Monthly Archives: April 2021

St George’s Day 10k

Well done to Pauline Tilbury and Elliot Gardiner, who both completed the virtual St George’s Day 10k! (Where do you hear about all these interesting themed virtual races?!).

Picking a gorgeous, sunny day for the run has its ups and downs, but it’s all worth it for the medal! (and was unavoidable in the last week!) Running out along Quiet Lane and through Siddington, Pauline credits the Running Faster group for her speedy time (even if there were a couple of stops – it was hot after all!). Pauline finished in a fantastic time of 57:45!

Running a loop (nearly) from Chesterton, through Ciren Park and up Gloucester road, Elliot’s route took him up quite a few hills. Citing an improvement from his 10k last month, Elliot finished in a brilliant time of 54:01! No doubt there was a celebratory pint (or 3) after the race!

Wednesday Efforts Sessions for May and June

We hope you have all been enjoying your Fitter, Faster, Stronger efforts sessions over the past few weeks.

As this program draws to a close the coaches have been busy planning what the next couple of months will look like. Unfortunately, due to ongoing Covid restrictions continuing to restrict numbers at sessions to a maximum of 12, the current structure is unsustainable for the long term as this requires a large number of coaches to be present every week.

We will therefore be returning to the 30min effort session structure we had in place last year.

Every Wednesday we will have two coaches on duty each delivering two 30min efforts sessions with the first session starting at 18.30 with the second session starting at 19.05. The coaches and locations for May and June are on the table below and the sessions will be available to book on RunTogether from 08.00 Monday 26th April.

We will of course be keeping a very close eye on the situation and should changes in restrictions allow we will revise our structure accordingly…

A Message from the Chair – Pauline Tilbury

A big THANK YOU to Kevin Joynes-Creed for all of the work he does behind the scenes to administer the club sessions and allow us to able to safely attend club meetings. Thanks Kev! 😃

Cirencester AC Juniors

Following the recent relaxing of restrictions, Cirencester Athletics have restarted their teenage training sessions. They have kindly extended an invitation to members of RSE who have children in the 12-18yrs age group that may be interested in taking up running.

A message from Dorian at Cirencester AC – Cirencester AC Teen group (12+) have a weekly session (on a Wednesday at 6:30). The session comprises physical preparation (warm up, drills, etc.) followed by a running session that will help develop technique (advice is provided) and fitness, usually finishing with a fun competitive relay. We always finish with some stretching to avoid soreness later. If the Teenagers complete a questionnaire on the website, I will produce a draft weekly plan for them, including core, strength and conditioning sessions. To participate they need to be members of the club and to complete the General Health questionnaire (or their parents/guardians do). In the summer we run at Deer Park grass track.

Please contact dorianmatts@aol.com if you would like more information.

Joining RSE/ Club Renewal

April is renewal time for membership and also a great time to join a fantastic, friendly running club!

Click the button above to join or renew membership – you will need to complete a form and then will be prompted to make a bank transfer for the membership costs.

If you have any questions please email Tracey Pitts – membershipsecretary@runningsomewhereelse.com

Dorset Ooser Marathon

A massive well done to Nadine Brown, who completed the Dorset Ooser marathon today, a trail run that takes you to the “deepest darkest Dorset” (according to their website!).

Once I finally made the decision to commit to road shoes instead of trails (given the lack of rain and therefore mud recently), I was able to enjoy the pre-race nerves and thrill of being back to trail racing after the year off. The glorious route took runners through fields, woods and tracks taking in a few stiles along the way too. The organisers say it won’t be a pushover and there’s a “diabolical hill” towards the end and I can certainly testify that my legs were running on empty by the finish! A fab cool off in the nearby Ford following a cuppa and cake helped to sort me out though! Thoroughly recommended. 

Nadine Brown

Run by Badger Trail Events, the race organisers say the route is ever changing and never boring – clearly the “diabolical hill” is there to stay though!

Nadine finished in an incredible time of 4:31:14!

Hair of the Dog 10k

DB Max have a flair for offering some creative and interestingly named runs – the Hair of the Dog 10k is just that! The trail route starts in Chippenham and takes runners along the river Avon, returning along the Wiltshire and Berkshire canal.

Sharon Smith took on the 7.75 mile challenge, running in an excellent time of 1:07:29, making her first in the LV60 and LV70 categories! Plus, it must definitely have been a PB for the unusual distance!

[I] enjoyed it as all grass and trails. […] Often I am dissatisfied with my race performance, but today it felt like progress.

Sharon Smith

Virtual Fairford 10k

Congratulations to Cathy Steer and Linda Edwards who completed the virtual Fairford 10k this week! Cathy and Linda have worked hard to get back to fitness over the last 4 months, and their goal was to complete a 10k. Linda completed her first 10k back last week while Cathy chose the club’s virtual race to mark her achievement this week. Fantastic work both of you!

Get to know the club – Runner Profile

Steve and Caroline Sandercock

When did you start running and why?

Caroline – I started running several years ago, just after I had my second child. I wanted to get fitter and it was something that gave me some time for myself. No need for special clothes or equipment, and I could go out when I wasn’t looking after the children.

Steve – I started running in Southampton around 1987, the same time as Caroline. I did it to get fitter for my dinghy sailing. When I say running, 3 miles seemed a long way, and I was a lot younger then. I didn’t do any serious running until we both joined RSE.

When did you join RSE?

Steve – I joined RSE in 2014 with Caroline.

Caroline – I ran off and on over the ensuing years, (more off than on!) I joined RSE in September 2014 after bumping into Matt [Lambourne] who was the club trainer while out on a short run. He suggested that I join the club because they were running special sessions for beginners or people returning to running.

What motivates you to run?

Steve – I run to improve fitness and wellbeing. I’m not a born runner and I’m not too obsessive about it. I do like to challenge myself, though, and enjoy meeting and running with RSE colleagues. I like to find RSE runners who are slightly faster than me and try to keep up.

Caroline – I run to get fitter.

Proudest running achievement?

Caroline – Every completed run is an achievement for me!

Steve – Beating my 50 minute target for 10k was a great achievement in late 2019. It was the culmination of 12 months of challenge, targeting sub 25 for park run, sub 40 for 5 mile and sub 50 for 10k. There were a couple of near misses by one second, but they were achieved except for the 5 mile which I think still stands at just over 40.

Favourite RSE moment (social/ race etc)?

Steve – My favourite RSE occasion was the 4 x 10k relay at the Budapest marathon event 2015. About 25 RSE members took part and we all had a great social and running experience.

Caroline – My favourite RSE occasion was the Budapest weekend. I ran the third leg (10 k) of a marathon with 3 team mates along the banks of the Danube. There was a carnival atmosphere. It’s a great memory!

Joining RSE/ Club Renewal

April is renewal time for membership and also a great time to join a fantastic, friendly running club!

Click the button above to join or renew membership – you will need to complete a form and then will be prompted to make a bank transfer for the membership costs.

If you have any questions please email Tracey Pitts – membershipsecretary@runningsomewhereelse.com

Castle Coombe Chilly 10k

The 10k race in Castle Coombe has been a firm favourite of RSE club members, despite being notoriously “Chilly”. The day did not disappoint, with moments of sun and snow to keep the racers on their toes. This 3 lap race follows Castle Coombe race track, meaning it is flat and fast!

It was a speedy day for the club:

• Mark Garrett – 42.14
• Rosie Oates – 43:03
• Sharon Smith – 47:38 – 1st FV70!
• Zoe Markham-Lee – 55:55 – New 10k PB! And second race in 2 weeks!!
• Linda Edwards – 56:26

God, it felt good to be back racing!

Rosie Oates

There are 3 laps with runners joining all the time, so it was unlike a competitive race. I enjoyed it though, as no mud, hills or potholes!

Sharon Smith

Rutland Spring Half Marathon

After being postponed from 2020, the Rutland Spring Half marathon took place, much to the surprise of Felicity Crotty, who only realised it was going ahead 2 weeks before the race! The course starts and finishes at Barnsdale Wood and is marketed as ‘undulating’, taking in woodland and lake views.

It was very cold (although we missed the snow and hail that happened after the finish)!

Felicity Crotty

Felicity finished in a fantastic time of 2:29:34!

Marathon Man

Phil Scoble has not let the postponement of the Manchester Marathon deter him (planned to be his first marathon in 2020) – with an excellent training plan under his belt, Phil completed his second marathon this weekend!

I just wanted to train for something and set myself a target of doing a marathon this weekend! It was fine: weather held off and no ill effects afterwards, so very happy!

Phil Scoble

Phil complete the 26.2 mile run in 4:31:27 – excellent running and such a hard challenge. Well done, Phil!

Get to Know the Club – Runner Profile!

Zan Futter

When did you start running and why?

I began in my late 20s to beat my sister! She had persuaded me to run with her (she’s pretty fast) however, I gave up after about 10mins. From that point I vowed to get better and beat her in a race one day…. I’m still trying🤣

When did you join RSE?

June 2018 when I moved to Cirencester from Epsom.

What motivates you to run?

Ooh my motivations are forever changing. Currently it’s trying to get back to somewhere close to my pre-pregnancy pace and distance! However, I couldn’t get out of the door if I didn’t actually love running.

Proudest running achievement?

The Thames Meander Marathon in 2018. It wasn’t on my radar but after the London Marathon hadn’t gone to plan I decided to run it 6 months later to get it out my system, luckily it went to plan. I also love any race that I do with my sister.

Favourite RSE moment (social/ race etc)?

I’ve been a bit slack with attending races so I would have to say the first Christmas Party I went to. I was new to Cirencester so got to know many of the club members and made some good friends.

Joining RSE/ Club Renewal

April is renewal time for membership and also a great time to join a fantastic, friendly running club!

Click the button above to join or renew membership – you will need to complete a form and then will be prompted to make a bank transfer for the membership costs.

If you have any questions please email Tracey Pitts – membershipsecretary@runningsomewhereelse.com

A Non-Virtual Race!

Congratulations to Zoe Markham-Lee, who completed DB Max’s Escape Lock Down race – the first non-virtual race completed by a club member in 2021!

Held at Manor Farm in Upton Cheyney, near Bristol, the trail race boasts views across Bristol and the Severn Estuary, and incorporates natural obstacles to challenge runners. The race sets wave groups of 6 off in intervals, to comply with Covid safety rules, over an approx. 6.5 mile course.

[We were] basically zigzagging up and down hills. [There were] also a few obstacles. Got a beer at the end though!

Zoe Markham-Lee

Zoe completed the race in 1.31.21 – fantastic running, Zoe!

Club is Back in Action!

Monday 29th March saw the first club session of 2021 take place, with groups of six socially distanced runners following different set routes around Cirencester. Popular demand for the running groups even meant an additional session was added! The sun shone and runners were in high spirits, to finally have a catch up and motivate each other to run.

Wednesday also saw the return of group effort sessions, in a different format, but as fun/ tough as ever. The Faster, Fitter, Stronger plans allow runners to chose efforts dependent on their end goals. Although the group leaders joked over who had the toughest session, each plan is designed for runners to track their progress, and run with others who have similar goals.

Thank you coaching team for an excellent first week – it’s great to be back at club after a very long winter!

Joining RSE/ Club Renewal

April 1st is renewal time for membership and also a great time to join a fantastic, friendly running club!

Click the button above to join or renew membership – you will need to complete a form and then will be prompted to make a bank transfer for the membership costs.

If you have any questions please email Tracey Pitts – membershipsecretary@runningsomewhereelse.com