Bramley Newspaper Articles

Too Injured to Talk About Running 

Since my last article was published, my time spent with the club has been very limited due to an injury. I will not bore you with the finer details of this. 

It has been so frustrating not being able to train with the club and take part in events that I had scheduled in, but it has probably been even more infuriating for my wife who has had to endure my moaning and daily updates of ‘it hurts more today’, ‘I think it is getting better’ etc. etc. etc! Any long suffering partner of a runner will probably know what I am talking about and sympathise with my wife deeply.

I have certainly missed running and competing in races, but equally, and if not more, I have missed the social aspect the club brings. Not being able to train and chat with friends over the last 4 weeks has highlighted to me even more, how important and special SRC is and that I have met some great people over the last 3 years.

I cannot recommend enough about what our club offers, whether it is getting or staying fit, taking part in races and events or just meeting genuinely nice people along the way. 

If you are interested in joining us then we meet every Tuesday and Thursday at the Southwell Leisure Centre car park at 6.45pm or please see our brand new website www.southwellrunningclub.org for more information.

The Obsessive Moaner

No I in SRC

Well you are probably looking at the title of this article and thinking that there is actually an I in SRC and you are right, you will find one in the word running. Whilst there is a lot of focus on personal gains and achievements at SRC, there is also a massive emphasis on entering events and working together as a team.

One of the events that the club took part in was the British Fell Relays. This event was held in Grasmere in the Lake District this year and it sees some of the best fell runners in the country take part on some of the toughest running terrain in the country. There are six people in each team, running four different legs. Two legs are run individually and the other two legs are ran as pairs. The customary Cumbrian weather and spectacular location did not disappoint and neither did the team who finished a respectable 138^th out of a field of 245 teams.

I cannot recommend taking part and being part of a team in such a great event enough, especially when there are several drinks consumed after to celebrate. Putting teams in races such as this could not happen without the backing of people who travel hundreds of miles to support and it certainly could not happen without the support of the whole club. This encouragement and inspiration happens week in week out, at training, through friends made at the club and even in the pub. 

 The Obsessive Runner

Even after several years of being a long suffering Nottingham Forest fan, I can still say I am really proud to support Forest and I have a great sense of feeling whenever I watch or do anything to do with Forest. However, I never thought I’d have the same feeling about representing Southwell Running Club when I first joined almost three years ago.

I’d never run for a running club before joining SRC and probably believed that it’d just be about personal gain as opposed to being part of a team, achieving goals and events as a group. How wrong could I be! This became really apparent to me when SRC recently hosted the Bramley Challenge. This is a five mile race that is competed by teams from four running clubs: SRC, Holme Pierrepont, Newark Striders and Notfast. Anyone who is a member of these clubs can enter and everyone’s finishing position contributes to the final team results.

Unfortunately we didn’t win on the night as we were pipped to the post by Holme Pierrepont, but we put on a great event which was enjoyed by all, and have high hopes that we’ll win the trophy back next year.

I am not originally from Southwell, but I feel so proud every time I put on my SRC vest. So whether you’re from Southwell or not, but want to be a part of our amazing club, then please join us. We look forward to meeting you.

The Obsessive Runner

It seems like a while since I last wrote an article having had a summer break, but there certainly hasn’t been much of a break or let up with my training or racing, or, by that of other members of the club for that matter; however, I did only do one run whilst on my holiday, which was greatly appreciated by my wife. The same cannot be said for Jon Newsum-Smith or Richard Andrews who completed great achievements by finishing a 32 and 64 mile ultra race respectively, on the Cornish coastal path, whilst they were on their holidays. Eddie Alder, a newer member of SRC, definitely wasn’t taking it easy during August. He completed various fell races totaling a staggering 2,633m of ascent, or if you prefer, 8,638 feet, an incredible achievement. 

I guess the summer must be over now as the Summer league series came to a close; a series in which our very own Paul Grogan won a bronze medal in his age group after completing all 5 races over the summer.

Well it definitely isn’t all doom and gloom, even though it is only going to get colder and darker. The cross country season is upon us, along with various other events, as well as the opportunity to run with friends on dark nights to look forward to. So if you fancy joining us for any of the above, then please find out more information from this web site or email southwellRC@hotmail.com, you won’t be disappointed.

The Obsessive Runner

Before I joined the club I assumed that anyone who ran for SRC, or any other club for that matter, would just take part in races such as 5ks, 10ks, half marathons and full marathons. Never did it occur to me that people did such a variety of events and that a running club would offer so much more and help you train for occasions that are not just running races.

This has been so evident from what people have done and achieved over the past month and I think a few of these examples highlight what people accomplish at our club.

Paul Orton and Ian Haigh took part in the last ever LAMM. This connoisseur’s mountain marathon has taken place since 1994 and is held in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. You need excellent orienteering skills and great teamwork to navigate your way to checkpoints over two tough days on the Scottish hills.

Sam Ward completed the Staffordshire Half Ironman. Half sounds easy you think well think again! This involved a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and 13.1 mile run. Sam completed all of this in just 6 hours and 6 minutes!

There was also the third leg of the Summer League where 18 SRC members tackled a fast

five mile course at Holme Pierrepont.

These achievements are only a fraction of what has happened over the past month, but please come and join us to find out more about what we offer.

The Obsessive Runner