Beginners Course 2011
Well done to everyone
that took part in the race this evening.
Full race results are HERE
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Genevieve Thompson - Beginners
Captain |
Amanda Speight
– Vice Beginners Captain |
The 2011 Beginners Course is now drawing to an end with just one
more week to go until the final session on Monday 6th June. This will be the Race Night and Social where
you will all take place in a fun team race.
The race will be for
fun with each team being formed from runners from across the different running
groups. The route will be mainly along the canal with different distances
depending on ability. This is a great finale to the course and will be followed with an
awards ceremony and social in the bar upstairs at the Heath club house. The bar will be open and there will be some
nibbles and some final words.
Many
of you many now be wondering what to do when the course finishes and we hope
you will be considering joining the Stainland Lions Running Club. There
is no obligation to do so and you are always welcome to come back to us
for the beginners course in future years. For
those that are interested in joining the club, membership costs £25 (£20 for
the over-60s), however your beginners course fee of
£10 would be deducted if you choose to join the club this year. We always
pride ourselves on being a friendly and welcoming club and hope that you have
seen some of this when you have been out on Monday nights or attended some of
the optional extras such as the away run, the track night or social
activities. We welcome new members of all ages and fitness levels from
the beginners course as a way of stimulating the club and meeting new people
interested in running and many of us have come through this route ourselves in
recent years.
If
you would like to join, the easiest way to do this is by printing off the
application form and blank Proof of ID form from the club website Click Here.
Bring the forms with you together with the required ID and the balance for the
membership fee to the final night of the beginners on 6th June and we can get
you joined up. If you are not able to do this on the night then you can
do so at any of the club runs - you will need to ask around for someone on the
Committee but someone should be able to point you in the right direction.
I will be available for the first few Monday evening club runs after the end of
the course so you can come and find me. If you struggle with any of this,
then please come back to me. You can find full details of the club's
running nights on the Training page of the club website www.stainlandlions.com.
The Beginners Course Guide is always here to help you – this
contains lots of useful information on shoes, suitable attire, sports bras and
lots of other useful information. Click here to download a
copy.
If
you have any questions, now or in the future, please do not hesitate to get in
touch.
Happy
Running!
Genevieve
Tel: 07929 724349 or email
Quotes from
previous beginners and now current and active club members:
Bernadette
Rowland: Welcome
to the new beginners. It is just 4 years since I first started running at the
grand old age of 69 and I still run twice a week. When I started running I was
unsure as to whether I could run, however, under Diane Rafferty’s expert
training and guidance I realised that as long as I put the effort in I could
actually run a reasonable distance and at my own pace. I now run approx 2 x 10k
runs each week. There is no pressure to ‘perform’. You run at your own pace and
if you need to walk occasionally you can do that also. I still walk if I need
to, especially if I’m going up a steep hill. It is the club policy that when
you run with the club all members look after each other and no one is every
left on their own. We also have lots of social events and it is a lovely way of
making new friends. I have made many new friends since joining, all much
younger than myself, and this is lovely as it gives me a different perspective
on life and I do social things that I have not done for many years, ie a pub crawl! Please come along and meet Diane and other
members, you may be surprised at how well you can run and how your level of
fitness increases when you run on a regular basis. I think it is important to
give it a fair trial by doing the full course as it may take a little while to
get into the rhythm . I look forward to meeting you
all.
Brian Conroy: I
was persuaded to join the beginners course 4 years ago
by Terri my daughter in-law who had just signed up. I was apprehensive on my first run as at 55
years old I thought it might have been out of my league. I was made to feel very welcome and even on
my first run the club president Colin Hughes ran with me and offered
encouragement and support. From that day
on I was hooked on running and have never looked back. In my first year I
managed to run the Great North Run and the Liverpool half marathon. Since then I have done lots of 10k runs half
marathons and last year the Edinburgh full marathon. The sense of achievement
is wonderful and I will never forget the feeling I had when crossed the line on
my first big race. But it is not just
the running that makes this sport attractive it's the friends you make. I have
met some smashing people while running from Heath on Mondays and Thursday and
had some good social times as well. The
real bonus is running keeps you fit in body and mind keeps your weight down and
your self esteem high. We have a level at Stainland lions for all who
would like to try running so please do not feel you will not be able to
cope. Come down and give it a try I am
sure you will not be disappointed.
Debbie Whiteley: I
joined the beginners club last year and I can't believe how soon I felt like
part of a family. On the first night I drove down the drive to Heath I was so
nervous but as soon as I got out of the car someone came and talked to me and
showed me what do. Running with the Stainland Lions has given me the greatest
sense of achievement, I can remember the first couple of weeks I couldn't run
to Salterhebble roundabout without having 5 stops and
then one week I did it one the smile on my face, the
same with running the incline from Elland Bridge to
West Vale (past the factory's) I managed it with no stops one week and I was
grinning from ear to ear and probably told anyone which would listen. It is
these small achievements which brightened my normally very dull day! Plus I got
fit in the process.
Genevieve Thompson: I signed
up for the beginners course in 2007 because I found
that when I tried to run by myself I always lacked the motivation to go very
far or very regularly. The beginners course
meant that I consistently improved over the 8 weeks and got home every Monday
night on a high because I had pushed myself further than the previous
week. I have since joined the Stainland Lions and am now training for the
Edinburgh Marathon. I would never have considered this a few years ago
but with the support and encouragement of the people I run with in the club I
feel that anything is possible. Such a friendly bunch of people have
ensured that I have returned to running after having a baby last year - I
couldn't wait to be out running again with the club - and because the club
caters to all standards of running I have been able to start back with the
steady group and work myself up to faster groups without holding anyone else
back or being left behind.
2011 Beginners Poster - Click Here
Photographs from the 2010 course are available
at: Beginners Photos 2010
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