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Monday 6th February sees our last full moon run / walk for Winter 2022 / 23, by the time the full moon rolls around in March it will be getting too light to be really atmospheric. Yay!

Please remember your head torches and to be careful.  These runs aren’t about a fast pace, they are about taking the time to appreciate the beauty and quiet of the dark night.  We’ve only done three this winter so make the most of it!

Walkers if you want to make the most of this last opportunity for a full moon adventure, Deb will be leading the walking group at 6pm.

For those of you with an event to train for this Spring you might want to consider joining SE Fitness on Saturday mornings for our ‘longer runs’.  Training with others is much more enjoyable than training alone and can also help you to improve – almost certainly it makes the plan easier to stick to!

Training starts this Saturday 4 February with a 10K.  The longer runs take place on Saturday mornings at 8:30.  We usually meet at Wyndley but, please note, on our longer runs we also travel further afield so check specific dates.

Due to limited numbers of leaders, we ask that anyone wishing to join us can run 10K comfortably in an hour (otherwise we get too spread out and we can’t look after you properly).

• Saturday 4 Feb – 6 miles
• Saturday 11 Feb – 7 miles
• Saturday 18 Feb – 8 miles
• Saturday 25 Feb – 9 miles (this run will start at the Mitchell Centre and take in Newhall Valley)
• Sat 4 Mar – recovery week 6 miles
• Sat 11 Mar – 10 miles (this run starts at Sutton train station and runs along the canals into Birmingham City Centre)
• Sat 18 Mar – 10 miles (this run starts in Little Hay and uses the lanes)
• Sat 25 Mar – taper week 6 miles

Hoping your training goes well everyone!

Helyn McConnell is fundraising for British Heart Foundation (justgiving.com)

Thank you to everyone who donated money to the British Heart Foundation over Christmas. Together you raised £152 which I am going to ‘top up’ to £200. Unfortunately, due to injury, I have had to pull out of the London Landmarks Half Marathon so I will not be asking for any more sponsorship! Thank you once again to those of you who already donated. I am sure the money is being well spent.

The 7 Pools run has always had a special place in my heart.  I think it was my first 10K, it’s on ‘our own turf’ and it was the last event we all took part in before lockdown in 2020.

Anyway, it’s on again this year – 2nd April – and early bird entries are now OPEN!

Home – 7 Pools Run

Congratulations to our intrepid runner Helen Sieracki who came third (in age) at the Tromso Polar half marathon on Saturday.

Helen said it was an amazing experience but the temperatures were minus 12 and with a head wind the chill factor was more like minus 19!  Therefore the gear was critical, lots of layers and grippers on the trainers.

Not sure if I fancy this one, although I am sure it is a beautiful place to visit with the added possibility of sighting the Northern Lights.

Inspirational stuff Helen, thank you!

The conditions in the park have become very slippery and muddy so please be careful!

We had two people fall on Saturday morning.  Luckily, neither is seriously injured but both had some serious washing to sort out when they got home!

Top Tips for Staying Upright in Mud

• Wear appropriate footwear.  Your shoes need to have a good tread and ideally be waterproof.  For walkers, in these conditions, I would recommend boots rather than trainers or shoes (for the extra ankle support).
• Shorten your stride.  A shorter stride means you are more likely to strike the ground with your foot below your hip.  This makes your more stable and is also better for enabling the tread in your shoes.
• Strengthen your legs.  Ploughing through the mud requires strong legs.  Calf raises every day 10-15 sets on each leg will make a huge difference and also help to prevent injury (do as I say here, not as I do)!!  Squats and lunges are also your friend for strengthening upper legs.
• Stay on the trail and power through.  Winding your way around the mud increases the risk of trips and falls.  It also increases erosion by widening the trail, a personal bugbear of mine!
• Don’t wear white socks or pale leggings!  They will never be the same again.  Bring a change of clothes with you to sit in Costa / drive home in.  This is more important than you think for keeping healthy in the winter months.
• Rediscover your inner child.  There can be a joy in splashing through the puddles and mud, you knew it when you were a kid.  Embrace it and find that joy again.

Castle to Cathedral Run

https://regevent.co.uk/florette-fradley-10k-on-sunday-5th-march-2023-1030am

Great Birmingham Run

Looking for events to inspire you this Spring?  Here are some local ones which you may be tempted to try.

• 5th March 2023 Fradley 10k.  This is road race on a relatively flat course and therefore is a great run if you want to set a new 10K record / run 10K for the first time.  It also comes nice and early in the season so can act as a good inspiration during the cold, dark months!
• 16 April 2023 Cathedral to Castle 10 miles.  Perennially popular with SE Fitness this attractive, 10 mile route links Lichfield cathedral with Tamworth Castle.  I love a 10 mile run, long enough to be challenging without training taking over your entire life!
• 7 May 2023 Birmingham Half marathon.  If you fancy a half marathon this Spring you can do worse than enter our local event.  I am running a different half this Spring but will be putting on half marathon training during March / April on Saturday morning for anyone who would like to join us for training.

Whatever you decide to enter this year, I wish you good health in training and best of luck on the day!

Happy New Year SE Fitness!  I hope this finds you feeling well and looking forward to keeping fit and healthy in 2023.

Thank you to everyone who came to a run or walk during the festive period and felt able to contribute to British Heart Foundation, in lieu of paying for their SE session.  £122 raised which I said I would match (up to £100) so £222 total.

Thank you!

Helyn McConnell is fundraising for British Heart Foundation (justgiving.com)

Happy Christmas SE Fitness!

Hope you all survived the big day.  Remember our annual Boxing Day Charity run is at 10:15 this morning.  Hope you can drag yourself out of bed and come and join us!  My knee is still sore, so I will be taking a gentle stroll if anyone wants to join me for that.

Rather than pay any SE Fitness subs please contribute to the British Heart Foundation here:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/helyn-mcconnell2022

Thank you and see you in a bit!

Wishing all our SE Fitness family, both past and present, peace and happiness this Christmas. I hope that you and your families are looking forward to good things and good health in 2023. Keep well SE Fitness, take time to rest and I look forward to more adventures with you next year. Love from, Helyn and John x