Newsletter - The BeaRCat Running Club

Winter 2014 Edition
Newsletter
Founded by Caitlin Limmer 2012
HIGHS AND HIGHERS
I honestly thought there wouldn’t be much news for our
Christmas front page - boy was I wrong!
BeaRCat 10 Hour Challenge - 150 runners ran between
2 and 21 miles! A2 milk and The Waldegrave Clinic very
kindly sponsored this event. Roast dinner was had
(with tons of free A2 milk), club members of the year
was awarded to Melanie and Alun Thomas for their
continued unfailing support of the club and presented
by the parkrun legend Paul Sinton Hewitt CBE.
New runners - We are so happy to welcome new runners
every week, it is so important to us that you enjoy the
BeaRCat magic we make! One new runner has made a
massive impression on us. William Reed, he joined us
to keep his fitness strong for the Down Symdrome 7th
Swimming World Championships in Mexico this November.
William only went and won GOLD and a BRONZE too for
Great Britain - and boy are we proud to call him a BeaRCat.
Cabbage Patch 10 - We had at least 65 BeaRCats cross
the finish line in beautiful weather. So many PBs achieved
and first time ten milers done. The day was as ever
finished off in The Turks Head with a bit of a party.
Autumn halfs - Wow there were loads, see the
achievements section for more details but I would like
to congratulate you all once again, some first timers,
some doing 4 in a row and there was a marathon thrown
in too! Every weekend we look forward to seeing that
Facebook light up with photos, comments and messages
of support and congratulations. Keep it coming.
Parkrun - has also continued to be a fantastic institution
for many of our runners and saw its 10th anniversary
in October with Paul Sinton Hewitt receiving his OBE.
Thank you parkrun for encouraging great things.
Richmond Council Community award - Having worked in
the area training runners for 10 years and built up our
club and our race to be very community based, this award
I received in November is great recognition of all the
work WE have done together. It is an amazing recognition
for the support you share with each other and also for
the little drips of money that we give every now and
then that build up into great sums for local charities.
The BeaRCat Bake Off - Tables heaved with cakes from
beautiful ones made by some of our younger members,
to geese honking biscuits, to delicate Madelaines made
by our delicate Roger! The winning cake by Kwan and
Joey was an AMAZING running shoe.
MDS Awareness Day - was another little cake morning,
just to gently raise awareness for a relatively new disease
and something close to my heart. Ever thought about
donating bone marrow ....
And there’s more
Ice bucket challenge, first aid courses, free student
sports massage, kids groups, dinner at Hei Hing,
BeaRCats on tour photos, week on week kindness and
support shown to everyone from the moment you walk
through the door and on facebook. Then of course we
have our new landlord Ken and wife Sarah who are
working so hard for us - thank you both.
My desires for 2015 remain the same I want to KEEP
WHAT WE HAVE, not let it slack or dilute, we are about
warmth, kindness and community spirit ... oh and
GREAT RUNNING. Now lets party!
Caitlin Limmer
Founder of The BeaRCat Running Club
SPONSORED AND
SUPPORTED BY
Follow the BEARCATs...
2 WINTER 2014 EDITION
IN THIS EDITION
ACHIEVEMENTS
03The Meandering Mind of a Long
Distance Runner…
Written by John Reece
September
04Celebrating our 2nd Anniversary
05 The Running Legends Series #1
Steve Prefontaine (“Pre”)
Written by City Runner
07Q&As
082014 - A year of two halves?
Written by Sarah Mayo
09The BeaRCats at The Cabbage
Patch 10
11The BeaRCats at various events
throughout 2014
12Why I run?
Featuring Roger Smith, Emma Smith
and Jessica Busen-Smith
13Team ‘The BeaRCats Go Nuts’,
at the Nuts Challenge
14An introduction to Maris Practise
Written by Our Sponsor
Richmond Running Festival 10km
and Half - Well done to all the BeaRCat
runners, some who ran there events
for the first time
Swallofield 10km - Roger
Windsor Half - John R, Sarah F
and Sarah B
October
Royal Parks Half - Edina, Sarah B, Mel,
Alun, John R, Phil, Jackie, Alex, Harriet
and Gareth
Cabbage Patch 10 - many BeaRCats
competing in this event
Dublin Marathon - Sam
Autumn Challenge - John Reece running
the Richmond, Windsor, River Thames
and Royal Parks Halfs, finishing with
the Cabbage Patch.
Thames Meander half and Marathon Steve, Imogen, Roger, Emma, Andrew
and Rob
Poppy Half (Bexhill on Sea) - Rob
Tough Mudder - Lizzy
Norwich Half - Sarah M and Nicky
Parkrun - Alun completing his 100th
Parkrun at Crane Park
Articles:
Contributed by BeaRCat members
Kingston 10km - Laura
The BeaRCat Newsletter is available 3 times a year
in PDF format; Summer, Autumn and Winter.
Your comments and feedback for the Newsletter
are greatly appreciated and anything else associated
with The BeaRCat Running Club. If you would like
to contribute to future editions, please email your
articles, pics, news, your achievements or anything
else you would like to share with the BeaRCats
to Caitlin caitlinrun@gmail.com or
Gareth garethmcoombs@gmail.com
The BeaRCat Running Club founded 2012.
For more information visit
www.bearcatrunningclub.com
00
INFO
TURKS HEAD
For regular updates
please check your emails,
the BRC Facebook page
and Website.
EVERY
SATURDAY
09:00
PARKRUN
Bedfont Lakes • Bushy Park
Crane Park • Old Deer Park
Richmond Park
Great Eastern Half - Adrian
Editor in Chief:
Caitlin Limmer
Big apologies to members if you are missed from
the achievements section, we are an ever growing
community and it is so hard to remember when
you are all achieving brilliant things.
CLUB DAYS
2014
River Thames Half - Beth, Emma,
Roger, Lorraine, Sarah B, John R
and Gareth
November
Designer:
Gareth M. Coombs
08:25
SUNDAY
18:45
WEDNESDAY
Ealing Half - Geoff, Andrew and Leigh
Great South Run - Luke
Our next Newsletter with be available in
Summer 2015, if anyone would like to
contribute, please send your articles/pics
no later than mid-May.
EVENTS FOR 2015
Congratulations to Alun Thomas
on completing his 100th ParkRun
For more information visit
www.parkrun.org.uk
09:00
HURST PARK
HALF
MARATHON
15
22
Grim Challenge - Phil, Ian and Alex
The Montycute 10 - Angelika
Tough Mudder - Lydia, Steve and
Jonathan
08:30
SALOMON
CITYTRAIL
MARCH
2015
For more information visit
www.richmondhalf.com
08:30
RICHMOND HALF
MARATHON
03
For more information visit
www.ranelaghhalfmarathon.
webs.com
MAY
2015
21
10:30
TRENT PARK
TRIFFIC TRAIL
JUNE
2015
December
Bushy Park 10km - Alison and Gillian
MARCH
2015
For more information visit
www.hurstparkhalf.com
For more information visit
www.trentparkrc.org
13
10:40
GREAT NORTH
RUN
For more information visit
www.greatrun.org/Events/Event
SEPEMBER
2015
Hogs Back Road Race - A pack of
BeaRCats with a special mention to
the ladies coming 4th in their group
INFO
Portsmouth Marathon - Beth
You can sign up for the reminder
service and be the first to
know when entries open.
Key:
Dates
Event
Info
3 WINTER 2014 EDITION
THE MEANDERING MIND OF A LONG DISTANCE RUNNER…
Written by John Reece
For the likes of Mo Farah it is relatively
easy. When you’re able to complete a
half marathon in about 1 hour and a
marathon in just over 2 hours there
just isn’t the same amount of time over
which to keep the mind comfortably
ticking over. For those of us who
aren’t rubbing shoulders with the
immortals and are/would be thrilled
to come in at under two hours for a
half marathon, let alone break 4 hours
for a marathon, that extra time on the
road poses the additional problem of
how to keep the mind going!
Readers of my blog, Run Reece Run,
will be familiar with the encounters
I’ve had on a good few occasions with
the “brain gremlins” – those guys that
do their best to convince you to quit
during or even before a run. Two or
more hours is a long time to keep the
brain gremlins at bay and I’m always
happy to take on new ideas of how to
keep at least one step ahead of them!
I guess this problem is the reason
why a lot of runners listen to music as
they run and I was recently talking to
a BeaRCat who listens to audio books.
I might have to try the earphones
tactic one day but somehow it’s not
something I feel enthusiastic about.
While I’ve heard/read some arguments
against running with earphones on
the basis of safety, that isn’t an issue
for me, particularly as the majority of
my longer training runs are off-road.
However, even though I don’t actually
listen to music while running, I find it
absolutely essential on my longer solo
training runs to have music “playing”
in my mind. I have to admit to having
a fairly limited repertoire of options
that I resort to while running, the vast
majority coming from one album, Space
Ritual by Hawkwind. The opening
track “Born to Go” has sustained me in
many a run at my best half marathon
pace but I think would be disastrous
if I had it in mind during a marathon
(“way too fast, man”)! From the same
album “Lord of Light” complements
a slightly more laid back pace but as
something of a Stranglers nut, I have
something of a quirky commitment
to give them the honour of
“accompanying” on my marathon
training. I thought it was particularly
fitting that the track, “Freedom is
Insane” (from the Stranglers most
recent album) was in and out of my
mind for over four hours when I ran
my first marathon at Brighton in
2013. Of course at particularly bleak
moments it is necessary to call on
desperate measures and one such
measure for me is to bring to mind the
Motorhead track “Killed by Death”.
If nothing else, I am motivated by the
thought that if Lemmy Kilmister can
still be relentlessly rocking at nearly
70 years old (especially considering
his nutritional regime) then there
should be no reason why I shouldn’t
get to the race finish line!
thought. I can best recognise this
state when I come out of it and
suddenly realise that a number of
miles have been painlessly ticked off
without me really being aware that
I’d run them! Sadly, I think I’m too
much of a “fretter” to get much use
of the dreamtime tactic.
However the mind music tactic can’t
work in isolation as I strive for that
ideal state of mind where I’m literally
running in “dreamtime” (another
Stranglers album!). I consider dreamtime running to be the state where
all the aspects of mind and body that
contribute effort to a run are just
happily ticking over, looking after
themselves without any conscious
So, with my Paris Marathon campaign
about to be launched, I’d be pleased
to receive more suggestions on how
to keep the mind engaged and the
brain gremlins at bay during those
long training runs through the winter.
Happy festive running, everyone…!
So, if I’m going to fret I figure I might
as well put the fretting time of a long
run to productive use. In my training
for the 2013 Brighton Marathon I had
some particularly tricky issues going
on at work and I can recall rehearsing
some very complex negotiations as
I ran. This certainly fuelled me for a
few miles at a time.
Looking back, early 2013 was a great
time for me to be marathon training
as back then I had the option, as a
Spurs fan, to forensically reflect on
the goals Gareth Bale was scoring
that season and build the picture in
my mind of how Spurs were going to
finish the season above Arsenal for
the first time since 1995 (that, like
my sub 4 hour marathon, is a dream
still to be fulfilled!).
The absolute last resort, only to be
used in emergencies (or otherwise
you run the risk of being followed on
your run by guys in white coats) is
to shout at yourself! I can only recall
resorting to that tactic once. That was
an occasion when I was absolutely
determined not to let the pace I’d
sustained for 16½ miles of a training
run to slip in the last half mile. It was
just as well I had the park to myself
that morning!
4 WINTER 2014 EDITION
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C ELEB RATING
O UR 2ND
AN NIVER SARY
01 The Start of our 10 hour run
02 Esme and Honor
03 First group ready to go
04 A2, our sponsors for the day
05 Group shot
06 Group shot
07 Group shot
08 Group shot
09 Group shot
10 Half way point
11 BeaRCat cubs/kittens in A2 tops
12 Paul presenting Club members of
the year award to Mel and Alun
13 Food glorious food and MILK
14 Roast dinner for 100
15 Moni‘s great chocolate cake
5 WINTER 2014 EDITION
THE RUNNING LEGENDS SERIES #1
STEVE PREFONTAINE (“PRE”)
Written by City Runner
As a teenager in the 1980’s I can
remember watching, reading about
and debating the burgeoning rivalry
between Sebastian Coe and Steve
Ovett. At the time they were arguably
the greatest middle distance runners
on the planet and no doubt two of
the absolute greats of their sport.
Their competitiveness in the 800m
and 1500m distances over a career of
running started in schoolboys cross
country and resulted in gold medals
in the 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games.
In 1984, ironically, each man winning
the other runner’s favoured event).
For Coe, there was also an astounding
800m 1 minute 41.72 seconds world
record in 1981, making him the first
man to go under 1minute 42 seconds
and that record was not broken
until 1997.
I was always a Steve Ovett fan, he
seemed to me to have that little bit
more class and crucially, I believe, that
little bit more humility, good grace
and poise whether winning or losing.
Ovett’s running style was also a thing
of beauty, upright, perfectly balanced,
with effortless power when needed.
Coe was a driven man, furiously
competitive and could not hide his
anger in the immediate aftermath of a
rare loss. Probably not a bad trait in a
competitive athlete but by comparison
to the elegant and understated Ovett,
it seemed to reaffirm my belief that
Ovett was the better man!
a2MilkUK
@a2MilkUK
No doubt these opening passages could
prompt endless debate and discussion
amongst BeaRCats but that is for
another day. Only a decade previously,
but little known on these shores,
another super competitive individual
from Oregon in the United States of
America was doing and saying amazing
things and I did not know or hear
about him until I took up road running
with the BeaRCats. Although this
individual was super competitive,
he was also a complex person, totally
driven, providing excellent and enduring
quotes and generating a following
at his hometown college track meets
that was to ultimately fuel the 1970’s
running boom in the US. However,
most of all, and by contrast to the
more measured and tactical Coe and
Ovett, it was the way he competed
against himself to drag out the very
best he could be that marked him
as one of the all time greats.
When I started running in 2011 and
later began writing articles for the
BeaRCat quarterly, I was looking for
running quotes and I stumbled across
the story of a man called Steve “Pre”
Prefontaine. His life and incredible
running story seems to jump straight
from the pages of a book and the way
he approached running (from the front,
full-on, madness pace) was inspiring
to his legions of fans and to the US
running public of the early 1970’s.
His quotes remain legendary
and inspiring.
Steve Prefontaine’s life was all too
short, but his legacy to running and to
runners is immense. Born in Coos Bay,
Oregon, to a father of French-Canadian
descent and a mother of German
ancestry, Pre showed little early
interest in running. He preferred team
sports but coaches told him he lacked
the necessary size to excel in these
sports. Another physical attribute
didn’t help; one of his legs was shorter
than the other (something that City
Runner also has to cope with, making
the “Pre” story even more interesting).
At Marshfield High School in 1965,
he finished 53rd in the state meet in
his first year. He upped his training
regime participating in spring track
meets in order to work on his running
technique and in the summer he
worked on high mileage runs.
Pre wanted to win all the time; it was
a state of mind that drove him on.
In his junior year he won every single
meet he competed in and took first
in the state track meet. He would
win it again in his senior year, and
would break the national high school
record for the two-mile at 8 minutes
41.5 seconds.
To give anything less
than your best is to sacrifice
the gift.
PTO...
6 WINTER 2014 EDITION
Some people create with words
or with music or with a brush and
paints. I like to make something
beautiful when I run. I like to make
people stop and say, ‘I’ve never
seen anyone run like that before.’
It’s more than just a race,
it’s a style.
Steve Prefontaine at his Oregon Hayward Field track, the scene of many US middle distance records
and resenting the USA, with one of his famous run quotes included.
At the University of Oregon, the
legendary Bill Bowerman had already
coached the College Track team to three
NCAA track and field championships
before Pre arrived. Bowerman and his
assistant Bill Dellinger faced a challenge
in containing the brash 19-year-old
who arrived in 1969. He was prone to
pushing himself too hard in training,
and in the early days was not good
at pacing himself or saving his best
for last. He liked to run as hard as he
possibly could, all the time.
That style and approach endeared
him to the public and soon fans were
packing Oregon’s Hayward Field to
watch him. Throughout his collegiate
career, Pre was virtually unbeatable,
never losing a race that was more
than one mile long and winning 3
NCAA Cross Country Championships
and 4 straight NCAA Track & Field
Championships. The only year he didn’t
take the cross country title was in
1972, when he sat out to compete
in the Munich Olympic Games.
The Olympics would provide Pre with
his only big career disappointment.
Leading the 5,000 metres after
the first mile, he was overtaken by
Finland’s Lasse Viren and in an effort
to catch Viren, Pre ended up tiring
himself out and dropping to fourth
place. He may have been able to take
second, but that wasn’t his style. It
was gold or it was nothing.
By the time he was 24 years old,
incredibly he held the American record
in all eight events between 2,000 and
10,000 metres. It is also worth noting
that his PB for the mile at 3minutes
54.6 seconds was only three seconds
behind the world record at that time!
He was now the biggest track and
field star in the country. In the 1970s,
the rules for retaining the amateur
status needed to compete in the
Olympics stipulated that Pre could
make no more than US$ 3 a day from
running. He worked part-time in a bar
and lived in a trailer while he trained
for the 1976 Montreal Olympics where
he was expected to do great things
and banish the disappointment of
the 1972 Munich games. Sadly, he
would never get his gold. On 30
May 1975 at the age of 24, Pre was
returning from a party for US and
Finnish athletes near the University
of Oregon campus when he collided
with another car. His MGB convertible
flipped, pinning him underneath and
he later died from his injuries. Only
four hours earlier he had, fittingly,
won the 5,000m international event.
PTO...
Steve Prefontaine pictured on International duty. Also, “Pre” pictured running in the 1972 Munich Olympic
Games in the 5,000m final. He got his tactics wrong and was ultimately beaten by another legend,
Lasse Viren of Finland.
7 WINTER 2014 EDITION
Today, fans still visit the site of the
crash, leaving running shoes, race
medals and other memorabilia at what
is now the Prefontaine Memorial Park.
Two feature films were made about
his short life, and each year in his
hometown of Coos Bay, a memorial
10,000 metres race is held in his honour
(BeaRCats note it is on the list!).
On the 30th anniversary of his death,
Nike aired TV commercials to honour
the runner who had helped catapult
distance running into the US national
consciousness and was the first to
wear their merchandise competitively.
He still holds a special place in the
hearts of fellow runners and is
revered by the running community
to this day.
Alberto Salazar, former American
record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000
metres, three-time winner of the New
York City Marathon and current coach
to Mo Farah, said of Prefontaine...
Steve “Pre” Prefontaine left this
world all too soon but left behind a
running legacy. He was a maverick,
he was brash and above all he had an
abundance of talent combined with
insatiable drive. He devoted himself
to being the best he could be.
This theme of doing your absolute
utmost comes through repeatedly in
his myriad running quotes. It seems
fitting, therefore, to end this City
Runner piece about one of my favourite
runners with a quote from the man
himself. This quote says everything
about his approach to running,
competing and ultimately how much
it meant to him.
Nobody is going to win a 5,000
metres race after running an easy
two miles. Not with me. If I lose
forcing the pace all the way, well,
at least I can live with myself.
Pre inspired a whole generation
of American distance runners to
excel. He made running cool! He
created the whole idea of training
really hard and going for it.
Q Have you got new club tops?
A After many requests I have
now got long sleeve tops
available in both black and
white. I am also experimenting
with jackets! As ever you are
not expected to have club
tops, it does not matter in the
slightest. They are just there
if you want them.
Q Can I be a volunteer leader?
A Yes you can! As we are still
growing beautifully I would
love to have a list of volunteers
to help fill the gaps when my
leaders are off doing events/
having a weekend off. You just
need to carry a phone and first
aid (which I can provide) we
will then make the group aware
that you are a leader and as
an individual are not insured.
Leading is a hugely rewarding
job, you do not have to be the
best runner in the club - you
just need to have the desire
to help others who might be
having a tough run!
Q What can I expect from
The BeaRCat Running Club
in 2015?
La P e}i}e Be<<e
GRAPHIC DESIGN &
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A It is ESSENTIAL to me we keep
our warmth, our encouragement
and support as we grow I have
a great fear that this will dilute,
if I only work to keep this in
2015 that will be enough!
8 WINTER 2014 EDITION
2014 – A YEAR OF TWO HALVES?
Written by Sarah Mayo
Well actually three half… marathons, a
30km trail run, a 10-miler and a 10k.
I can’t quite believe it but tomorrow is
December. 2015 is suddenly around
the corner. Festive lights and decorations adorn the streets. We wore
Christmas jumpers to work last week.
And all the talk is of Christmas parties
and holidays. So as is tradition at this
time of year, it is only right to review
the year, and what I’ve learned ahead
of another year, and another year of
challenges…
In January I set myself a number
of running goals and last weekend,
I ticked off two of them. I achieved
a PB in the Norwich Half Marathon
(taking a whole 2 seconds off my
previous PB set at Richmond in March!)
and at the same time I completed my
sixth and final running challenge of
the year.
The conditions last weekend were
pretty nasty. Even Steve Gill (who we
met taking part in his 31st of 52 half
marathons in as many weeks, on
behalf of the RNLI) said it was the
wettest he had run all year! And my
pre-race preparations hadn’t gone
to plan…
I had a cough and a cold in the few
days running up to the event, so was
feeling decidedly nervous. Especially
having followed a 12 week training
programme in an attempt to try to slip
under the 1:50 mark. But, as I was
to learn, training programmes don’t
always go to plan.
So while I was pounding through
the puddles in Norfolk last Sunday,
I began to think about my greatest
take-outs and learnings from my
running this year. And, I think I can
summarise them as follows:
1 Set a plan, and then plan for the
plan not to go to plan… Caitlin
(founder of the BeaRCats) said this
in a marathon motivational talk a
couple of Sundays ago. Whatever
plan you set, you can be sure
something will crop up to disrupt
it, whether it’s a holiday, a cough,
or an injury.
2 Listen to your body. If you are ill
or injured, take it easy. It can be the
most frustrating thing to sit still
and not to don those running shoes,
but in the long run, it will pay off.
3 Run your own race. When training
or discussing target race times, try
not to compare yourself to others.
Running is so relative, and we all
have our different strengths and
weaknesses.
4 Know your strengths and
weaknesses. And plan your training
accordingly. I know my weakness
is speed, so I need to mix up my
training a bit more – by doing
more hills, speed training, and
strength training.
5 And most of all, have fun and
don’t put too much pressure
on yourself!
While I reflect on a year of great
running, I think of all the new memories
(and medals!) I have. Running is about
staying fit (and sane), but it’s also
about community, and my running
year would not have been the same
had it not been for my running
buddies – Nicky and Sion, and the
BeaRCat Running Club.
It has been such a source of support
knowing that I’m surrounded by a
group of like-minded people who are
all as passionate about running as
me… and as I enter 2015, and embark
on the next challenge, in the form
of the Paris Marathon, I do so in the
knowledge that I have a great support
network of running friends. And this
makes me very excited about next
year and the adventures to come.
Happy Running, Happy Christmas
and all the best for 2015!
9 WINTER 2014 EDITION
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01 A group of BeaRCats
02 Moni, Elaine and Caitlin
03 A group of BeaRCats
04 Steve, Rob, Roger and Romit
05 Kelly, Ali, Kerry, Emma, Edina
and Lorraine
06 Sarah B, Susan, John and Beth
07 Mark, Jenneke, Phil and
Katherine
08 John, Phil, Jess, Roger,Beth,
Sarah B and Sally
10 W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 E D I T I O N
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09 Kerry
10 Geoff
11 Lee
12 John
13 BeaRCat group at the finish
14 BeaRCat group at the finish
15 Dinner after the Event
16 Gareth and Alun
17 Jess and Steve
18 Katie and her kids
19 John and Susan
20 John and Leslie
21 Claire and Alice
22 Natalie and Lee
23 Caitlin and Ben
11 W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 E D I T I O N
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AT VARIOU S
EVENTS
201 4
01 Bushy Park 10km
02 Great North Run
03 Richmond Half
04 River Thames Half
05 River Thames Half
06 Royal Parks Half
07 Royal Parks Half
08 Thames Meander
09 Wedding Day 7km
10 MEC Race series
11 Aluns 100th Parkrun
12 Group Run
13 Santa Run
14 Santa Run
15 Will celebrating his
medal success
12 W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 E D I T I O N
WHY I RUN?
Like many, my journey
to running was the
well trodden path of
lose weight/get fit
and despite the usual
“encouraging” statements
of the nay-sayers (your knees will
turn to dust and don’t you know that
the person who started jogging died
whilst running) I embarked on my
running journey using the fantastic
resource that is the NHS Couch
to 5k programme.
For me it’s not a question of why do
I run, but more of why do I continue
to run:
Running has brought me a level of
fitness that I have not had before.
The feeling of wellbeing that this
fitness brings drives me to maintain
it through regular training.
As a competitive person it helps me
feed that part of my psyche. I do like
to race and chipping away at PB’s
is great.
Friendships, are a really great byproduct of running, for what is
essentially an individual undertaking,
running at the BeaRCat’s has brought
great new friends and the camaraderie
that goes with running is a really
powerful reason to keep doing it.
Last and no means least and on a purely
personal level it has allowed Emma
and I to enjoy a great joint interest
which we can both participate in.
All through my journey as a runner
she has supported me and now
we support each other.
Written by Roger Smith
Throughout school
I was a very reluctant
runner, I just couldn’t
do it!
When I relocated to
live with Roger we joined a local
gym and with the encouragement
of the PT I signed up to, I discovered
that by run/walking it was something
I could do! It finally clicked that it
didn’t matter if I wasn’t breaking
records – but that it was something
I could actually enjoy and get real
measurable results from.
The real turning point for me has
been Roger. He was an occasional
supporter, riding alongside me on his
bike or watching events, but in the
last two years he has also become
a runner. For us to be able to do
this together is very special to me.
We now spend our holidays exploring
& have lots of memories over the
last two years of running events
(even if he is ahead of me now!).
The final piece in the jigsaw for me
has been discovering the BeaRCats.
I have made more friends here in
the last 12 months than I have in the
11 years I’ve lived in London, and
everyone - without fail - is welcoming,
supportive and inspiring. I love feeling
part of something great and as a
bonus I get to run and keep myself
fit and active into the bargain!
Written by Emma Smith
As a child I was always
racing around and
loved playing sports.
Initially I took up
running when I left
school to keep fit, but I soon
found that running also clears
my head and helps shake off the
stresses of the day and I got hooked.
I run because I love to be outdoors
in all the seasons and seeing new
places along the way. Sometimes
I run just for fun and at other times
I have enjoyed the challenge of
training quite hard for races including
taking part in half marathons, the
London marathon and an olympic
distance triathlon. Running can leave
me feeling alive again when I’m worn
out after a long week and in tough
times everything seems much better
after a run.
When I joined the BeaRCats I was
new to the area and running mostly
on my own. I have never run with a
club before but BeaRCats has now
become part of my week. I’ve met
loads of lovely people and really
enjoy running with a group – I’ve
learnt a lot from everyone and
relish some friendly competition
and pushing myself. So, these are
some new reasons why I run.
Written by Jessica Busen-Smith
13 W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 E D I T I O N
01
‘ T HE BEAR CATS GO NUTS’
AT T HE NUTS CHALLENGE
IN AUG UST
02
03
04
05
06
07
09
10
01 Getting ready ...
02 And Preparing for the
challenge ahead
03 An idea of what some of
the obstacles look like
04 More obstacles
05 Adrian, the first to take
the plunge
06 Ready to take on the tyres
07 Okay, so we’re muddy
08 Photo opportunity in the lake
09 As a group running towards
the finish
10 After 7km and 100 obstacles,
we made it.
08
14 W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 E D I T I O N
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE MARIS PRACTICE
Written by Our Sponsor
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Managed by Claire Mac Donald, a highly
qualified and experienced
Osteopath
St.
Pe
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who specialises in treating
Rd
women, young babies and children.
Claire’s ease in engaging young children
is critical in diagnosing and treating
the cause of their issues. It was her
background in Sports Therapy that
drove her interest in Osteopathy and
this continues to form an integral part
of her treatment and rehabilitation
programmes. This background means
that when assessing individuals, she
looks at their lifestyle, posture and
fitness to help establish the causes of
their pain or injury and determine ways
to alleviate and manage it thereby
improving performance and well being.
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St. Margaret’s Rd
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Netherto
The Maris Practice receives referrals
from GPs, health visitors, midwives,
sports coaches and patients who
self-refer and those on healthcare
schemes with companies such as
BUPA, AXA PPP, Cigna etc. If you
are interested to find out more,
visit their website or call them
on 020 8891 3400.
Therapies offered incorporate
Osteopathy (including cranial and
paediatric), Homeopathy, Acupuncture,
Psychotherapy, Breastfeeding Support,
Aromatherapy, Nutritional Therapy
and more. They also run specialist
clinics such as a Sports Injuries Clinic
and Mum and Baby Clinics including
Lactation and Tongue Tie specialists.
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The Maris Practice utilises
complementary therapies to treat a
variety of conditions and symptoms.
Founded in 2001, with a philosophy
to provide the best natural healthcare
options for the community, the Practice
is in a peaceful location just off
Amyand Park Road which is between
St Margaret’s and Twickenham train
stations and about 5 - 10 minutes’
walk from either. Their medical treatments are termed holistic (the whole),
meaning that they treat the individual
to address the symptoms, working with
each patient to relieve their specific M ar
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problems ashwell
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overall wellbeing. This establishes a
positive cycle of health wherein the
person’s constitution
is strengthened
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so reducing the
of problems. Their practitioners are
all fully qualified and each initial
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consultation
with a thorough
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case history so that they can acquire
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A316
HOW TO GET TO THE BEARCAT
RUNNING CLUB
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28 Winchester
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Tel: 020 8892R1972
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Email: turkshead@fullers.co.uk
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Tel: 020 8607 9190
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Email: caitlinrun@gmail.com
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Contact details:
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By Train
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Turn left
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and take the second left into Bridge Road. At the end the
road turn right - you’ll see The Turks Head on the corner.
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By Bus
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The H37 bus from Richmond/Hounslow also stops
outside St. Margarets Station.
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www.turksheadtwickenham.co.uk
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Parking on Sunday mornings is free, you can park
on yellow lines or in residential bays.
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We are just off the A316 Chertsey Road, turning into
St. Margaret’s Road and then Broadway Avenue (one way),
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