RACE REPORTS

FROM FLEETWOOD TO WESHAM

I am sure by now that quite a few of you have either met my wife Angela and I or read our race results, so I decided it may interest you to hear how and why we washed up on a Fleetwood high tide in sunny Wesham.

A couple of years back Angela and I had kept trying various schemes to stay as healthy as possible, some of the diet pans helped us shift the extra pounds but didn’t really make us any healthier. At this point Angela set us on a more intelligent style of eating and with this we realised exercise had to be done. The food we eat now is sound nutritional stuff, more old fashioned poor folk’s food I think. Fresh fruit, vegetables, pulses, lean meats and very little dairy has become the key to our life long dietary plan. That is what Angela tells me anyway!

I had always played football until my advancing years caught up with me so this had helped me keep semi-fit! Just beyond the age of 30 football was about done with me and my battered limbs and that had been the end of my exercising. Weight had slowly crawled on over the years and when Angela and I met we scoffed and drank ourselves senseless for a while. When we started to feel really crap all the time, we decided it was time to get a grip of ourselves. That isn’t easy for a chocoholic like me!

Once the healthy eating had kicked in and we both got feeling better weight-wise, we got our exercise under way. Our first tentative steps to fitness came from a hobby we both share, walking the mountains in the Lake District. It must be admitted that at times it has been more hobbling than walking, but it really has strengthened our little legs. It has even improved my sense of direction a little, I think!

During spring last year we decided upon upping the ante a bit with the exercise, as we can’t always be getting away all the time to flounce around them Cumbrian hills. So we entered the Beaverbrook’s Blackpool 10k. We had already been doing a bit of light running, though I suppose we would now look back and call it slow jogging. This race gave us motivation to get training on a regular basis and we have never looked back since.

After the race we let the running slip a bit as we had no goal to aim for and in winter we really struggled when I picked up an Achilles injury while out running in some seriously slippy frost. At least I got the chance to prove how bad an ice skater I am and yet how good an impression I can do of a very young Bambi!

As we scented spring, (well the flat started to defrost!) We got out and about along Fleetwood seafront again. This time we got a good deal more serious, we even got some really good running trainers and clothing. By this time I had realised that cheap fashion trainers would not do the job of adequately cushioning my knackered spine, hips and Achilles.

We again entered the Beaverbrook’s Blackpool 10k and both got PB’s. We had the running bug by now and couldn’t find any medicine that would help us shake it off. This time we couldn’t just stop running after the race, so decided to get racing on a regular basis. We started searching Runners World for events that we fancied running in and started to enter a few.

This is probably the point we became really aware of Wesham Road Runners, browsing the Internet we kept seeing the name come up in all the local and ‘not so’ local results. As novices we became intrigued in how someone like Steve Littler could run so bloody fast; even more so as we watched him canter his way back to the finish at Great Langdale, as we plodded toward the half way mark.

The Great Langdale race had been my idea; we both love the area and thought this would be a lovely spring race to get us ready for the Beaverbrook’s. Only problem was, we don’t get any hill training on the promenade in Fleetwood. Mixed together with Angela being unwell and this really became a tough race for us and I really worried that Angela would have been put off.

Fortunately she has a pretty determined streak, so no way was she ever thinking of getting cold feet so early in our running adventure. So the summer started to drag itself round and we cracked on with running some races. During these races we bumped into several Wesham runners and every one of them seemed friendly and positive, this started to sow some seeds in our minds. Yes I know, the seeds didn’t have much room to germinate in!

I also work with Barry Edwards’ brother Roy and he mentioned that Barry was a member. He mentioned when and where training took place and that you even get money off in most races if you are affiliated - happy days! Money saving probably swung the day!

We dallied over the idea for a while longer then finally sent our membership applications off, just in time for Brenda and Peter to have gone on holiday for a month! We entered the Chernobyl 10k as non members but our memberships arrive just before the race. We ran as unaffiliated though, as we didn’t realise we could go and have our details updated on race day.

Since then we have tried to become pretty active members of the club, doing as many interclub’s and handicaps as possible, as well as representing the club at races. Sadly Angela works shifts at Fisherman’s Friend so can only make training every other week, but I try and get down every week as it is always an enjoyable run.

Our main aim in joining the club was to improve as runners and we both have steadily got stronger physically and mentally during our short life as Wesham Road Runners. The support from members and their families has been a real boost to us as well, it is amazing what a few friendly faces and words can do when the legs are telling you it’s time for a sit down.

After missing the banter from a football changing room it is also enjoyable to hear a bit of grief being dished out here and there. I am sure over the next few years I may even get into the swing of the banter myself. I am far to shy to dish it out just yet! Angela of course is even quieter than me so she would never chirrup up with any comments that would upset all your fragile ego’s. Well, maybe if she was provoked!

So we are now in our first winter of competitive running, though I can’t imagine we will have done a lot, as we are away on holiday and I finish work later on a weekend morning now. I have to admit we missed the Wesham 10k and meal as we had trotted off to the Maldives for our 4^th Wedding Anniversary during November. The holiday was booked before we became members, so that is our excuse for missing the race and we are sticking to it.

I will finish by thanking everyone at the club who has made us feel so very welcome and have helped us to run with a smile on our faces, (especially Angela, as I am a miserable sod). Keep up the good running and the even better team support.

Written by: Charles Colby

Submitted: 9^th November 2009

Edited by: Brenda J Earnshaw WRR Editor