Weekend Round Up 27th 28th January
What do they say about “winter miles, summer smiles” if so things are looking good for Team Tuff as we are seeing very strong numbers at our weekly track, twice weekly swims, long Arundel run, Monday run and time to squeeze in Tuesday Zwift. That still left the following to report on:-
Sheila & Kate
WHITESTAR DARK MOOR 5 MILE
The title of this run gets its name from the venue which is within the grounds of Moors Valley Country Park & Forest just outside Ringwood. There was a choice of 10 miles, two laps around the forest or one lap for the 5 mile. This year Sheila Bailey and Kate Evans ran and thanks to Sheila for reporting in:-
“Kate and I attended the Whitestar Dark Moor 5 miler, a fantastic, well organised event, in a beautiful setting.
The start of the race was 5pm, we arrived at 4.30 this gave us plenty of time to pick our numbers and have an emergency bathroom stop. The team handing out the numbers were really well organised and got the people through really quickly.
There was a very brief, briefing! In fact it basically said no flashing lights and stick to the path. We all went down to the start which was about 30 seconds away from where the briefing took place, after a very short delay to move a car we were set off.
As we headed off the light started to fade, which meant we got to see all the lovely lights that people were wearing including fairy lights and fancy dress. The course itself was undulating, muddy, sandy and had some lovely puddles to run through.
The finish sneaks up on you as it is round a blind corner in a valley, but with a slight incline which could hinder a sprint finish. As you cross the line you are asked to turn off your torches so you are not blinding the volunteers.
We received a fabulous wooden medal, a small bottle of local gin and a box of locally sourced biscuits.
We found a fabulous chippy on the way home that allowed us to take on some carbs and protein before the journey home.
We will definitely be going back for more of the Whitestar events as they are brilliant”.
Sheila
CROW CROSS WESSEX CYCLO CROSS LEAGUE
We had another Tuff travel to Ringwood, this time to Crow Cross for the final race in a Cycle Cross league around a course summed up as ‘punchy and fast’. Andy Ward was our Tuff participant and he has reported in:-
“As I get older I decided that variety was indeed the spice of life and I wanted to try as many things as possible before I hit my 40’s !!! With that in mind and after a chat with the guys from Southdowns Bikes I found myself in the New Forest participating in the last event of the season for the Wessex Cyclo-Cross League. Last minute panic training on Zwift saw some relatively good rewards and so I had set no expectations (difficult for me as I am still competitive) to just go out and enjoy myself. And what a great event it was… I can honestly say that I have never met such a friendlier bunch of organisers, competitors and spectators. Something some of the triathletes I have met while marshalling could benefit from! Lead riders (who were bloody fast) were thanking me and wishing me well during the race… unheard of in triathlon in some parts! For those of you who want to spend an hour at max heartrate and hone your bike skills then I can’t recommend this enough. I will be back.
If anyone wants to get into this then it really is very simple. I used my Gravel bike which was absolutely fine and the course in general was very spectator friendly. Cyclocross has a great following and events from 7 years upwards. Season runs from September through January so great winter training.
I promise you that this was an absolute blast and my 80th position out of…. 80!! just drives me on to improve and get in the mix”.
Wardy
PARKRUN ROUND UP
We start at Worthing parkrun this week where Simon Grundy took part, racing home in just 19:17. Paul Howie was back racing this promenade course for a second week, Ed Lay was next as his used his 155th parkrun on pacing duties. Phil Turner was another one on pacing duties for a family member and then it was great to see Nina Tully achieve a new PB superbly beating a record set back over 8 years ago, this is a brilliant achievement and thanks to Nina for brining us up to date below. Bob Rogers was just behind for his 85th parkrun. The strong running continued with Vicki Hedger completing her 40th parkrun and then Elaine Rousseau to complete our excellent eight runners. Whilst thanks go to Les Pearce for volunteering again it is disappointing as it means he is still carrying his injury – get well soon.
“A bit of magic happened at parkrun! I honestly didn’t think I would or could match let alone beat my parkrun time from back in 2016 back when I had no metal holding my hip together! “
“Early last year I was once again told those words none of us want to hear… but this time it hit way harder, no to riding no to swimming and no initially to running, luckily I have a very good and understanding consultant.”
“Several months later still no to riding, allowed to swim a bit but no 5k’s yet and running but keep distance short! So I tried a little run each day which appears to be doing something as on day 83 I got a shiny new PB 🙂 I have no idea how long the streak will last but for now one very happy runner :)”
Nina
Littlehampton parkrun saw Steve Fryer as first club member home sporting his running club vest – Steve crossed in 20:33. Alistair Evans ran to notch up his 160th parkrun. Jenny Oliver also took part improving her time from last week by almost two minutes.
Bognor parkrun was a bit of a change in climate, as Claire Moyle, back from her Australian parkrun double experienced the winter chill of the Hotham Park circuit. Claire Luckham also took part reaching her 40th parkrun.
We had the following parkrun Tuff tourists this week
Preston Park parkrun was the location for Glenn Parisi, Clive Harvey & Trevor Harvey to run in the Park where the Brighton Marathon begins.
East Brighton parkrun is situated just above Brighton Marina and this grassland course was the choice of Sue Pinky to complete her 127th parkrun.
The furthest parkrun tourist this week was seen up at Trentham gardens parkrun. The course which circumnavigates Trentham Lake was attended by Dom Amey.
Well done to all 19
CAPTAINS POWER HOUR
Our Captains, Verity Lacey and Mark Sole invite you to attend the Captains Power Hour – Cap Pow! – on Friday 9th February. The venue is The Littlehampton Wave, upstairs in the spin Studio from 8pm. Similar in format to our recent swim Power Hour, all participants will be formed up into teams. The size of the teams will depend on the level of participants and the plan is to have two bikes per team adjacent to each other. One person pedals and upon reaching change over time, the next participant will be ready and waiting on an adjacent bike (pre-set to their position ) and pedals off with the team members alternating between the bikes to see how much mileage their team can amass.
As you’ll see from the photos Tuff Fitty have staged a similar event before which proved great fun. Open to all Tuffs, even those who predominantly swim or run, because the bikes are provided and all you need to do is to sign up and come along to join in the fun. Please sign up on Spond asap to enable Verity & Mark to allocate the teams. Worthwhile bringing a drinks bottle. Any questions, please ask.
