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At the Christmas party a few people asked me about the planned hike up Helvellyn but I’m sad to say that I’ve decided not to plan this event for Summer 2022.

There are several reasons for this, partly to do with uncertainty around COVID as I don’t want to commit any of us to plans or expense which may have to change last minute.  The other problem is around finding a venue willing to cater for a large group on the Saturday evening – the hotels are expecting to be very busy due to the Keswick Mountain Festival.  As I started to investigate I felt it was all starting to look rather expensive and I didn’t feel comfortable asking you to commit.

I would however draw your attention to two things:

If you want an exciting climb up Helvellyn on 21st May then the guides I planned to use offer an open scramble to the summit via Striding Edge.  The cost is £50 and you can book on here:

https://www.lakelandmountainguides.co.uk/open-events

Likewise the Keswick Mountain Festival looks a whole heap of fun with a huge variety of sporting events including swimming, triathlon, cycling and running available that weekend.  There is also live music by the lake on the night.  For more information about the mountain festival check it out here:

https://keswickmountainfestival.co.uk

I’m rather sad we won’t all be heading to Keswick to climb my namesake mountain for my 50th birthday but I hope a few of you will make a weekend of it and have fun anyway!

For anyone wondering about our opening times over the Festive period here they are:

• Monday 20th December – Moonlight Run / Walk to Pub (Evening groups)
• Friday 24th December Christmas Eve – Closed
• Saturday 25th December Christmas Day – Closed
• Sunday 26th December Boxing Day Charity Run for Run Fitness and Run Plus Groups
• Monday 27th December Charity Run for 5K plus groups, otherwise closed
• Wednesday 29th December OPEN all sessions as normal
• Thursday 30th December OPEN all sessions as normal
• Friday 31st December OPEN  all sessions as normal
• Saturday 1 January – Closed
• Monday 3 January – Closed

In case you forget you can find them on the website too:  www.sefitness.com.

I’m delighted to announce the following people have reached the 10 year milestone this year.  If you were at the Christmas Party you will already have collected your badge, if not collect it next time you come to SE Fitness.  Congratulations!

• Michelle Stammers
• Amanda Baxter
• Heather Waller
• Phyll Masefield
• Lorna Caunce
• Jane McGrandles
• Pat Robson
• Jon Braniff

A beautiful morning for SE Fitness takeover of Sutton Park parkrun complete with cheeky Bailey’s coffees under the gazebo afterwards!

Well done to everyone but especially our Couch to 5K graduates:

Helen Cooper, Sheena Gordon, Jenny Moulton, Aileen Chivers-Green, Yasmin Jumah and Maria Smith.

Congratulations!

It’s been two years since the last SE Fitness party but I feel like we made up for lost time!  Great night SE Fitness, thank you for coming xx

Exciting news!  This Saturday sees the return of SE Fitness at Sutton Park parkrun.  Please come down and join in and support our Couch to 5K runners as they graduate.  I will be bringing the SE Fitness gazebo (first outing for over two years) the flasks and the Bailey’s so we can have one of our little impromptu SE Fitness parties and learn about the exipure reviews for weight loss !

To take part you need to register for parkrun here: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/suttonpark/   and bring your barcode with you.

Saturday runners please note!  As we are all doing parkrun we will meet at the parkrun start which is at Banners Gate – we will not be at Wyndley at 8:30!  Parking gets very busy so please arrive early, parkrun starts at 9:00am.

If you are Run Fit or Run Plus then you have the option of joining Andre, Jon and Mark at Wyndley and taking a warm up run to parkrun start.  Please let them know to expect you.

I’ll be handing out certificates for our 5K graduates, if you joined one of our programmes in lockdown and haven’t had a certificate but would like one please let me know.

See you there!

The SE Fitness Christmas Party has rolled around and I can’t wait to see you all in a couple of days.

This is just a little reminder of the timings and venue.

Thursday 2nd December from 7:00pm with bar closing at midnight.

Address: The Cuttlebridge Inn, Kingsbury Road.  B76 9DP

I appreciate that in light of so much news coverage regarding new variants of COVID 19 some of you may be reconsidering whether you want to come.  You may decide that at this time it is too risky for you in your circumstances.  This is perfectly understandable, a real shame but understandable!  Unfortunately, at this late notice I am sure you will appreciate that the venue is not willing to offer refunds but you must do what you feel is right and safe for you and your family.  We will miss you!

Beautiful in the park for our groups this morning but I am sorry to cancel evening groups tonight Monday 29 November. The pavements are still very slippery in places and I’m worried in the dark it’s difficult to tell. I fear I am getting more cautious in my old age but I just don’t want to risk it! Thankfully it warms up overnight so groups should all be back to normal by Wednesday. Stay safe folks!

Becky and I are discussing Couch to 5K and we have decided not to run a new course in January.  Our plan is to defer the next C25K until after the clocks change in Spring.

It is hard to encourage new runners in the dark days and very dark nights of January and it is also more difficult without the track.  We thought we could focus on our existing C25K groups and bringing them on rather than starting again.

It is our plan to use the spare leaders to support our existing C25K runners transition to 5K plus but, hopefully, it will also free up leaders to help you transition from 5K plus into Run Fitness.  Our 5K plus groups are doing great for numbers at the moment so we’d like to spend the winter term supporting our existing members rather than bringing in new ones.

We haven’t given up on C25K!  The new course will start in Spring and the lighter evenings in Sutton Park.

If you have any comments or thoughts about this proposal or, if you are one of the runners who would like to try moving up a group, please let me know.

November full moon is sometimes called the frosty moon to signal the change in the weather (it’s also called the Beaver Moon but I decided not to go there)!

Anyway tomorrow evening is our November Full Moon Run when we take to the park to enjoy the beautiful quiet and it does look like it’s going to be a clear night but chilly.

Check in with the WhatsApp groups as normal and please remember to bring your chest / head torch along if you have one.

See you tomorrow!