HH Dec 2013 1

THE HARRIERS HERALD No. 250, December 2013

Editor: Sue Francis

Contents, features, reports, results

• Thursday night schedules for December and January

• Compton Harriers Committee 2014

• London Marathon Club entry – the lucky recipient is…..

• Christmas Meal – update

• Berkshire x-country

• Race results: Cardiff Half – Pete H races in the Welsh capital; BBO Cross-Country – Rich represents the

Harriers; Gosport Half – A season’s best for Lucy; Avebury 8 – A close race between Jonathan and Nicola;

Eynsham 10K – Fantastic PBs for 3 Harriers; Oxford Mail x-country – Eleven Harriers tackle a tough course

at Culham Park

• Glasgow Commonwealth Games – Richard D attends selection interview for Games volunteers

• Handicap Race – A first-time win for Piers, as three Harriers battle for Championship title

• The Challenge - A short story by Gillian

• Webmaster’s article – Mo features Gillian’s choice of running music; boosting your immune system to avoid

respiratory infections; Harriers race photos on the Club’s Facebook page; and forthcoming races of interest

• Thanks to Gillian, Richard, Mo and Tom for this month’s articles and photos

• Copy date for next Harriers Herald – 31st December

Thursday night schedule for December Thurs 5

th Handicap Race, followed by Club’s AGM

Thurs 12th Nicola to lead

Thurs 19th Lucy to lead

Thurs 26th Boxing Day - No run scheduled

Thursday night schedule for January Thurs 2

nd Mo to lead

Thurs 9th Handicap Race

Thurs 16th Sus to lead

Thurs 23rd

Gillian to lead

Thurs 30th Tom to lead

Correspondence received: None during November 2013

Compton Harriers Committee 2014 – Following the Club’s AGM, the Committee for 2014 will be:

Martin Fray (Chairman), Sue Francis (Secretary), Pete Humphreys (Treasurer, Club Account), Mo Francis

(Treasurer, Race Account, and Webmaster) and Jonathan Phillips (Membership Secretary). Thanks to Jonathan

who agreed to take on this role as Gillian wished to stand down. The minutes of the AGM will be circulated in

the near future.

London Marathon Club entry 2014 – Only one member was eligible to receive our London Marathon

Club Entry, and that was Terry. Terry is currently building up his running again following a foot injury over the

summer months.

Christmas Meal - Pete O has organised the Christmas Meal at The Fox at Peasemore

(www.foxatpeasemore.co.uk ) for the evening of Saturday 21st December. 27 Harriers and partners will be

attending. If you have yet to give Pete your menu choices and payment, please do so ASAP.

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Berkshire cross-country Champs

These annual x-country champs take place on Saturday 4th

January at Buttersteep Rise in Swinley Forest (same venue as the

recent BBO XC, and presumably the same flat multi-lap course).

The men’s race (10K) starts at 11:00 and the ladies (6K) at

11:45.

If you’d like to take part, let me (Sue) know by Friday 20th

December, and I will send all entries together.

Harriers vest visits Australia

Compton Harriers famous green and white vests have visited

Egypt (with Simon), California (with Richard D) and now

Australia with Aaron (pictured left) and Tom. Although Aaron

didn’t actually go for a run in Australia, he and Tom spent a

week trekking in the jungle.

If you are travelling somewhere interesting this year, take your

CH vest and send me a photo for the Harriers Herald!

Photo courtesy of Tom

Race results

Cardiff Half, 6th

October - Pete H finished 2642nd

in 1:45:23.

BBO x-country, 16th

November Sue

The annual Berks, Bucks & Oxon cross-country race was this year organised by Bracknell Athletic Club on a

heathland course of the edge of Swinley Forest. The terrain was pretty flat, and a mixture of firm stony sandy

tracks, and grass tracks with some wet and boggy patches. The senior races consisted of multiple laps of a 2K

route, which seemed to be unpopular with many. In fact some men lost count of how many laps they’d done in

their 5-lap race. Rich was the only person to be racing in a Harriers vest….and he only made it there because

Charlotte was on the ball and reminded him on race-day morning!

Rich ran consistently on the 5 laps and, as always, seemed to be enjoying himself. Being used to Ironman and

Marathon events, he found the distance a bit short and felt he was only just getting going by 8K. On the approach

to the finish, an Oxford City runner put in an effort to catch Rich, but Rich responded with a final burst, to

maintain his position and leave the Oxford City runner doubled-up and swearing! The race was won by Scott

Halstead (Bracknell) in 35:16. Rich was 65th in 47:41.

I competed for Reading AC (my first-claim club) in the 3-lap, 6K ladies race. I enjoyed the course and had a

good run to finish 12th (3

rd FV40) from 48 finishers, in 27:07. Race winner was Reading AC’s young star Jess

Gibbon (22:55).

Gosport Half, 17th

November Conditions were good for this south coast half, and Lucy was pleased to break 1:40 for the first time this year

(1:39:06). Her position was 568th out of 1566.

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Avebury 8, 17th

November Jonathan and Nicola were late entrants to the Avebury 8, having taken over the race numbers of Rich and

Charlotte who found themselves double-booked. Jonathan reports that it was a damp and foggy day, but he

enjoyed the race. They didn’t realise until the finish that it had been a close race between them, Jonathan having

started fast then slowed towards the end (35th, 1:03:57) and Nicola having run a more consistent pace (41

st,

1:04:19). There were 118 finishers.

Photos of Jonathan and Nicola from Marlborough Running Club website

Eynsham 10K, 24th

November Sue

Six Harriers raced this year’s Eynsham 10K, the largest club contingent for some years at this well-organised

local road race. Conditions were good with a light breeze, and we were grateful for the support on each lap from

photographer Mo and injured Martin.

Three of the Harriers came away with fantastic PBs. Ryan broke 37 minutes for the first time (31st, 36:55).

Susanne knocked an amazing 1:17 off her previous PB to record an excellent 38:42, which made her 6th lady, 2

nd

FV45, and 57th overall in the race. Despite a string of injury niggles this year, Philomena also knocked a

significant amount of time off her previous PB clocking 45:30 (221st). The other three of us were satisfied with

our performances. I finished in 41:51 (132nd

), Lucy in 44:40 (198th) and Richard D in 45:09 (214

th). The race

winners were James Bolton and Rachel Masser (both of Woodstock Harriers) in 32:42 and 37:07 respectively, and

there were 588 finishers.

After the race, there was a nice surprise for Lucy as she was given a medal for finishing 1st Oxfordshire FV50 in

October’s Abingdon Marathon. The Harriers celebrated a successful and enjoyable day with a pub lunch in The

Queens Head.

See page 5 for Mo’s photos of the three record-breakers (Philomena, Susanne and Ryan).

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Oxford Mail x-country, Round 2 – Culham, 1st December

Sue

Race 2 of the Oxford Mail XC series was held on farmland adjacent to Culham Park. This year, the courses were

altered to include both the upper field and the lower flood meadow next to the Thames (which was fortunately

pretty dry this year), with start and finish on the upper field. From the upper field, the lower field was reached by

running down a steepish sandy bank. This meant we had to go back up a rutted grassy bank again at the end of

each lap. But the course organisers had cruelly introduced an up-down-up zigzag, meaning two plods up the bank

on each lap! The ladies had to do this twice in their 6.5K race, and the men three times in their 9K race. It was

what I call a ‘proper’ x-country course and was certainly challenging.

The ladies race had 162 finishers. Race winner was once again Newbury’s Susie Bush (23:50), a minute clear of

2nd

placed runner (Jess Franklin, also Newbury) who was in turn a minute clear of the 3rd

finisher. I enjoyed the

race and had been running amongst a group of 10 ladies and holding my position in the middle of the group well.

However, I didn’t have the strength on the final hill zigzag, was passed by 5 runners, and rather frustratingly

finished at the back of that group (19th, 27:33). Ten seconds faster would have put me six places further up the

field – something to work on!! Lucy was 3rd

TK finisher (44th, 30:19). Charlotte finished in 37:40, in 130

th – a

significant improvement on her placing in the last race. New member Jacqueline did well to finish her first

Oxford Mail XC in 38:12 (134th) despite still recovering from a nasty chest cold. The team’s performance gave us

2nd

place in Division 2.

The men’s race was won by Abingdon’s Paul Fernandez (29:08) and there were 263 finishers. Team Kennet was

once again led home by Tom Munt (34th) and included 7 Compton Harriers. Rich had an excellent run (must be

because his Mum came to cheer him on!), to be 122nd

in 36:54, and TK’s 3rd

finisher. After a steady start to test

his injury, Martin worked his way through the field to finish 134th (37:13). Dave was next (187

th, 39:51),

followed by Jonathan (202nd

, 40:34), Dick (221st, 42:16), Colin (227

th, 42:28) and Aaron (240

th, 45:23), who was

competing in his first race for many years. Jonathan and Colin both unleashed fine sprint finishes to gain several

places, following encouragement from Sue and Mo at the top of the final hill. The team finished 3rd

in Division 3.

Visit to the Glasgow Commonwealth Games Volunteer Centre Richard D

On 28

th February this year, I began the lengthy procedure for applying to work as a volunteer at the 2014

Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The application form, in addition to the expected questions involving

previous volunteering experience and sporting skills, required you to select three functional areas of preference in

which to work (I chose spectator services, venue operations and results technology services) and three preferred

locations (I chose Hampden Park (athletics), the Emirates Arena (cycling) and Scotstoun Sports Campus (boxing,

gymnastics and most of the indoor sports).

Several months passed until, on the 14th June, I was informed that I had overcome the first hurdle and had been

invited for an interview to be a member of the “Results Technology Services” team. Luckily I managed to choose

an interview day after the end of my busy season at work, Monday 18th November. This was fortuitous as the

interview selection process, having begun in April, had only another two weeks to run and Monday was the last

interview day for my chosen area.

With an interview time of 11:00 I was up early at 03:45 in order to catch the 06:40 flight up to Glasgow. On the

way I quickly recapped what results technology services entails. The application form says that “you will play a

critical role in capturing and communicating the sporting results to the world. You could be monitoring

commentator information systems, printing and delivering reports, distributing competition information, operating

scoreboards or cross-checking the integrity of results.” This is a real auditor’s role, I thought to myself!!

I duly arrived for my interview. All of those arriving for an 11:00 interview were being selected for a position in

results technology services. In the lobby a large chart outlined the selection process. Apparently, of the 15,000

volunteer jobs on offer, 50,000 applications were received of which 25,000 were selected for interviews. My first

surprise was the age of the interviewees – I expected most to be of a student age but in fact most interviewees

were definitely in the middle age bracket. Perhaps that’s a factor of the appeal of results technology services! The

HH Dec 2013 5

second surprise occurred when I started talking to the applicants in the waiting area. The first person I spoke to

said they had travelled up from Ipswich by train on Sunday and the second said that he lived in Worthing and had

flown up from Gatwick! Maybe the majority of Scottish applicants had already been interviewed.

We knew beforehand that the whole process would take an hour, of which the interview would be 20 minutes. The

first task we were given was to write on a ‘happy card’ (a cardboard disk) in three words what we hoped to get

from the Games – these were all collected and as we had to write our names on the back I assume they were

reviewed as part of the process. The comments are apparently to be collated in some form for the Games.

After that we were shown a short video with a background to the Games and people such as Seb Coe and Chris

Hoy extolling the importance of volunteering. These were accompanied with shots of the games volunteers

working during the London Olympics.

The final part of the process was the interview, which consisted of being taken through a questionnaire with about

15 questions. Because of the 20 minute time available, we were told we would be interrupted if we took too long

in answering any question as they all had to be answered. As well as the expected questions as to ‘why I wanted to

volunteer’, ‘what experience do I have of organising sporting events’ – a discussion here about organising my

running club’s team for the Ridgeway Relay and all the logistic issues that involves. There were also a few

unexpected ones, such as ‘Of what achievement are you most proud?’ I gave a non-sport specific answer, as that

was the nature of the first response that came to mind and hoped what I said was acceptable.

At the end of the interview we ran through availability (very good as I will be retired) and accommodation plans –

apparently an issue for many south of the border, but with a Scottish wife, and friends in Edinburgh from my

training and student days there, I am all right on that score.

Passing by the opportunity to have my photo taken with Clyde, the Games mascot (I hope that didn’t fail me, but I

only saw one person availing themselves of the opportunity!) I left the centre just after 12:10. I didn’t manage to

see any other volunteers when I left as I had stayed a little later than scheduled as my interviewer couldn’t answer

a question I had on the likelihood of working unsocial working hours at the ‘Do you have any questions?’ stage,

and was directed to someone else who couldn’t answer the question either as working schedules were still to be

put together.

A very quick visit to Glasgow as I was back down to Heathrow on the 15:35 flight and a choir practice in Oxford

on Monday evening, but whatever the outcome (we don’t expect to know if we are successful until the New Year)

I think it was a valuable process to be a part of. Not just being interviewed and becoming focused on what type of

person I believed they would be looking for in a volunteer, but also because of the behind the scenes knowledge

of the Commonwealth Games itself and how the resources for such an event are assembled. Remember the date

of the Games – Wednesday 23rd

July to Sunday 3rd

August 2014.

Post script: Richard heard yesterday that his interview had been successful and he is pleased to say that he will

be working at Hampden Park where the athletics will be based.

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Handicap Race

Sue Both the November and December Handicap Races have taken place since the last Harriers Herald was issued.

However, I have only reported on the November race here, so that the winner of the 2013 Annual Handicap

Championship is only announced at the Christmas Meal.

I have now determined the winner of the Championship (calculations double-checked by independent adjudicator,

Mo) and the trophy has been taken to Nick Bull for engraving. Results of December’s race, and the final

Championship scores, will appear in January’s issue.

A large group of 15 runners took part in November’s Handicap Race around the 3.1K Village Lap road route.

Conditions were good for racing, being dry, still and not too chilly. Three runners – Charlotte, Hana and

Jacqueline - were doing the Handicap Race for the first time.

Piers, in his second Handicap Race, knew the route this time so was able to push on to his full potential. He took

the lead round Horn Street and had a clear 24-second victory recording an excellent time. Meanwhile, there were

some close-run battles amongst the rest of the runners, and Jan was grateful for Tom’s help with recording names

and times. Rich passed Lucy and Philomena just before the finish to take second place and the evening’s fastest

time (I hope you shook Lucy’s hand when you passed her, Rich), but it may have been different if Lucy hadn’t

needed a quick ‘shoe-lace stop’. Dick was 5th, ahead of Charlotte, who would have been considerably quicker had

she not taken a short detour and then waited for Mo to tell her the correct route. Sue caught Colin, Aaron and Pete

up Shepherd’s Mount, but those three can all make good use of the final downhill and unleash great sprint finishes.

Pete crossed the line ahead of the other three, all finishing within 5 seconds. Jonathan was next, then Hana who

set a good standard on her first Handicap Race. Jacqueline also set a good time and can certainly go quicker now

she knows the way. A good performance from Mags gave her second place on handicap. Mo was compelled to

start faster than usual as he saw Charlotte take a wrong turn ahead of him and needed to call her back. He later

suffered for the fast start, but was pleased to run sub-20.

Well done to Piers, and thanks to Jan and Tom for timing. The final Handicap race of the 2013 series is scheduled

for Thursday 5th December, again around the Village Lap road route.

Finish

Position

Position on

handicap Name Start time Finish time Actual time

Handicap

Beaten?

1 1 Piers 4:04 16:28 12:24 -0:32

2 3 Rich B 4:37 16:52 12:15 -0:08

3 4 Lucy 3:46 16:53 13:07 -0:07

4 5 Philomena 2:19 16:54 14:35 -0:06

5 7 Dick 4:15 17:14 12:59 +0:14

6 New Runner Charlotte 0:35 17:21 16:46 New Runner

7 8 Pete O 4:04 17:22 13:18 +0:22

8 9 Sue 5:08 17:24 12:16 +0:24

9 10 Colin 3:36 17:26 13:50 +0:26

10 11 Aaron 3:29 17:27 13:58 +0:27

11 12 Jonathan 4:17 17:45 13:28 +0:45

12 New Runner Hana 4:04 18:25 14:21 New Runner 13 New Runner Jacqueline 2:19 18:58 16:39 New Runner 14 2 Mags 0:35 19:49 19:14 -0:11

15 6 Mo 0:22 20:05 19:43 +0:05

Handicap Championship: After the penultimate race, three runners – Dick, Philomena and Aaron - were well

clear at the top of the Championship score table (see next page) and the Championship winner could only be one

of those three, so there will be a new name added to the cup in this 10th annual Handicap Championship year.

With only 3 points separating the three of them, and only the best five scores to count for each person, there was all

to play for in the final race!

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Race points Pos. Name

Race

1

Race

2

Race

3

Race

4

Race

5

Race

6

Race

7

Race

8

Race

9

Total of

best 5

1 Dick 12 - 10 10 6 7 - (5) - 45

2 Philomena 9 (1) 8 (2) 9 10 - 7 - 43

3 Aaron (4) 12 6 8 (4) 6 10 (1) - 42

4= Colin 7 6 - 6 - 4 8 (2) - 31

4= Mo - 3 3 9 10 - - 6 - 31

6 Sue (2) (1) 4 4 5 8 9 (3) - 30

7= Lucy 10 7 - - 3 - - 8 - 28

7= Pete O 5 - - - 7 - 12 4 - 28

9= Terry 6 10 9 - - - - - - 25

9= Tapani - - - 1 12 12 - - - 25

9= Richard 3 8 5 - - 9 - - - 25

9= Neil 8 - 12 - - 5 - - - 25

9= Mags 1 9 - 5 - - - 10 - 25

14 Ricky - 5 7 - - - - 9 - 21

15 Gillian - - - 12 8 - - - - 20

16 Martin 1 4 - 3 2 - 7 - - 17

17 Jonathan 1 3 2 7 - - - 1 - 14

18 Piers 1 - - - - - - 12 - 13

19= Nicola - - - - - - 1 - - 1

19= Pete H 1 - - - - - - - - 1

19= Charlotte - - - - - - - 1 - 1

19= Hana - - - - - - - 1 - 1

19= Jacqueline - - - - - - - 1 - 1

***************************

For several months, Gillian has been attending evening classes to pursue her hobby of writing novels. One of

Gillian’s ‘classmates’ is ultra runner Kathy Tytler of Reading Roadrunners. Gillian has written a gripping

running-related short story for this month’s Harriers Herald. Be warned, you may need a hanky to wipe your eyes!

The Challenge Gillian

Almost losing my grip on what had become my talisman, I landed on my hands and knees with a resounding splat.

The forty five degree slope of water and slippery mud had defeated me. Panting, I tried to push myself up. There

was nothing to get a hold off, nothing to grip. With each attempt, I was in serious danger of collapsing completely

into the bog. I paused, tried to think. This is what I did for a living. I was a trouble-shooter and good at it. I could

reason my way out of this predicament.

A young sapling was just out of my reach. I doubted it could take my weight, but it was my only hope. Focusing

on that seemingly remote slither of wood, I tightened my core. My years of Pilates and Yoga were about to come

into their own. Moving my centre of gravity too far and without adequate control, would leave me wallowing like

a pig in mud. Reaching slowly, my finger tips grasped the branch. Pausing to drag in a few deep breaths, I slowly

pulled myself closer, inching my way forward though the mire.

The word mud would probably suggest a smooth, velvety texture beneath me. That couldn’t be further from the

truth. This was the Mourne Mountains. There were sharp peaks of granite all around me. That granite had been

chipped away and eroded by the rain, ice, sleet and snow. The black peat bog I was sinking into was permeated

with its sharp, tiny spiteful shards.

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My hands and knees were now as sore as my feet. The granite chips had crept into my shoes hours ago. I hadn’t

been a mile from the start, and only half way up Slieve Donard when I had discovered the first area of soaking wet

marsh.

The ground, deceptively firm on top, hid the accumulation of water which had fallen over the last two months.

After an incredibly dry couple of years, the heavens had opened the day a hose pipe ban had been imposed. Eight

weeks later, the precipitation had simply not stopped. Granite isn’t porous and the result was that the water and

granite chips either collected in peaty gaps, or ran off its peaks in the tumbling, roaring of streams in spate. I had

only reached the eleven mile point and I was already well acquainted with these various facts.

When we had seen this run advertised, it had captured our imaginations. Throughout his illness Mark and I had

joked about returning to our childhood haunts. A mountain marathon set in this area of wild, ethereal beauty was

the perfect place to do so. A place we had loved and cherished in our hearts and memories since childhood.

The actual physical challenge of the marathon hadn’t really registered. What had caught our imaginations was

being within thirteen miles of where we were born at any point within the race. Within minutes we were enrolled.

I knew how to train for this. It wasn’t my first marathon. I had completed my hill runs, my fartlek training and my

long runs. But at this moment I was beginning to appreciate that this preparation had simply not been enough.

Finding my feet, I swayed slightly, trying to cope with the spasms coming from my over-stressed gluteus

maximus. I’d never pulled this muscle before and it simply hadn’t registered how often a person used their butt

while walking. I knew now, but I needed it under control so I could carry on.

The mist and cold had descended as I came up towards the Spelga Pass. At the top of this slope, I would reach the

luxury of tarmac. It would only last for two short miles before I re-joined the goat trails. My legs, already soaked,

were starting to chill, and frighteningly fast. I had to move, pain or not. If I stayed here, hypothermia would set in.

Moving from one blackthorn branch to another, I diagonally crossed the slope. It was too open and wet to attempt

the slope immediately above. It took me slightly off course, but it was better than being plastered from head to

foot in sticky, cold, wet mud.

When my foot touched the black, shiny glory of the road, I took a few moments to clean my key ring. When I had

fallen, it had landed in the mud. I rubbed it clean on my shirt until it gleamed. The detail on the purple number

was clearly visible again. The number, a teasing reminder of my upcoming milestone. I had told everyone that I

wanted no cards with this number on them, but my brother Mark had ignored me. He had chuckled with delight at

the outrage on my face when he handed it to me.

“We’re almost half-way now Mark.” I whispered as I stared down at my talisman. A slight smile warmed my

face and heart. This key fob was his way of being here with me. For him, I would keep placing one foot in front of

the other. This challenge was too important to forsake, not matter what pain I went through.

I pushed myself onward. The mud and terrain had held me back for too long. It was time to run. I managed one

hundred metres before I had to give up. My left cheek refused to permit that stride. There was too much

discomfort. It had downed tools and gone on strike. I wanted to slap and punch it out of its lethargy, but that

wasn’t going to get me far.

Reaching the feeding station, I scavenged a couple of orange segments, chewing on them slowly as I slurped

down some water. It was a bit of a shock to see so few supplies. I had only two energy bars left and was already

flagging. Rationing them seemed the best option. It was downhill for a while, so it seemed logical to eat one

before the next climb.

A line of fellow walkers straggled down the hill and into the pass. The huge grey wall of the dam towered above

us. Each turn we took on the zigzagging road brought it back into view. The dam was so full from the heavy rains,

that a sluice was open at the top. The waterfall cascade it created, threw up rainbows of light in the weak rays of

sunlight that were trying to poke through the grey sky. Grey, dank and heavy, like my heart.

The glimpse of the sun was welcome. It had been so cold on top. I had hidden out of the wind in the ladies toilets

for a couple of minutes at the checkpoint. It was warm enough when walking, but not when your body stilled.

HH Dec 2013 9

Clambering down, like the mountain goat I needed to become, I crossed the bridge and followed the trail along the

other side of the stream. A bridge had been a luxury not seen since Tullamore Forest Park. The rest of the streams

were traversed by jumping from one wet slippery boulder to the next.

Glancing up at how far we had descended, concern ran through me. We were still heading downwards and it

looked like that would continue for another mile. That meant a long climb back up to the cols along the south

western foothills.

Reaching the corner of the valley, I paused and looked out at my hometown. I escaped Hilltown years before, but

this would always be home. I thought of my mum and dad, preparing tea for my two boys and a fleeting moment

of jealousy swept through me. They were being fed, but it would be a while before I had something warm inside

me.

Working my way down the rest of the valley, I tried to avoid the stream flowing in the middle of the easiest

looking descent. When an ultra-runner flew past me, splashing through the little brook, I stared at him in wonder.

Could it be that easy? Surely the stones would be even looser and more uneven in there. The last thing I wanted to

do was break my ankle.

Stepping forward, I groaned as the ice cold water soaked quickly through my shoes. Cramps set in and I clenched

my fists, trying to deal with this new torture. Closing my mind to my discomfort, I kept going. The young maniac

had been right, despite the icy water, this was much easier going.

The miles passed and the terrain started to gradually climb. When I entered the valley leading up to the Saddle, I

stopped for a minute as my memories overwhelmed me. There had been no swings or slides for us. This had been

our childhood playground. This valley up to the Saddle, with its incredible views beyond. This had been our

destination every day during our brief mountain summers. It had been too wild and dangerous to risk coming up

in the winter. Mum would allow us to venture up in the Spring and only then to help old Mr Collins with the

lambing.

But the summer was our favourite time. Cycling up each sunny evening and sitting on the Saddle for an hour. Just

talking for hours or acting out our favourite TV programmes. The Lone Ranger, Hawaii Five-O, whatever took

our fancy. As long as our homework was done, Mum allowed us our freedom. That all ended one August evening

in 1977. We had stayed up on the ridge too long, enjoying the view of the setting sun. It wouldn't have been a

problem, but my front wheel had punctured on the way down.

When we finally arrived home, Mum was waiting on the doorstep with her wooden spoon ready. She tanned our

hides and sent us to bed without any dinner. It was Dad's edict the following day which brought an abrupt stop to

our childhood adventures.

“If I catch you up in the mountains again, I will give your bikes to the orphanage. You scared the living daylights

out of your mother last night. You will never do anything like that again. It's time for you to study for your

exams.” A reserved man, we had been stunned by his outburst. Cowed, we reluctantly submitted to his will.

Mark and I hadn't been up here since. I closed my eyes trying to keep my emotions bricked away behind the wall I

had built. There was no time for tears, not yet, and not in the middle of this. I could almost hear his voice. “Race

you to the top Bernie. Last one there is a sissy.” A half smile touched my lips. “That's you then. Even with a head

start I will beat you.” I whispered. As if he was there beside me, I heard his reply. “Not today. I will beat you to

the top.” It had been faint but clear. Opening my eyes, I looked around searching for him. Shaking my head at the

whimsicality of my thoughts, I moved forward. Maybe the lack of food and sheer exhaustion were making me

hallucinate.

Half way up the path, I stopped. Staring longingly at the ridge, I silently made a promise to myself. “I'll be back

soon. I'll bring him with me next time.” Turning to my right, I aimed for the pass to Leitrim Lodge. The thunder

of hundreds of pairs of feet made me spin around. The half-marathoners were now careening across the uneven

ground towards me. I stared in disbelief at their crazy stampede. Heads down, arms pumping, unaware of anything

in front of them. I side-stepped two of them, but a third sent me down on one knee. They were concentrating on

foot placement, not the walker stood like an idiot in front of them. I moved as far out of their way as possible. It

was that or accept being run over. At their speed, it would feel like a truck hitting a wall.

HH Dec 2013 10

Once the main thrust was past, I resumed my journey over the pass and down to Leitrim. Only six miles to go and

twenty miles complete. I munched on my final bar and drank one of the sickeningly sugary drinks. Although they

upset my stomach, I needed the energy to finish this challenge. I had hoped that from here to the finish at

Rostrevor that I would finally be on a track. Unfortunately, another three miles of wading through the streams and

bogs awaited us. There were more people around, which broke up the journey. Chatting companionably with

those I met, be they locals, or travellers from overseas, it helped consume the miles.

Climbing over the last stile, a round of applause and a cheer rang out from the twenty odd people waiting patiently

for their relatives. “Is it track from here on?” I asked one couple, who came forward and helped me over to a tree

trunk. Pulling at the filthy shoelaces, which were knotted almost beyond belief, the man grinned up at me. “Yes,

all Forestry Commission trails from here. Well done and just keep going. Think of the hot tea and stew waiting for

you at the finish.” “Yes, not long now. Thank you so much for helping, but I am fine. Don't touch my shoes, they

are covered in sheep poop.” I objected quickly. I hadn't seen it until it was too late. Now my shoes were caked in

it.

He simply laughed and shook my shoes vigorously before banging them against the nearest boulder. “No worries

love. They're a bit cleaner now. We've got some wet wipes with us, and you needed help more than we needed

clean hands. What's this?” He asked, touching my key ring. “You've never that age surely.”

“Nearly. It was an early birthday present from my brother. He should have been with me today, but couldn't make

it. It’s a shame, he would have enjoyed it.”

“I hope you are going to wind him up about what he missed then.” I smiled and nodded in reply.

Their kindness touched my heart. Despite the years of bloodshed and the religious bigotry that infected this

wonderful country, there were still so many people with hearts of gold. He brushed off my socks as we chatted

and then helped me back on with my shoes. Finally ready, he and his wife hauled me upright. “Come on. You

can't hang around here all day. Get moving.” She ordered, as she laughingly shoved me forward. Saying my

goodbyes, I followed her orders.

The paths undulated as they swept round the side of the last few hills. As I crested the last ridge above Rostrevor,

I drank in the view of Carlingford Lough below me. The sun had come out and illuminated the whole area in a

warm glow. It changed the colours of everything around us. Higher in the mountains, there were no trees. Just

blackthorn and rhododendron on the upper slopes. Here, on the lower hills, the forest blanketed the lower two

thirds of the slope. Thick commercially grown stands of pine. Their tightly planted trunks blocking out the

sunshine to the ground below.

Carlingford was so distinctive, almost resembling a Norwegian fjord with its steep mountains on either side of the

sea lough. On grey days it could look grim, but today, the sight of it just took my breath away. In the valley

below, all along the lough lay the little town of Rostrevor. Quaint and pretty with it's mix of old and new. The

Victorian houses nestled amongst the new posh bungalows and holiday homes. Picking up the pace a little, I

jogged slowly down the slope. I was desperate to finish, for this to simply be over.

The finish line came into view and I tried to put on a bit of a sprint. As I crossed the line, I collapsed forward into

the arms of those I loved. My husband Dan and my two sons held me close. “Well done Sweetheart. We knew

you could do it. We are so proud of you.” It felt so good to be in his arms. The reality of what I had achieved hit

home. Tears streamed down my face. Like a dam, the pressure had to be released. I sobbed into Dan's shoulder,

unable to speak or explain why I was crying. He understood. “It's okay. Mark would be so proud of you. Do you

still have it?” I could only nod in reply, my arms clasped tightly round his neck.

“It's here Dad.” My eleven year old son Kieran, yanked on my key fob. Reluctantly I released it. It was my

connection to Mark. We had promised each other to do this together. He hadn't been able to keep his word, so

gave me that key ring so a part of him would be with me today.

Dan just held me, understanding that I didn't want to talk. The boys chattered at me, but seemed happy enough at

my lack of response. Dan reached up and gently pried open my hands. He stepped back, just half a pace so he

could see my face.

HH Dec 2013 11

“Your mum and dad called. They will be here in fifteen minutes to pick up the boys. We are going straight over to

Newry.” I was too raw, physically and emotionally to answer him. I knew what this meant; St Johns Hospice had

called with an update. If the boys weren't invited, it wasn't a good sign.

Within an hour, we were in reception. Nurse Alice was waiting for us. We went through to the little chapel and

prayed for a while. Mark had passed peacefully this afternoon. Mum and Dad had been with him. I should be

thankful that someone was with him, but I was just angry and annoyed with him.

Couldn't he damn well have waited to hear how I got on? I'd done this for him. Well for him, and to raise funds

for the hospice. We should have done this challenge together. He had promised me that he would. He had let me

down. How could he just up and leave me? As children we had been as close as twins could be. Now my twin

brother was dead.

Dan left me. He had to sort out some of the arrangements. Nurse Alice popped in on her way home. “He was lucid

at the end. His last words were for you.” She held my hand and smiled as she shared his last moments with me.

“He said he could see you. You were heading for the Saddle. He asked me to tell you he would beat you there

today.”

Her words echoed my whimsical thoughts from earlier. My silence caught her attention. She examined my face

and turned her head questioningly. “Is something wrong Bernie? You're a little pale.”

“No, nothing really. Can you remember what time that was?” I asked as casually as possible.

“About three thirty I think.”

Tears filled my eyes. Mark had kept his word. He had joined me, if only for a few seconds. On the Saddle, the

symbol of our childhood freedom, we had been together that one last time. We had said our goodbyes in our own

unique way. It was time to let him go. Mourn him and then learn to live and enjoy life again.

When Dan returned, I was calm and welcomed his embrace. “The funeral is booked for Tuesday. Your mum and

dad wanted it as soon as possible. Are there any arrangements that you would like to add to the ceremony? You

were closer to Mark than anyone else in your family.”

I shook my head, and then changed my mind. “I want this put in his coffin. It was with me today while I ran the

challenge for him. It should accompany him on his final journey.”

I handed Dan the keyring. The number fifty highlighted in bright lilac with its diamante stones. “Something for

you little sis. A reminder that you will reach fifty in a month and I won't” he had told me. He would have gloried

in the fact that he was right, but it wasn't important anymore.

“Tomorrow, let’s borrow the bikes and ride up to the Saddle with the boys.” My soft request made Dan chuckle.

“Mark couldn't beat you, but maybe I can.”

“Tomorrow you probably will. Let's face it, the boys will beat both of us.”

The snort of amusement that escaped him made me smile. “You're right.” He agreed. “And later in the week, the

two of us will take his ashes up to the Saddle. He would like that.”

Snuggled in his arms, I stared out the window at Poyntzpass and the South beyond. Dan understood. On Tuesday

we would say goodbye to my beloved brother, but tomorrow was all about our future, our boys, our family. And

in time, we would scatter Mark's ashes in the place where his heart lay.

***************************

HH Dec 2013 12

Website update… http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk Mo

Links of interest this month

Music for this month’s ‘Keep on Running’ link has been chosen by Gillian.

Photos for Oxford Mail X-C Round 2 at Culham, and Harriers in action at Eynsham can be viewed on Compton

Harriers Facebook page. (www.facebook.com/ComptonHarriers/photos_albums ).

This month’s article: Boosting your immune system to avoid URIs We all know that Upper Respiratory Infections (URIs in technical jargon) or more simply ‘coughs and colds’ can

be a real pain at this time of year, so it makes sense to do all we can to avoid them. Unfortunately, it isn’t that

easy to avoid a virus infection, but there are many actions we can take within our training routines and nutrition to

boost our immune systems and at least ward off the worst effects of URIs. Prevention is better than cure, as the

saying goes, so here are a few suggestions to help you stay fit and healthy through the winter period:

Adapt your training schedule and nutritional intake to stay healthy:

� Allowing for ample rest and recovery will help head off problems before they start. A hard workout will make

you tired and lower you immune response so, if you notice that your post-training fatigue level is

progressively increasing, it is time to add more rest into your training schedule.

� Record your resting morning heart rate. A progressive increase may tip you off that you are exceeding your

ability to recover.

� Try to anticipate added stress in advance and adjust the workout schedule accordingly. A little more rest will

prevent a problem later.

� To make sure your anti-oxidant defence system is tuned up, eat plenty of fruit and vegetables each day.

� Take notice of any early warning signs such as:

o Disrupted sleep patterns or insomnia.

o Loss of interest in pleasurable activities.

o Moodiness or depression.

o Excessive muscle soreness.

o Poor concentration.

o Lack of mental energy.

o Change in appetite.

o Frequent injury or illness.

o Lack of physical energy

� Get an annual ‘Flu jab’.

� If you are suffering frequent URIs or unrelenting fatigue, it could be a sign of an underlying illness, so you

should consult your doctor.

Follow these Nutritional Strategies to maintain your immune response: o Ensure energy balance through adequate carbohydrate and protein intake.

o Avoid micronutrient deficiencies (a daily multivitamin tablet can help).

o Keep well hydrated at all times.

o Ingest sufficient carbohydrate during exercise (30-60 grams/hour).

o Maintain a high antioxidant intake by eating plenty of fruit & vegetables.

o Try the following dietary immunity boosters that are known to work for athletes and can all be purchased

at Holland & Barrett or Nature’s Corner shops :

� Flavonoids/Polyphenols (about 1 gram/day)

� Vitamin C (500 – 1000 mg/day)

� Probiotics (daily according to manufacturer’s recommendation)

HH Dec 2013 13

Forthcoming Events of Interest – see Website Events Calendar for full details and

listing:

Sun 15 Dec 2013 Muddy Welly 5K & 10K MT Runs - Wellington College, Crowthorne

Hooky Christmas Canter – Hook Norton

Crazy Christmas Cracker - 10K - Beale Park, RG8 9NH

Sat 21 Dec 2013 Christmas Meal - The Fox at Peasemore

Sat 04 Jan 2014 Berkshire County Championships XC – Swinley Forest

Sun 05 Jan 2014 Oxford Mail XC - Round 3 - Warmington

Woodcote 10k - Woodcote Village Hall, Oxfordshire, RG8 0QY,

Sun 12 Jan 2014 Rough 'n' Tumble 10 - Milton Lilbourne, SN9 5LQ

Sun 26 Jan 2014 Oxford 10k - Cutteslowe & Sunnymead Park, OX2 8ES

Sun 02 Feb 2014 Oxford Mail XC - Round 4 – Warmington Warwickshire OX17 1JL

Long Mynd Valleys Race - 18.5k Fell

Sun 09 Feb 2014 Wokingham ½ Mthn - Cantley Park, Wokingham

Meon Valley Plod (21miles, X-C) - Clanfield Scout Hall, PO8 0RE

Dursley Dozen - Dursley sports centre, GL11 4BX

Sun 16 Feb 2014 BRAMLEY 20/10 MILE - Bramley Primary School RG26 5AH

Sun 23 Feb 2014 The Terminator - Pewsey Vale School, Wilcot Road, Pewsey, SN9 5EW

Cholsey Chase 9-mile MT - 51.573286,-1.155414

Sun 02 Mar 2014 Mizuno Reading Half Marathon - 51.422092,-0.982682

Oxford Mail XC - Round 5 - Harwell R.A.L (to be confirmed)

Sun 09 Mar 2014 Banbury 15 - Spiceball-Leisure-Centre, Banbury, Oxon OX16 2PG

Sun 16 Mar 2014 Goring 10k - Storton Lodge, Icknield Road, Goring

Surrey Spitfire 20 & Tempest 10 - Dunsfold Aerodrome, GU6 8TB

Sun 23 Mar 2014 Water of Life ½ Mthn & 10k, Marlow - Bisham Abbey National Sports Cntr

Sun 30 Mar 2014 Combe Gibbet to Overton 16 - Overton Recreation Centre, RG25 3ES

Sun 06 Apr 2014 White Horse ½ Marathon - OX12 7LB

The Bluebell Race 12k – Collingbourne Ducis

Sun 13 Apr 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon

Sat 19 Apr 2014 18th Compton Downland Challenge - Downs School, Compton, Berkshire

Sun 27 Apr 2014 Treehouse School 10k - Treehouse School, Cholsey, Oxfordshire

Sun 4 May 2014 Three Forts Challenge (Mthn & ½Mthn) - Worthing, West Sussex BN14 9QF

Sue, Jacqueline & Charlotte after the Oxford Mail XC at Culham

(we couldn’t find Lucy)