Weekend Round Up 21st 22nd January
Despite the very cold conditions there are signs that the multisport season can’t be far away as we have, Swim, Cycle & Runs to report on, plus two consecutive weekends parkrun results:-
PARLIAMENT HILL ICE SWIM HOOTENANNY
Parliament Hill Lido is an unheated Lido in North London, lined with cool steel where hardy swimmers gather annually for….. Well, we will leave it to our intrepid participants. Andy Tester and Susan Douglas to recount their swims…. Please bear in mind the rules are quite clear, standard swim costumes only, just one swim cap, even Jammers are not permitted as this is true cold water swimming – the reports will make you feel cold just reading them. First Andy and then Susan.
“It’s a Beautiful frosty sunny Saturday as my Swim buddy and I arrive at the 1930’s Parliament hill Lido, London for the annual PHISH (Parliament Hill Ice Swim Hootenanny). We walk past the pool supervisors’ room and the digital display shows 7 degrees centigrade air temperature and 3c water temp (Some readings were taken poolside of 2.5 to 3.5c water temp) Our swims going to be fresh. As we walk onto pool side the 61 meter metal line pool looked fantastic as it sparkled in the winter sun. Races were well underway with individual races, relays, dryrobes everywhere, competitors and supports cheering on their swimmers”.
“We are here for the endurance race, a 10 length 610-meter race with an extra length for each degree above 0 degrees C, making our race day distance 13 length 793meter race”.
“We mingled in a very relaxed atmosphere with swimmers and supports in the winter sun as I watch heat one of the endurance races. The sun warmed us like geckos bathing in the radiating heat and before I know it its race time”.
“I disrobe by the pool edge, give my details to the lane official. There are 5 big lanes with about 4 swimmers in each lane. I have four swimmers in my lane including BBC’s Climate editor Justin Rowlatt and we’re swimming anticlockwise. I sit on the edge of the pool in my lane and two of my fellow swimmers are already in the pool. The water is cold on my legs, and we try to organise who will lead the lane off. I choose to follow but as we discuss I hear “take your marks”……BEEEEEEP. I wasn’t expecting that, and I’m not even acclimatised. I roll into the water like a walrus might and push off. BBBBBRRRRRRRRRR. I’m in 2nd place in my lane and my breathing and heart rate have increased. As I turn on the 3rd length, I’m trying to control my breathing, heart rate and stroke. I’m aware of someone on my left (Justin) and let him pass on the turn. I tuck in behind and tried to relax into the swim. Finally on length 5 it all comes together. The water feels fantastic, my breathing is relaxed, and I feel amazing. I up the pace, drafting past Justin and in to first place in my lane, lapping the 4th place swimmer (Swimming Fly). I stick at the same pace until the last two lengths where I put a kick on mainly because I can’t feel my feet and other body parts are feeling painful. I can’t feel my hands, feet and my arm pits are burning. I finish 1st in my lane but have no idea where I finished in the whole race across the 2 heats (9th overall and 4th male). I climb out the pool, robed up and headed for hot Ribena, jelly sweets in the sauna with the rest of the competitors. We all sit in the warmth talking over our races and swimming in general while shaking involuntary as the cold and warm blood mixes in our bodies while trying not to spill our hot drinks”.
“As we left the pool at the end of the day, I bumped into the Ice Queen Susan Douglas who waved her winners’ cup for completing all the races for the day. Susan you’re amazing”.
Andy
“Last Saturday I took my annual pilgrimage to Parliament Hill Lido, Hampstead Heath for the best cold water swimming event PHISH. This was the 9th year I’d attended and back in 2014 cold water swimming was this new and exciting thing”.
“Anyway roll on to 2023 and PHISH is the place to be!”
“From the comfort of my sofa I’d entered all the single swims, 122m, 244m, Double or Drop (122m, Hot tub while the next heat goes, then back in when they’ve finished for another 122m) and the Endurance – 10 lengths plus, for every degree over 0 an extra length. It was 3˚C so thirteen it was”.
“Time for the first race 122m, although I don’t race, I prefer to use this as my acclimatisation swim! Starters orders we plop in the water at the deep end and then we’re off. Strangely it wasn’t too bad, it’s amazing what a bit of adrenaline can do for your cold water resilience and also mentally I know I can do it, when I have to. Race done, into the hot tub. Lots of banter and smiles in the sunshine”.
“Next 244m, I’m still not going to race, just enjoy the sun sparkling off the bottom of the stainless steel pool lining. It’s the most fantastic pool. Swim finished, off to the sauna with more chat, hot Ribena and Percy Pig sweets, essential for recovery”.
“Double or Drop didn’t involve a lot of time in the hot tub as the 2nd heat were so quick. It’s just a bit of fun really”.
“Finally, after the relays it’s time for the endurance. I was fortunate to just have two others in my lane, my friend Ellie and a confessed very slow lady. We set off, me in front, but quickly passed by Ellie. We kept together, me having a plan to take her on the last length. There’s no denying it’s chilly and I had a brief thought of getting out at length 8, but everyone else was still going and I’ve done it before and survived. At last we turned for the final time and time to instigate my plan to overtake Ellie. Turning it on after swimming for about 14 minutes in 3c just wasn’t really going to happen, I did make a half-hearted attempt, if the pool had been longer I might have managed it, but Ellie beat me by 1 second! I took 15.20 exactly the same time as the year before!”
“My crew were there to meet me, help put on my robe and, with difficulty, my sandals. I was okay, but you definitely need a helping hand to walk to the sauna. No banter just shivers. My hands hurt so much, red and fat I thought they were going to explode! The swim is hard, but the recovery is harder, I swore I was never going to do it again, but I probably will”.
“Bumped in to our own Andy Tester at the end after he’d competed in the speedy endurance heat, coming 4th out of the men. Great going, I wish he’d made it to the podium as the event was rather dominated by the same names in the top three. Next year Andy!“
“I did come away with a teeny tiny trophy as part of the Champion of Champions as I competed in everything”
“Great day and fab photos courtesy of Roger Taylor Photography”.
Susan
FARNBOROUGH WINTER HALF MARATHON
Starting under the frame of an airship hanger, Farnborough Half marathon is billed as the biggest ‘Winter half’ with 1700 finishers. Glenn Parisi, Trevor Harvey & Clive Harvey entered this with Trev reporting in:-
“Having previously taken part, Clive, Glenn and I turned up last Sunday for the Farnborough Winter Half Marathon”.
“The ‘Winter’ is included in the title, and we had previously run it whilst it was snowing. This year, Glenn’s number hadn’t arrived, and so we got there early……and it was ffffflipping ffffreezing; freezing fog meant it was minus 6 or 7 degrees. Never mind – being early, no queues for the portaloos…..BUT, the plastic door handles were frozen solid, as were the pumps and water to flush. Let’s just say, even early, most had been ‘utilised’ and were absolutely disgusting!!”
“Billed as ‘Chilly not Hilly’, the route is on closed or partly closed roads, through, and around Farnborough International Airport. Some undulations, but luckily few patches of ice, and so road shoes were the correct choice, (albeit not the warmest!). At the second aid station I took what I thought was an empty cup…but it just held a block of ice. Luckily not a day when dehydration was a problem!”
“By the finish the sun was peeking through the fog, but it still hadn’t got above freezing, but our endeavours were rewarded with a much needed woolly bobble hat; drinks; snacks & a chunky medal. Glenn was first Tuff home, then me, and Clive close behind. A good character building event!
Trev
GOODWOOD CYCLING AND ROAST
It was a great initiative from our Events champion Mike Barrett to suggest taking part in one of the regular Goodwood Circuit Cycle days and combine the exertion with the rewards of Sunday lunch – thanks to Mike for reporting:-
“Goodwood cycling proves to be a safe, smooth and car free place to cycle. Usually, when the weather is calm else where you pretty much guarantee Goodwood to be the opposite. But on this occasion we were greeted with calm winds, blue sky and sunshine, albeit a little bit chilly”.
“There were some big distances put in by everyone, with both Adrian and Dom clocking in distances of over 80k. Not that anyone was counting as the safe space means you can practice riding position, cadence, fuelling, close riding and stopping for coffee. A little shout out to Iris who pushed on past 60k maybe you’ll be 70.3 ready before you know it!!!!” “
“With everyone finishing around 2pm it was time for a quick change in to joggers, except Dom who was in blue jeans. And a short 8 minute drive up the road to the Fox Goes Free. (Should I mention at this point our new Captain was heading off to the Fox in Patching, not all lost as she managed to get to Worthing and back again before 3).
The food and service was excellent as roasts were all pre-ordered and quick to the table, lovely roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings all round, except for Dom who had fish and chips 😂. Everyone got a little bag of chocolate treats and an individual question, “what do love about being a Tuff?” With Tiff answering… “this is my second family! I love it all.” And “if you had £1,000 what would you upgrade?” With Clare answering … “I’d upgrade my holiday” 😅😅😅”
“Until the next one! “
Mike
Click on the picture below for the album
MEET THE CAPTAINS EVENING
A great initiative from our Captains, thanks to Adrian Oliver for his thoughts on a successful evening:-
“The excuse was to “Meet the Captains”, but really it was an excuse for a social gathering for some 28 new and old friends over drinks and food in the lovely (almost empty) Fox Inn, Patching – an opportunity to share stories of achievements, challenges, frustrations, dreams for the upcoming season, but also, a good catchup amongst friends”.
“Nicole Patterson-Lett has been our extraordinary and inspiring Ladies’ Captain over the last two years, with among her numerous achievements:”
- Penguin and Polar Bear Sea Swims 2021/2022
- Captains Jubilee Sea Swim Team Relays
- Swimmers Revenge
- Regular Sea Swimming
“Her most outstanding achievement has been encouraging countless people to gain confidence in open-water swimming, some of whom went on to compete in their first open-water triathlons last summer”.
“Tuff Fitty has outstanding coaching for pool swimming and track running, excellent structured virtual cycling (Zwifting) thanks to Hobbsie, group rides and plenty of opportunity for road and trail running. Sea swimming, by its nature, is very seasonal. Nicole’s perseverance in organising events allowed everyone to enjoy safe and encouraging sea swimming time”.
“Although we will deeply miss Nicole (and Clive) when they complete their move to Pembrokeshire, our club will continue to be in excellent hands with the incoming Ladies’ Captain, Verity Lacey.”
“Since last summer, Verity has been the force behind the Sunday social cycle rides. As these continue into the warmer summer, she is also planning on starting regular Worthing-based sea swimming events to give further opportunities to gain confidence and experience. These will complement the Littlehampton-based Beach Cafe sea swims, which will also be resuming with warmer sea and weather”.
Friday evening at the Fox Inn was a resounding success – much like our summer BBQs at the Arundel Lido have been and will be this summer! We already have ideas for future Fox Inn socials…”
“With my dual duty as club secretary and men’s captain (until December 2023), I am excited about this year! In between preparing for the Frosty this March (please sign up to compete or volunteer!), we are busy planning dates for the myriad of club events – STRun2023, summer BBQs, Swimmers’ Revenge, London Olympics, Majorca Trip, to name a few. And in between all of these, compete in a few events…”
Adrian
MEMBERS BENEFITS
With a New Year underway it is worth reminding members of some of the benefits of being a Tuff. Of course the principal benefit is the structured training, coaching, events, races, fun and camaraderie that comes from being a Tuff. Thanks to all our coaches and committee for their work in this regard. However do not forget the following additional benefits. If you know of any organisation that would link up with Tuff Fitty for mutual benefit, please let one of the committee know.
BRITISH TRIATHLON AFFILIATION
As you start to book your multisport events for 2023; have you considered affiliating to British Triathlon? Entering a race will require everyone to purchase a ‘Day Licence’ to obtain a race licence and public liability for the event. These can cost anywhere between £4 & £6 per race. If you take out a yearly affiliation and select Tuff Fitty as your affiliated club will save you £11 per annum. So if you are planning to enter a few races this year membership could well be worthwhile. The benefits of affiliation are HERE
UK ATHLETICS AFFILIATION
Tuff Fitty are an affiliated club to England Athletics meaning individual members can affiliate. The new membership year commences 1st April and will cost £16 for for the year to 31st March 24. Joining will enable you to see your race results under ‘Power of 10’ and will enable affiliated members to select ‘Affiliated club’ on entry forms saving £2 for most events, so savings accrue if you are planning to enter a few races, plus we historically secure one guaranteed slot to London Marathon each year which those who affiliated can go into a ballot for.
CYCLE TIME TRIALS
Tuff Fitty pay a central fee which enables ALL Tuffs to take part in open Time Trials. HERE
FREEDOM LEISURE CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP TO LITTLEHAMPTON WAVE & ARUN LEISURE CENTRE
We are fortunate to have a very competitive monthly corporate membership rate from Freedom Leisure open to all members of Tuff Fitty. Applicants will need to show proof of membership (suggest taking your mobile with the Tuff App to secure) Details on our app under the Member Benefits section.
RETAIL DISCOUNTS
Tuff Fitty have a discount code which can be used at Sportshoes.com which is updated monthly (February code now live). Discounts also apply for HIGH5 because our club has joined their sports club reward programme. This means that not only do Tuff Fitty members earn a discount on all orders placed, but your club will earn cashback. Again details and the all important code to use are located in Members benefits. HIGH5 also have periodic competitions for race entries – again follow the post in our App. Keep an eye on this section as it is regularly updated with other schemes as they renew/become available.
RACE DISCOUNTS
We are grateful to one of the premier local Multisport organisers who have permitted us a discount due to the significant numbers we can gather at events. There have been two further individual race discounts offered to club members this week. Once again access Spond and scroll down to see all such codes. Have you viewed the section recently?
TUFF’s ZWIFT ONE HUNDREDTH
It was during Autumn 2020 that Richard Hobbs suggested that we hold some club Zwift cycle rides. To make them inclusive for all, just our members would be shown on screen and Hobbsie suggested using Discord so all the riders could join the chat whilst he guided everyone through the hour long set. The ride meets were set with a ‘band’ meaning that provided everyone kept pedalling they would stay in the pack whilst cadence and power output returned riders individual statistics.
The first Club group ride took place on the 17th November 2020 and whilst thankfully Covid restrictions no longer apply ,the Tuesday Tuff Zwift club continue apace with the most recent ride seeing strong attendance. Thursday rides whilst the pool was shut, early morning rides and specials saw the number of rides steadily build.
So why comment on Zwift now? Well this coming Tuesday 31st January will see Hobbsie lead Tuff Fitty’s one hundredth Club Zwift ride – this is amazing record, one which all his regular riders have enjoyed and built some great cycle mileage – Thanks Hobbsie, your dedication is very much appreciated. The rides are open for all and more people are finding their way onto Zwift so don’t be wary of joining in if you have considered such rides. Have a look at the event on our App Spond to see what is entailed, but any questions as to how to sign on, do not hesitate to ask. One Hundred definitely not out
PARKRUN ROUND UP 14th JANUARY
Congratulations to all the Tuff parkrunners who ventured out in the wind and rain. Unfortunately the conditions meant Littlehampton PR was cancelled albeit it Al Evans attended and ran his own ‘non parkrun’. Lancing Green PR who were unable to put their signage up in the wind. Bognor PR was also cancelled due to flooding in Hotham Park. So particular well done to the following.
Worthing parkrun saw Dom Amey cross the line as first Tuff home in 21:54. Edward Lay was our next Tuff home completing his 112th – 92 of these at Worthing. Les Pearce was next completing his 182nd – 174 of these at Worthing.
Up at Maidenhead parkrun, the floods and mud didn’t deter Glenn Parisi as first Tuff home, followed by Trevor Harvey & Clive Harvey
Well done to all six– the forecast hopefully will be better for next weekend.
PARKRUN ROUND UP 21st JANUARY
Littlehampton & Worthing parkruns were cancelled due to ice on the prom but the following Tuffs still found locations to run-
Chichester parkrun saw Nathan Bilham in action on his 94th run crossing the line in 22:47.
Across at Hove Park parkrun, Sheila Bailey has run this course several times and shaved 5 seconds off her previous PB – congratulations. Kate Evans ran to complete her 39th parkrun.
Bognor parkrun saw Jason Rae and Claire Luckham complete.
Homewood parkrun is a trail run around the woodlands close to Chertsey. Trevor Harvey was our representative here using this as a warm up for the next morning’s Farnborough Half.
With 383 parkruns between Colin & Sue Simpson, they managed to find a new venue for them to attend, this time at Lee on Solent parkrun.
Congratulations to the intrepid eight.
