Latest news

Many of you know Brenton who helps out with leading C25K on Friday mornings.  Knowing you are looking for alternative ways of keeping fit and healthy in the coming weeks Brenton has setup two ‘online’ home workout groups.

There is a group for beginners and a group for advanced.  Sign up below and you’ll enjoy:

• Three workouts per week starting Friday
• Nutritional Advice
• Group Support

Check out the link below for payment and use the code ‘Earlybird’ to qualify for discounted rate of £37 per month (discount valid until Sunday).

https://form.jotform.com/200724930458354

It is with heavy heart I write to advise you that all SE Fitness sessions will be suspended from tonight Wednesday 18th March 2020.  Leaders will be there at 18:30 tonight but no Speedwork and no other sessions until further notice.

I appreciate that this will be difficult news for those of you who have come to rely on SE Fitness for your social and support network.  However in these hard times we owe it to our community to affect the ‘social distancing’ and try to look after ourselves and our NHS.

Remember the current advice is that you can still go out for a walk or a run as long as you avoid social contact.  So why not get outside for some exercise then come home, make yourself a coffee and telephone your mate for a catchup.  I know it’s not quite the same but it has similar health benefits and you’ll be ‘doing your bit’.

I appreciate these are uncertain times for all of us so may I remind those of you who pay monthly that it is up to you to suspend payment until groups are operational again.

Isolation is a scary prospect so please keep in touch using the usual social media channels.  SE Fitness has a large resource to call on should you be in need of any assistance which might be collecting supplies or could also be for a chat.  I’m sharing my, Jenny and Becky’s number below so please call and we will do our best to help.

Bear in mind that whilst we are finding this difficult it is much worse for others.  I’d like to extend my thanks and respect to all our friends working in healthcare and front line services during this time.

Remember folks that ‘This too shall Pass’.  Spring will come and eventually we will be out the other side.  I look forward to the time that groups can resume and we can all get together again.

In the meantime stay safe folks and look out for one another.

Very best wishes,

Helyn x

Telephone

Helyn 07788 628755

Jenny 07814 910239

Becky 07528 844525

Obviously these are very difficult times and here at SE Fitness we are trying to find the right balance between following the government advice regarding ‘social distancing’ and recognising that SE Fitness is an important social and support network for it’s members particularly in trying times such as these.

I’ve come to the decision that while Wyndley and the schools are still open, and we are engaging in a healthy outdoor activity, it is not inappropriate for us to continue and therefore all groups will be on tomorrow, Wednesday 18 March as normal.

Please do not come if you have any flu like symptoms or feel unwell and please heed the government requirements regarding those most at risk such as over those over 70 and those with underlying health conditions or living with someone in those categories.

To keep the social interaction to a minimum:

• We will be signing in outside in the car park.
• Please try and pay by bank transfer rather than bring cash.
• Carry your own keys with you.
• Wash your hands

Let’s look out for one another SE Fitness xx

Congratulations to everyone running 7 Pools 10K yesterday.  General consensus it was extremely muddy but good fun.  With so many other events cancelled it was a bumper SE turnout so good news for charity Norman Laud.

For one hour all I had to focus on was staying upright and keeping going.  It made a very welcome change from anxiously watching the news unfold.

Should you want your time to count towards your Grand Prix challenge then you need to message me, one way or another with your time.  Also let me know if it was your Personal Best at 10K (unlikely) or your First!

I’ll be working out the Fradley points in the next day or two so let me have those too if you haven’t already.  Good Luck Everyone!

This year’s SE Fitness Summer coach trip takes us down to Somerset on 14 June for the Cheddar Gorge Challenge.  6K, 10K, half marathon or full marathon options!

PLEASE NOTE:  MINI BUS FULL!

I’m happy to investigate a second mini bus but only if there is sufficient interest.  Get in touch if you want to come but had not got around to booking.  If there’s enough then I’ll look into the second bus.  In the meantime please don’t register as you may spend money on the race without getting a seat on the bus.

As an alternative a couple of runners are making their own travel arrangements.  Let me know if this works for you.

Good Luck to anyone running in an event this weekend!

It’s Grand Prix time with 7 Pools Sunday morning at 11.00.  John and I will be there so please come and join in.  We will be very glad of supporters as well as runners so if you fancy an hour in the park on Sunday morning hope to see you there!

Also Good Luck to anyone running Stafford Half Marathon tomorrow.  I believe there’s several of our runners taking part including Vanessa Brown, Sharon Wright and Stan Tanner.  Sorry if I’ve missed you out just add your name in the comments!

Very good luck everyone!

Hopefully you’ve heard that our C25K graduate next Saturday 21 March at parkrun, come and join in!

Afterwards they are hoping to move into our 5to10K group so there will be easier routes on the programme to help facilitate that.  If you are currently in 5to10K and would like to push yourself why not give RF2 a try?  Chat to your leader about the best way to do it, they might be able to merge the groups to make it less scary!

A reminder that we are aiming for 12 minutes per mile for 5to10K (parkrun in 36 mins), 11 minutes per mile for RF2 and 10 minutes per mile or quicker Run plus.  If you know that you are running quicker than your group please move along to make it possible for others to move up.  Thank you!

A bumper turnout on a lovely Friday morning so it shows that fears over Coronavirus not stopping you getting out.  Perhaps some of you, like me, are more worried by the prospect of weeks of self-isolation that the virus itself!

Generally speaking those who exercise regularly are less likely to get sick unless there are other factors in play.  Runners who are at the high end of a training programme or post race situation may be more vulnerable due to the stress that puts on the immune system.

At the moment my plan for SE Fitness is to keep sessions operating for as long as it is legal to do so and there are Leaders to look after you.  I’ll put updates on the website, Facebook and Twitter should the situation change.

Everyone is welcome to join us although I would ask you to consider your own circumstances and act in accordance with the current guidelines.  If you are in one of the high risk groups, live with or are close to someone in a high risk group then you need to consider your own safety and that of your family and act accordingly.  If you are experiencing difficulty breathing, have a high temperature or cough please stay at home.

If you are joining us for a run or walk then follow these guidelines to help keep the risk to a minimum:

• Wash your Hands – Sutton Park is a natural environment with animals roaming free.  We should always wash our hands directly after a run or walk but especially now and especially before you eat anything.  This is something those of you who head straight over to Costa’s should definitely think about!!  I’m trying to track down extra handwash / hand gel for HQ but if anyone has any they could donate I’d really appreciate it!
• Stay Outside – If you would prefer to stay outside rather than come into HQ that’s fine, however, please alert your Leader to the fact that you are there.  Leaders tend to check the register to see who is in their group and if you’re name is not on the list they may not be aware they need to keep a look out for you.
• Avoid Contact – Generally we aren’t a group who go in for lots of hugs and kisses so let’s keep it that way.  Not the time for handshakes or happy high five’s at the end of a sweaty run either!
• Cover your Mouth and Nose with a tissue or sleeve (not your hands) if you cough or sneeze Catch it, Bin it, Kill it.

Look out for Each Other

One final thing to ask is that we please all look out for one another.  Your running buddies and walking friends may need you during this time.  The virus is only one factor, the general feeling of uncertainty affects mental health and others will be worrying about the affect on their employment and financial situation.  If you don’t see one of your buddies for a while give them a call or drop them a text to check they’re OK.

We’ll get through this together SE Fitness.

After one of the wettest Februarys on record I was amazed to see that over 70 people had earned their Grand Prix points for attending 7 sessions or more.  There were several others who came close which brought the total SE Fitness sessions attended in February to almost 1400!  The list of names is on the noticeboard if you want to check it.

Bear in mind February is a short month, there’s a half term in it and the weather has been terrible so this total is quite startling!  I’m sure, like me, there are times when you look outside and see it’s raining, windy and cold and really don’t fancy it.  I sometimes think to myself that no one will turn up today and yet when I pull up at HQ there you are!  Jigging about in your hi viz, sheltering in the corridor, hiding in your car until the very last minute and I think to myself that you have a choice but you still decide to come and that is incredibly uplifting.

It seems to me, and the research shows, that running or walking as part of a group is one of the very strongest motivations to keep going.  A walk or run with your buddies becomes something much greater than the workout: it’s a catchup with friends, a counselling session, a laugh, a shared experience, a break from work/chores/kids and the hot drink in Costas afterwards ain’t bad either!  This is what your non-SE Fitness friends simply can’t understand and why they have such a look of shock/horror on their face when they say, “You’re never going out in this?!”

Research has shown that the likelihood of staying motivated is much higher when exercise takes place in a group setting.  There’s also evidence that being part of a group helps to facilitate an improvement in performance.  STRAVA looked at data from 90 million runs and found the average pace of group runs was 7 secs per mile quicker than lone runs and the distance covered was an average 1.3 miles further.  If you’ve ever been out with our Walking groups you’ll know those statistics work for group walks too and then some!

I wanted to thank you all for turning up this winter through wind, rain and storm.  I love to hear SE Fitness HQ filled with laughter and chat so much so that it’s hard to drag you onto the track!  I sometimes think at SE Fitness we turn up for the social as much as the exercise in the middle.

The hardest part is turning up but you always feel better for it afterwards.

Credits to Sam Murphy, Runners World March 2020 for the inspiration and facts in this post!

As we are in the thick of so many Grand Prix events we needed an update on the points as they stand.

Points updated for Moon Run, 7 sessions in Feb plus if you’ve done Spring Half, #parkruntourist, #sefitnessvestchallenge.

Does not include Fradley because not all the times are in yet!  If you ran at Fradley and want to claim your points please text or message me with your TIME!  Also let me know if it was a ‘first’ or ‘best’ time for you.

Current Grand Prix Leaders

For the ladies Leader Helen Hodgkiss has shot into the lead with 25 points.  She’s claimed 15 points for her PB at Vitality Half Marathon in London plus 5 for the Moon Run and 5 for Seven sessions Feb.  Second place is Mairi with 20 points and four girls on 15 points: Kerry, Kuli, Hazel and Karen Matthews.

For the men Lion King Andre holds the current lead on 20 points.  Andre claimed is 10 points for ‘Any Spring Half’ doing 4 laps at the Bham Running Festival.  Dave Matthews in second place with 15 points and seven men tied on 10 points including: Jon, Ben, John, Chris, Malcolm, Gordon, Nigel.

The full leader boards with all the points (please check I’ve given you everything I should have) will be on the board tomorrow and on the website in the next couple of days.  https://www.sefitness.com/events-courses/results/