runners for one other team of 8,
So who else would like to join us ??
Paul’s email address is ...... paul@newman8840.fslife.co.uk

Circuit Training
A reminder about Circuit Training which starts this Thursday evening at Malvern St. James Sports Hall.
Sessions will be for 1 hour each, starting at 8:00 p.m. A small fee of £2:00 per session will be charged for each club member (guests £2:50, subject to space being available).
We have booked fortnightly sessions through to the end of March, making 13 sessions in all.
Please bring your fee along on Thursday night - it will be collected before the session.
Alternatively, you can sign up in advance for all 13 sessions at a reduced fee of £20:00. If you want to take advantage of this offer, please bring your cheque (or cash) with you to the firs session.
Hope to see you on Thursday (and Wednesday, of course) Geoff Field, Club Secretary

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Tue 25/10 Hill Training - 5:45 at Link Top car park for a few reps of Cowleigh Bank
Wed 26/10 Club Run – Malvern St James Sports & Fitness Centre 7pm
Thu 27/10 MJs Circuit Training- MSJ every Thursday until end of 03/12 8-9pm Cost £2
Sat 29/10 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sun 6/11 Guy Fawkes 5 - Tewkesbury
Sun 13/11 Sodbury Slog
Sun 13/11 MJ Cross- Country, Croft Castle
Sun 20/11 Runway 10K – Staverton (CLC Striders)
Sun 20/11 Suicide Six(ish)
Wed 23/11 The MJ’s Annual General Meeting. The Vaughan Hall at Manor Park Sports Club. 8.15 for 8.30pm start
Wed 23/11 Last day to apply for club LM places
Sun 27/11 Croome Capability Canter – Black Pear Joggers
Sun 4/12 MJ Cross-Country, Hundred House (Nr Builth Wells)
Sun 11/12 Mortimer Forest 10
Sun 8/1 MJ Cross-Country, Monkhall Farm
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 16 October 2011

Dear Runners and Joggers,

London Marathon Club Places
From Club Secretary Geoff - As you probably know, the club is allocated places in the Virgin London Marathon, based on the number of affiliated members it has (one place for every 50 1st claim members aged over 18 on the day of the race). With 170 qualifying members, we have three club places this year.
These places will be allocated by a draw, which will take place at the Christmas party.
To be eligible for the draw, applicants must:
Have paid their current year club subscription fee before 28 February 2011 (some flexibility will be allowed for delays in receiving / processing subscriptions, at the Committee's discretion)
Demonstrate that they have entered the ballot for 2012 London Marathon and been rejected
Not have been awarded a club place for the 2011 London Marathon)
Be an active member of the Club (to be decided by the Committee)
Eligible applicants will be entered for the draw, which will award places as follows:
2 first time London Marathon runners
1 previous London Marathon runner (subject to 3. above)
To enter for the Club draw, please contact the Club Secretary by 23 November 2011 (contact details below) with evidence of rejection from the 2012 London Marathon ballot.
Good luck! Geoff Field Club Secretary e-mail geoff.field@lineone.net

Herefordshire Winter X-Country League Race 1 Castlemorton Common 11.00 am Sunday 23 October 2011
From Jon Green - Just a reminder, that we are hosting this race next Sunday. Many thanks to all those who have volunteered to help. Everything is organised. We're expecting around 125 runners from 12 clubs. What we could do with now is some more MJs to run or if you really don't fancy running come along and watch! (Course map attached.) Many thanks and regards, Jonathan
green.jonathan@virgin.net or 079 7416 8577)

MJ Juniors
From Andy Dickenson... We will be running a handicap Cross Country race for Junior runners next Sunday. We will be starting immediately after the main XC league race on Castlemorton Common and will be back before the main field return from their 7 miles. Please encourage your young runners to take part and enjoy the fun of the handicap system.
We will meet at the start on Castlemorton Common at 10.30. Those not sure where the start is can meet at Welland Village Hall at 10.15 and we will jog down. There will be no meeting at MSJ next Sunday consequently.

Race Reports
Amsterdam Marathon 16/10/11 by Vikki Sivertsen
Sub title... Jerry was my pacemaker!
Finishing times - Jerry Greer 3.18.49, Vikki Sivertsen 3.20.01, Phil Jackson 3.21.41, Ginny Sharp 4.22.38
All joggers PB'd and official gun time results show that Phil and myself were both first Brits in our age groups to finish and neither of us used a bus or had a baby at the finish!
Perfect running conditions, the course is pancake flat apart from the little rises over the bridges - which were noticeable towards the end.
The support and encouragement from the logistics team of Team "webfletchackroydsharp" was much appreciated and the finish in the 1928 Olympic stadium was the highlight of the whole marathon experience.
And as for Amsterdam, with all it's attractions both aesthetic and erotic - not to mention stoned mice.....we can't understand why Roodie went to Cardiff ! Vikki (one bloody second) Sivertsen.
Thanks, Vikki

From Acorns - 2012 Virgin London Marathon
As excitement builds for the Great Birmingham Run many of you are already looking forward to the 2012 London Marathon! Virgin has now announced the results of their ballot so, if you have applied, you should now know whether you've been successful or not in securing a place.
Secured a place?
If you've been lucky enough to secure a place, congratulations and good luck! We'd love you to use your place to fundraise for Acorns - contact us to join our team. All runners in our team will receive a fundraising pack, an Acorns running vest, and be invited along to socials events in the run up to the event. (There is no minimum fundraise to join the team).
Still looking for a place?
If you didn't manage to get your own place, we have a small number of guaranteed places available through our London Marathon ballot. If you would like to apply don't miss out - the ballot closes on Tuesday 18th October!

The Next Joggers Walk
From Eric - A walk is planned for Sat 22 October over the moors at the head of the Elan Valley-approx 7 miles.
Lunch will probably be at the Elan Valley Hotel afterwards.Early start and full mountain walking kit essential.
If interested plse contact Eric elbromage@talktalk.net so that I can confirm numbers for lunch.

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 19/10 Club Run – Malvern St James Sports & Fitness Centre 7pm
Thu 20/10 MJs Circuit Training- MSJ every Thursday until end of 03/12 8-9pm Cost £2
Sat 22/10 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sat 22/10 MJs Walking Group - Elan Valley approx 7 miles (see Eric)
Sun 23/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sun 23/10 MJ Cross-Country - Castlemorton Common inc MJ Juniors race
Sun 23/10 Birmingham Half Marathon
Sun 6/11 Guy Fawkes 5 - Tewkesbury
Sun 13/11 Sodbury Slog
Sun 13/11 MJ Cross- Country, Croft Castle
Sun 20/11 Runway 10K – Staverton (CLC Striders)
Sun 20/11 Suicide Six(ish)
Sun 27/11 Croome Capability Canter
Sun 4/12 MJ Cross-Country, Hundred House (Nr Builth Wells)
Sun 11/12 Mortimer Forest 10
Sun 8/1 MJ Cross-Country, Monkhall Farm
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 09 October 2011

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Calling our Cardiff Half Marathon runners
From Andy Milton - To all those running the Cardiff Half Marathon, I have organised a buffet and drinks for after the race at the TA centre which is not far from the finish.
If you wish to come along it is £5.00 pp. Please can you let me know by Tuesday (11th) if you intend to come.
email .... themiltons4@hotmail.com

Cardiff Half Marathon place available
From Andy Dickenson - Cardiff half marathon place available from one of my work colleagues. Call me on 07773917095 if you want it.

Race Reports
The Beacon Race 8/10/11 by Chris Barker
I like the race but I don’t like the training (running the route beforehand) so I didn’t do any. After registering a PW of 1.15 last year I decided to call it a day on the event. But who can quit! I can’t as I found myself being called back for another go. It only comes around once a year so miss it and it’s a long time until the next one. It was number 11 for me after my first one in 2000. After all, I couldn’t take longer than last year could I? And could I improve on 22 runners behind me at the finish. There’s no Beacon 5K for those that want an easier time so I had to give it another go. I love the Beacon Race it’s just a pity it doesn’t love me but conditions were perfect so no excuse this time.
Also, could it be another good day for the MJs in an event where we usually end up winning something.
233 runners tackled the 6.75 mile event this year with around 30 MJs taking part, so plenty of competition. As it turned-out we did rather well winning the team prize for the first time. Our winning team members were Emma Gooderham, John Bristow and Ruth Johnstone. Our other prize winners were first lady Emma, second lady Ruth, first local man John Bristow, first local lady Ruth Johnstone and first lady vet (35-44) Sharon White
I’m sure you’re desperate to know how I got on, or perhaps not....so, The Big Cheese Beacon Race part 2 ....continued.... Not able to keep pace with any of the above assorted whippets and racing snakes I trundled on best I could and although I didn’t feel like I was going any quicker I actually managed to knock 5 minutes off last year’s time. How did that happen?I’m ready for next year..... Second Saturday in October 2012. Count me in!
The results are available on the Worcester AC website.

Forthcoming Race
Croome Capability Canter 27/11/11
From the Black Pear Joggers - Please find attached an invitation to the 2012 Croome Capability Canter at Croome Park. We look forward to welcoming you and your members to this race in a beautiful country park.
With all good wishes.

LM – Charity Places Available
Exciting news!! We have a number of places for the Virgin London Marathon next year.
If you are interested in running the London Marathon and fundraising for Caudwell Children, please fill in the attached enquiry form and send it back to me as soon as possible. The deadline for places is Thursday 20th October.
Kind regards, Joanne Condliffe
Challenge Event Co-ordinator, Caudwell Children, tel 01782 600 435, fax 01782 600 639
e. joanne.condliffe@caudwellchildren.com w. www.caudwellchildren.com

Ideas for Next Social
From Andy M .....Your votes please, I've been trying to come up with ideas to put to the social committee for our next party...would you like Kareoke Disco party plus either .....
A Zumba party ! A Merenge Caribean party ! A Salsa Party ! A Line Dance party ! Or a mix of Cuban, Cha Cha Cha, etc Or just a Curry party (no music) Positive Feedback required please, any other suggestions ??

Park Run
The Worcester Parkrun continues to grow in popularity with the MJs. 17 Malvern Joggers have now done at least one Parkrun with Saturdays first-timers being Dominique Edwards, Rebecca Pack and Jennifer Neale. 17 MJs have now done this event at least once.
And from Richard Ralphs, Event Director Worcester Parkrun.......
‘Thanks for the mention in the blog and it was good to see Nigel Sewel win last week, for more stats of Malvern Joggers performance at parkrun go to http://www.parkrun.org.uk/worcester/results/clubhistory?clubNum=1693,
There are 95 parkruns in the UK with, 185,760 runners, Bushy Park had 802 runners last week, but our Worcester parkrun is the best (thumps chest). Regards, Richard
Worcester parkrun is a weekly free to enter 5k run based at Worcester Wood Countryside Centre.
What is Worcester parkrun? It is a 5km run - it's you and everyone else against the clock.
When is it? Every Saturday at 09:00
Where is it? It’s run in Worcester Woods Country Park - Countryside Centre
What does it cost to join in? Nothing - it's free! but please register in advance.
Register at this site http://www.parkrun.org.uk/Register.aspx
How fast do i have to be? We all run for our own enjoyment. Please come along and join in whatever your pace!
Where do I get my results and learn more?
Your results are posted the same day, and we provide league tables, age graded results, and race reports at http://www.parkrun.org.uk/worcester/
From me – The Worcester Parkrun continues to grow in popularity with the Malvern Joggers

Charity Appeal
From ‘Refuge’ - My name is Jessica and I work for Refuge which is the country’s leading single provider of emergency accommodation and specialist support for women and children experiencing domestic violence. Every day we support over 1.600 women and children. One of the ways we do this is to generate money through our running events such as the London and Brighton Marathons. We are currently recruiting runners and I was wondering if your running members would like to join Refuge runners and take part in this event!
At Refuge, our runners are very important to us as they make up a vital part of our fundraising. We do everything we can to support runners every step of the way. We offer a free Refuge t shirt or professional running vest, a training plan, a full running pack containing training, nutrition and fundraising advice, a free online fundraising page. Furthermore, our London Marathon runners are offered a training event with a running expert in the run up to the event, a pre-race meet up and a post-race reception complete with showers, massage and refreshments. We have a relatively small running team so we really are able to offer one-to-one support – as one of our 2011 runners said: “I thought Refuge were amazing in their support and guidance. I really felt a valued part of the team”.
Please get in contact jessica_madeley@refuge.org.uk if you want to take part or if you have found someone who can run for Refuge! With best wishes, Jess

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 12/10 Club Run – Malvern St James Sports & Fitness Centre 7pm
Sat 15/10 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9 am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Thu 13/10 MJs Circuit Training- MSJ every Thursday until end of 03/12 8-9pm Cost £2
Sun 16/10 Cardiff Half Marathon
Sun 16/10 Amsterdam Marathon (see Roodie)
Sat 22/10 MJs Walking Group - Elan Valley approx 7 miles (see Eric)
Sun 23/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sun 23/10 MJ Cross-Country - Castlemorton Common
Sun 23/10 Birmingham Half Marathon
Sun 6/11 Guy Fawkes 5 - Tewkesbury
Sun 13/11 Sodbury Slog
Sun 13/11 MJ Cross- Country, Croft Castle
Sun 20/11 Runway 10K – Staverton (CLC Striders)
Sun 20/11 Suicide Six(ish)
Sun 27/11 Croome Capability Canter
Sun 4/12 MJ Cross-Country, Hundred House (Nr Builth Wells)
Sun 11/12 Mortimer Forest 10
Sun 8/1 MJ Cross-Country, Monkhall Farm
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 02 October 2011

Dear Runners and Joggers,

MJ Juniors Up and Running!
From Andy Dickenson - 15 young runners turned out for the first session of the MJ Juniors. In what was probably some of the hottest weather they will experience it was a tough start but the young athletes acquitted themselves well in the difficult conditions to complete the session at MSJ on Sunday morning. We hope to grow from our initial numbers and be able to open membership wider eventually but in the meantime if any MJ members have a budding Mo or Paula itching to get running then come along next Sunday to MSJ at 10.30. We meet at the Pavilion which is on the grass below the astro pitch. Well done to all the young runners who turned out today with such enthusiasm and we look forward to seeing you next week.
Lisa, Sam, Andy and Andy

MJs Next Social
From Andy Milton - We will be having a Joggers social in the Star in Cowleigh Road on Sat 8th Oct starting at 19.30. This is a Chinese restaurant/pub.
This will also be an opportunity for those who have run the beacon race to come and celebrate which we have done in the past.
To get an idea of numbers please could Joggers e-mail me on themiltons4@hotmail.com

MJs Champions League
The next race on the Champions League is the Beacon Race on 8 October.

Race Reports
Cricklade Half Marathon 2/10/11 by Vikki Sivertsen
It was the Cricklade half marathon today, MJ’s present: Phil Jackson, Amanda Dawson and me. This was my build up race ready for the Amsterdam marathon in 2 weeks. The usual pre marathon race dilemma of “Do I race it or do I marathon pace it”...well despite the really hot weather I decided to race it, I started well, sadly produced a magnificent positive split (ooer missus) and finished with a 1:33 something, over a minute slower than my PB but really happy with 4th lady overall and 1st female vet age 35 – 50 (which seems like a very large age group to me, especially as I fall into the latter part of it!) Phil paced it, and Amanda got PB...so smiles all round. The route was lovely and also flat by anyone’s standards. The marshalls were plentiful as were the water stations and supporters. However, prize giving was a bit of a sham and a few mistakes had to be rectified ...ie first placed male and female....? No goody bag, but we did get a medal and I had a trophy as my first female Vet prize. (Entry fee was only £12, which isn’t bad for a half) As well as the half marathon there is also a 10k and a fun run, so something for everyone. On the whole a nice event and I would recommend it to any Joggers thinking of doing it next year, when hopefully it will be a bit cooler !

Kit Department
Roodie is asking, does anyone want a Hoodie. Please let him know as he will be putting an order in soon, add size, what name you prefer printed, and whether its zip or no zip .... steveroode1@yahoo.co.uk

Herefordshire Winter X-Country League 2011/ 2012 (From Jon Green - green.jonathan@virgin.net or 079 7416 8577)
Wanted - Qualified First Aider to be in attendance at Malvern Joggers' Winter X-Country League race on Sunday 23 October 2011. The race starts at 11.00 am, so we need a suitable person to be present from around 10.45 am to 1.00 pm.

Ideas for Next Social
From Andy M .....Your votes please, I've been trying to come up with ideas to put to the social committee for our next party...would you like Kareoke Disco party plus either .....
A Zumba party !
A Merenge Caribean party !
A Salsa Party !
A Line Dance party !
Or a mix of Cuban, Cha Cha Cha, etc
Or just a Curry party (no music)
Positive Feedback required please, any other suggestions ??

Park Run
From the organiser’s of this weekly event .....
Worcester parkrun is a weekly free to enter 5k run based at Worcester Wood Countryside Centre.
What is Worcester parkrun?
It is a 5km run - it's you and everyone else against the clock.
When is it?
Every Saturday at 09:00
Where is it?
It’s run in Worcester Woods Counrtry Park - Countryside Centre
What does it cost to join in?
Nothing - it's free! but please register in advance.
Register at this site http://www.parkrun.org.uk/Register.aspx
How fast do I have to be ?
We all run for our own enjoyment. Please come along and join in whatever your pace!
Where do I get my results and learn more?
Your results are posted the same day, and we provide league tables, age graded results, and race reports at http://www.parkrun.org.uk/worcester/

From Chris .... Well done to Lynda Walford and Paul Hill who did the Worcester Parkrun on Saturday, for the first time. 14 MJs have now done this event at least once. Well done also to MJ Nigel Sewell who was Saturday’s winner.

Herefordshire Winter X-Country League 2011/ 2012 (From Jonathan Green - green.jonathan@virgin.net or 079 7416 8577)
Wanted - Qualified First Aider to be in attendance at Malvern Joggers' Winter X-Country League race on Sunday 23 October 2011. The race starts at 11.00 am, so we need a suitable person to be present from around 10.45 am to 1.00 pm.
And .....
The Big News is that Race 1 on Sunday 23 October 2011 will be hosted by Malvern Joggers! A 7 mile course has been devised utilising part of the MJ's 10k race route and incorporating a 2 lap loop. It should be challenging enough for most. As with our 10k, the race will be based at Welland Village Hall, with the start/ finish on Castlemorton Common. We already have a good core of volunteers, but need a few more people to marshall, a couple of people to look after some post race tea and biscuits or cake and a couple of people to oversee car parking. Please let me know if you can spare some time to help make this event a success and in doing so promote the MJs.
The full race fixtures are:
Race 1 - 23 October 2011 Castlemorton Common
Race 2 - 13 November 2011 Croft Castle
Race 3 - 4 December 2011 Hunderd House (Nr Builth Wells)
Race 4 - 8 January 2012 Monkhall Farm
Race 5 - 5 February 2012 Presteigne
All races start at 11.00 am.
Good news for the ladies; in a break with tradition, ladies will be running the same race distance as the men at Castlemorton Common, Hunderd House and Monkhall Farm.
I now have the race numbers to allocate. If you want to run some or all of the races and you haven't already let me know, please email or text me asap. The club has paid the entry fee, so as long as you're a paid up MJ, there's no individual race entry fees to be paid.

Request for new Wed night leaders
Message from Jayne A ( jayne.ackroyd@mac.com )
Would anybody new like to volunteer to join the Wed night leaders rota, as I am running a little short of willing volunteers!
I'm also short of leaders for the following dates & groups, so if anyone would be able to volunteer to lead these groups as a one-off it would be
appreciated:
12/10 'Strict' 10 min mile group
12/10 'Relaxed' 10 min mile group

Coming up
Every Wednesday, 7pm
Every Sunday (sometimes Saturday), a club run or a race
Wed 5/10 Club Run – Malvern St James Sports & Fitness Centre 7pm
Sat 8/10 Parkrun 5K, Countryside Centre Worcester 9 am. Entry is free, register on website beforehand
Sat 8/10 Worcestershire Beacon Race
Sat 8/10 Joggers Social - Star Inn, Cowleigh Road on Sat 8th Oct 19.30.
Thu 13/10 MJs Circuit Training- MSJ every Thursday until end of 03/12
Sun 16/10 Cardiff Half Marathon
Sun 16/10 Amsterdam Marathon (see Roodie)
Sat 22/10 Next outing of MJs Walking Group - Elan Valley approx 7 miles
Sun 23/10 Stroud Half Marathon
Sun 23/10 MJ Cross-Country, Moor Park (Nr Ludlow)
Sun 13/11 MJ Cross- Country, Croft Castle
Sun 4/12 MJ Cross-Country, Hundred House (Nr Builth Wells)
Sun 8/1 MJ Cross-Country, Monkhall Farm
Sun 5/2 MJ Cross-Country, Presteigne

MSJ
We are very pleased to run from Malvern St James Sports Centre during the winter. As well as a great place to meet Malvern Joggers get:-
Free car parking, Free hot showers and clean toilets, 10% discount in the shop if they are an MJ
No joining fee for membership and a 20% discount on the monthly fee for gym, classes and swimming pool
No joining fee for membership and a 20% discount on the monthly fee for swimming pool use
A range of classes open to MJ’s on a drop in basis
A warm bar with cheap bottled beers

Happy running, Chris

Chris's Blog from 25 September 2011

Dear Runners and Joggers,

Herefordshire Winter X-Country League 2011/ 2012 (From Jonathan Green - green.jonathan@virgin.net or 079 7416 8577)
The Big News is that Race 1 on Sunday 23 October 2011 will be hosted by Malvern Joggers! A 7 mile course has been devised utilising part of the MJ's 10k race route and incorporating a 2 lap loop. It should be challenging enough for most. As with our 10k, the race will be based at Welland Village Hall, with the start/ finish on Castlemorton Common. We already have a good core of volunteers, but need a few more people to marshall, a couple of people to look after some post race tea and biscuits or cake and a couple of people to oversee car parking. Please let me know if you can spare some time to help make this event a success and in doing so promote the MJs.

The full race fixtures are:
Race 1 - 23 October 2011 Castlemorton Common
Race 2 - 13 November 2011 Croft Castle
Race 3 - 4 December 2011 Hunderd House (Nr Builth Wells)
Race 4 - 8 January 2012 Monkhall Farm
Race 5 - 5 February 2012 Presteigne
All races start at 11.00 am.

Good news for the ladies; in a break with tradition, ladies will be running the same race distance as the men at Castlemorton Common, Hunderd House and Monkhall Farm.

I now have the race numbers to allocate. If you want to run some or all of the races and you haven't already let me know, please email or text me asap. The club has paid the entry fee, so as long as you're a paid up MJ, there's no individual race entry fees to be paid.

MJs Junior Section
From Richard and Lisa - STOP PRESS!! MJ Juniors to start Sunday 2nd October. Sessions will be held on Sundays between 10.30 and 11.30 am, we will initially be using the MSJ sports fields and have full access to the changing and refreshment facilities. The aim of the group is to encourage young people between the ages of 10 & 16 to participate in a variety of running based activities, to improve fitness, to enjoy running and to generally have fun. The MJ Juniors is initially only open to children whom parents/ guardians are members of the Malvern Joggers and sessions are currently free. The sessions will include warm up and warm down activities, alongside a fun running based challenge. Refreshment will be provided at the end of the session for juniors. The sessions will be led by Andrew Blannin, Andrew Dickenson, Sam Burnage and Lisa Dainty, who have all recently completed a UKA Leadership in Fitness training course.
Children should be suitably clothed, preferably t- shirt, shorts or jogging bottoms with an extra layer for warm up / down and suitable trainers. You will be required to complete a membership form prior to the first session, just so we have basic details, emergency numbers etc. (These will hopefully be available before next Sunday or on the day so come a little earlier to fill one in if you have not already done so).
Below is the Schedule for Autumn Term
Note: Schedule subject to change depending on group numbers and capabilities

Day	Date	Venue	Event
Sun	02/10/2011	MSJ	Training
Sun	09/10/2011	MSJ	Training
Sun	16/10/2011	MSJ	Training
Sun	23/10/2011	MSJ	Junior Handicap 1
Sun	30/10/2011	�MSJ	Training
Sat	05/11/2011	Gloucester	Gloucs XC League 2
Sun	13/11/2011	MSJ	Training
Sun	20/11/2011	MSJ	Training
Sun	27/11/2011	MSJ	Junior Handicap 2
Sun	04/12/2011	MSJ	Training
Sat	11/12/2011	Cheltenham	Gloucs XC League 3
Sun	18/12/2011	MSJ	Fancy Dress Handicap with spot prizes

We would also like more volunteer Joggers who would be willing to spare some time to help with the running or organisation of the MJ Juniors - please let us know if you are interested or have any question. Thanks. Lisa Dainty 07950121610, Andy Dickenson 07773917095.

Tues night speed training
Message from Ginny .....this week is hill reps, so meet 5:45 at Link Top Car Park.
ginnysharp@btinternet.com

Request for new Wed night leaders
Message from Jayne A ( jayne.ackroyd@mac.com )
Would anybody new like to volunteer to join the Wed night leaders rota, as I am running a little short of willing volunteers!
I'm also short of leaders for the following dates & groups, so if anyone would be able to volunteer to lead these groups as a one-off it would be
appreciated:
28/9 'Relaxed' 10 min mile group
28/9 9:30 min mile group
12/10 'Strict' 10 min mile group
12/10 'Relaxed' 10 min mile group

Race Reports
Black Mountains Fell Race 24th Sept by Richard Love
I did this out of bloody minded self determination. having had the summer off I felt the need to prove I could still get round a toughish course. At 17 miles with 5,000 feet of ascent this makes it into an A Long category fell race. My race plan was to not do my usual take off like a bullet and suffer at the finish and make back in one piece. Well I set off at a sensible pace but still suffered at the end but I got round in a reasonable time (a shade over 3:30) in 34th place out of a small field of 60+ runners. Near perfect conditions made for a very pleasant run across beautiful scenery, during most of the course there were no building in sight and the only sounds to be heard were runners or nature - marvelous. With such a small field my normal navigation technique of following the guy in front broke down a bit, often finding myself completely on my own, but with such god visibility getting seriously lost was unlikely. At the finish I was welcomed back by a woman who enquired whether I'd got lost, turns out she organised the marshaling at Bredon.
On a separate note I met the former organiser of the Mayhill Massacre, he's been doing for years and had enough, without anyone else to take over the reins it will now be run commercially, £8 this year, £15 next and likely to rise more in the future. He added a lot of races in Gloucestershire were going the same way - its really important clubs keep organising races, club run events are not only cheaper but ... well friendlier.
Thanks, Rich
Gentle Joggers @ Cirencester 10k 25th September by Jenny Field
8 Malvern Joggers turned out for this one 4 of us being Gentle Joggers. It’s a lovely course only one hill that's not too long. It’s all through park land so is traffic free and on tarmaced paths. Perfect weather with a fine drizzle 3/4 of the way round to cool you down. (faster runners may have missed this drizzle, shame) Nicky Baker running her 2nd 10k bettered her time by 5 mins taking 1.03mins.
Laura and Liza also doing their second 10k also bettered their times so a very good show by Gentle Joggers.
I would encourage anyone to go in for this one.
Ps I did 1.07 which is 2 mins. faster then my last 10k at Crowle
Upton Bishop Big Dipper 25/9/11 by Chris Barker
The 2011 running of the aptly named Big Dipper took place this morning. This is a race which has enjoyed some good weather in previous years but not so this morning. But there’s nothing like continuous rain for keeping you cool as you make your way around this 5.6 miles road race. A massive entry of 96 runners took part (about 50% up on last year) which is a good number. Anymore might create logistical problems for the organisers. MJs responded well to my suggestion that they might give it a go with around 10 of us taking part