Claire Conway Reporting on the Chicago Marathon

Claire Conway Reporting on the Chicago Marathon

There is nothing more annoying than the sound of the alarm clock going off at
3am on a Thursday morning. In a daze I check that I have my passport, tickets
and suitcase and get ready to leave for London Heathrow with Rob and Scott. At
check-in surprise-surprise I had the heaviest suitcase, then we went to
breakfast where I managed to offload a few sugar sachets into Scott’s unguarded
Rucksack.
At Chicago the hotel upgraded our rooms to King-size including a free breakfast
so we would have plenty of energy for the hard days shopping that lay ahead.
We found that clothes were a lot cheaper than back at home, this resulted in
Rob and Scott dragging me out of the Levi store – this re-occurred in many
shops over the next couple of days. With all that shopping I almost forgot we
were here to run a marathon.

On the day of the marathon we had mixed feelings of excitement, anticipation,
apprehension etc and when we reached the sidewalks with thousands of other
runners we finally realised that this was the moment of truth. Rob and Scott
let their nerves get the better of them and had several pee stops, one of these
incidents was particularly funny as Rob believed he was peeing against a tree,
but after a few yells he soon realised that the imaginary tree was actually an
angry Yorkshire man’s leg (Scott).

So as we stood nervously on the start line, the gun went and we were off. The
temperature at this time was ideal for running, not too hot but not too cold,
so the first couple of miles flew by. Scott decided that we would start to
play our little game but no one answered back (race mode had been entered with
no return). As the race progressed the heat steadily increased both Rob and I
started to leave Scott behind. With some encouragement we tried to get him
back up to us but the heat had started to take its toll on Scott. At half way
the temperature was around 30 degrees. The Gatorade that had been horrible to
taste in those first few miles had now started to taste like nectar as well as
the water around the 18 mile mark. The temperature had increased again and was
around 34 degrees, but felt more like 40 degrees down on the roadside as we
continually looked for the shaded areas to run.

Rob and I had been counting down to the 20 mile mark as we would only have
that last 6 miles to go, 10K it’s just like Swansea, not that far is it
really!! It felt like the longest 6 miles of my life! We were running on
empty and Rob said we should just keep plodding to the end. The miles ticked by
ever more slowly but we eventually found ourselves with just 800 metres to go.
We turned the corner to be greeted by a slight incline which at that stage
seemed like Mount Everest separating us from the finish line.

Finally we crossed the finish line and waited for Scott at our pre-planned
meeting point. After 40 minutes of waiting the heat became unbearable so we
decided to head back to the Hotel. It’s not easy being a pedestrian in
Chicago, crossing the roads requires an act of outstanding bravery but we
finally made it back to the hotel. When Scott returned he had suffered
dehydration during the marathon and did really well to finish. We are now all
glad to be back home and have some well earned rest!

Times: Scott – 3hrs 55mins; Rob – 3hrs 15mins – PB half hour improvement;

Claire – 3hrs 15mins – PB first time marathon

Claire Conway

Moor Farm Ludlow Cross Country Results

Click on this picture to see full results, also write a caption for the picture

More pictures here

WYE VALLEY RUNNERS – AUTUMN NEWS

WYE VALLEY RUNNERS – AUTUMN NEWS
With the leaves on the trees turning Autumn is truly with us, but there are plenty of events to recommend to you during the coming months.

Cross country league
The winter season on kicks off on Sunday 24 October at Moor Park School (near Ludlow).

For a location map click here.

The race starts at 11.00 AM. For anyone needing a lift or willing to share transport please meet at the Rowing Club at 9.00 AM.

Paul Bouston will be allocating race numbers, and please make sure that you collect your number from Paul as soon as you arrive. Don’t disappear for a warm-up and then try to find your number a few minutes before the race starts. Remember that you use the same number for all of the winter league races, so don’t throw it away !

Club colours must be worn by anyone taking part and Paul and Les have a stock of vests and t-shirts for sale if you need something suitable.

AGM

Our annual meeting takes place at the Rowing Club on Friday 5 November, starting at 7.30 PM.

This is usually well supported and gives everyone the chance to discuss the club and any related matters during the open forum. There will be a free curry in the bar afterwards.

We will also be announcing the winners of the Might Oak and Most Improved Runners at the AGM. Voting forms will be available at the meeting for anyone who has not yet made their nominations.

Curry Run

On Friday 19 November there will be the usual run from the club at 6.15 PM and then, for those interested, there will be a meal at the the new Razbari restaurant in Whitecross Road , 8.15 PM. If you want to come along for the meal then please add your name to the list on the noticeboard.

Christmas party

For those of you attending the party on 18 December, please let Gail have your payment as soon as possible, to include payment for coach transport if needed.

Running in the dark

When running in the dark we need to make sure that we are visible to motorists and pedestrians so please make sure that you wear bright reflective clothing.

SWANSEA BAY 10K – SEPTEMBER 26th 2010

It was yet another sunny day in Swansea which made it a great day out for
spectators and runners alike. It was the 5th time we have run the coach trip to
Swansea and we were well rewarded with tremendous support all the way around
the course. The post race goody bag was full to the brim with shampoo, bread,
energy drink, assorted biscuits etc. It looked like we’d been shopping at the
local supermarket.
Angie and the staff at the Bar Gallois provided another enjoyable meal and the
service was excellent. Phil Smith entertained us on the way home with a quiz
with two papers running concurrently. The location round included a quick
viewing of the Ryder Cup venue Celtic Manor. There were also questions going
back 30 years in recognition of the 30th running of the race. It certainly
tested our multi task skills.
No trip to Swansea would now be complete without a spot of ‘coach pushing’ at
a Service Station. This year our young driver(77) couldn’t re-start the coach
but never fear our local mechanic Jason Smith was yet again on hand to take
charge of the situation and within 5 min’s we were on our way . I think Chippy
was a bit disappointed because he was already looking to book a table at the
nearest bar.
Thanks to you all for supporting this event,