NewsletterWinter 2014 Edition

Founded by Caitlin Limmer 2012

SPONSORED ANDSUPPORTED BY

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 fi tness 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 fi nish line in beautiful weather. So many PBs achieved and fi rst time ten milers done. The day was as ever fi nished 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 fi rst 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 moreIce bucket challenge, fi rst 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 LimmerFounder of The BeaRCat Running Club

HIGHS AND HIGHERS

Follow the BEARCATs...

ACHIEVEMENTS EVENTS FOR 201503 The Meandering Mind of a Long

Distance Runner… Written by John Reece

04 Celebrating our 2nd Anniversary

05 The Running Legends Series #1 Steve Prefontaine (“Pre”)

Written by City Runner

07 Q&As

08 2014 - A year of two halves? Written by Sarah Mayo

09 The BeaRCats at The Cabbage Patch 10

11 The BeaRCats at various events throughout 2014

12 Why I run? Featuring Roger Smith, Emma Smith and Jessica Busen-Smith

13 Team ‘The BeaRCats Go Nuts’, at the Nuts Challenge

14 An introduction to Maris Practise Written by Our Sponsor

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.

September

Richmond Running Festival 10km and Half - Well done to all the BeaRCat runners, some who ran there events for the first time

Ealing Half - Geoff, Andrew and Leigh

Swallofield 10km - Roger

Windsor Half - John R, Sarah F and Sarah B

October

River Thames Half - Beth, Emma, Roger, Lorraine, Sarah B, John R and Gareth

Great Eastern Half - Adrian

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

Great South Run - Luke

November

Poppy Half (Bexhill on Sea) - Rob

Tough Mudder - Lizzy

Norwich Half - Sarah M and Nicky

Parkrun - Alun completing his 100th Parkrun at Crane Park

Kingston 10km - Laura

December

Bushy Park 10km - Alison and Gillian

Grim Challenge - Phil, Ian and Alex

The Montycute 10 - Angelika

Tough Mudder - Jonathan, Lydia and Steve

Princess Alice Hospice Santa Run - A few BeaRCats dress up for this festive treat

Hogs Back Road Race - A pack of BeaRCats with a special mention to the ladies coming 4th in their group

Portsmouth Marathon - Beth

IN THIS EDITION

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INFO

You can sign up for the reminderservice and be the first toknow when entries open.

08:30SALOMONCITYTRAIL

08:25SUNDAY

18:45WEDNESDAYFor more information visit

www.bearcatrunningclub.com

09:00PARKRUN

For more information visitwww.parkrun.org.uk

For regular updatesplease check your emails,the BRC Facebook page

and Website.

Bedfont Lakes • Bushy ParkCrane Park • Old Deer Park

Richmond Park

CLUB DAYS2014

09:00HURST PARK

HALFMARATHON

For more information visitwww.hurstparkhalf.com

For more information visitwww.richmondhalf.com

15MARCH2015

10:30TRENT PARK

TRIFFIC TRAIL

For more information visitwww.trentparkrc.org

21JUNE2015

22MARCH2015

08:30RICHMOND HALF

MARATHON

For more information visitwww.ranelaghhalfmarathon.

webs.com

03MAY2015

10:40GREAT NORTH

RUN

For more information visitwww.greatrun.org/Events/Event

13SEPEMBER

2015

00EVERY

SATURDAY

INFOTURKS HEAD

Congratulations to Alun Thomason completing his 100th ParkRun

Editor in Chief:Caitlin Limmer

Articles: Contributed by BeaRCat members

Designer: Gareth M. Coombs

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.

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.

Key: Dates Event Info

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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!

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 dream-time 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

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.

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!

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…!

CELEBRATING OUR 2ND

ANNIVERSARY

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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

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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 fi rst 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 eff ortless 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 reaffi rm my belief that Ovett was the better man!

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 Marshfi eld High School in 1965, he fi nished 53rd in the state meet in his fi rst 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 fi rst 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.

PTO...

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a2MilkUK @a2MilkUK

THE RUNNING LEGENDS SERIES #1 STEVE PREFONTAINE (“PRE”) Written by City Runner

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifi ce the gift.

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.

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.

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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...

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.

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?

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!

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Lisa Butterworth07792 002301

lisa@lapetitebelle.londonwww.lapetitebelle.london

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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...

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.

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.

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 deco-rations 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!

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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!

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THE CABBAGE PATCH 10

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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

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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

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THE CABBAGE PATCH 10

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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

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AT VARIOUSEVENTS

2014

WHY I RUN?

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As a child I was always racing around and loved playing sports. Initially I took up running when I left school to keep fi t, 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

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 fi nally 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 fi nal 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 fi t and active into the bargain!

Written by Emma Smith

Like many, my journey to running was the well trodden path of lose weight/get fi t 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 fi tness that I have not had before. The feeling of wellbeing that this fi tness 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 by-product 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

As a child I was always

school to keep fi t, but I soon

Like many, my journey

and despite the usual “encouraging” statements

As a child I was always racing around and loved playing sports. Initially I took up running when I left school to keep fi t, but I soon

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‘THE BEARCATS GO NUTS’ AT THE NUTS CHALLENGE

IN AUGUST

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.

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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 fi nd 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.

Managed by Claire Mac Donald, a highly qualifi ed and experienced Osteopath who specialises in treating pregnant 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 fi tness to help establish the causes of their pain or injury and determine ways to alleviate and manage it thereby improving performance and well being.

Contact details:

Caitlin LimmerTel: 020 8607 9190 Email: caitlinrun@gmail.com

28 Winchester Road, Twickenham, Middlesex TW1 1LFTel: 020 8892 1972Email: turkshead@fullers.co.uk

www.turksheadtwickenham.co.uk

DirectionsBy CarWe are just off the A316 Chertsey Road, turning into St. Margaret’s Road and then Broadway Avenue (one way),you will fi nd The Turks Head down Winchester Road.

Parking on Sunday mornings is free, you can park on yellow lines or in residential bays.

By BusThe H37 bus from Richmond/Hounslow also stops outside St. Margarets Station.

By TrainTurn left out of St. Margarets Station, walk or run past Tesco, and take the second left into Bridge Road. At the end the road turn right - you’ll see The Turks Head on the corner.

HOW TO GET TO THE BEARCAT RUNNING CLUB

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AN INTRODUCTION TO THE MARIS PRACTICE Written by Our Sponsor

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 treat-ments are termed holistic (the whole), meaning that they treat the individual to address the symptoms, working with each patient to relieve their specifi c problems as well as to improve their overall wellbeing. This establishes a positive cycle of health wherein the person’s constitution is strengthened so reducing the likelihood of a recurrence of problems. Their practitioners are all fully qualifi ed and each initial consultation starts with a thorough case history so that they can acquire as much information as possible in order to make an informed diagnosis.

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