steLies fRist atemt at a cLub neuslitr mArch 2017. (NOaT: must lern two uSe spelchik)

Editorial

WOW - what a start to the year we have had!

The events around the turn of the year were like a depth charge exploding deep

down in our midst. I think most of us were stunned at the momentum which had

actively been built up behind the scenes for some time beforehand, and it therefore

took us a while to understand what was going on, gather our thoughts, and get back

to the business of running this unique and very successful running club.

Some say “Trust has to be earned”, but my observation is that most of us in PRC seem

to give it freely and openly, especially to those with whom we share a common

interest, and would have continued to do so without question, unless and until

something happened which suddenly made us feel like we had been betrayed.

Whilst I feel sure most of us still cannot fathom quite what has been achieved by

those who instigated the breakaway, it seems clear that the overall effects on PRC

have actually been very positive, despite the loss of a few members.

History teaches us that such upheavals are part of an inevitable metamorphosis as

an organisation evolves however, and thankfully that unsettling time is but water

under the bridge now, as we in PRC move on with our integrity intact and our

heads held high.

The sooner we can all accept that everyone involved must genuinely have thought

their motives were reasonable and therefore justified, the sooner we can consign our

baggage about “who did what” and “who said what” to the rubbish bin, and the better

we will all be able to focus on the future. I am not saying we should forget, but I do

think it would certainly be better all round if we learned to forgive.

As a direct result of the breakaway, we now seem to be a much better coordinated,

more motivated, more united group of people, and to cap it all, our best runners are

still with us and coming into form as is evident from recent results. We also have

new friends, new contacts and new members, so the future for PRC looks bright.

Our greatest asset however, is surely the renewed spirit of unity, camaraderie, and

sense of belonging which makes this club such a great vehicle for friendships.

Long may we continue to nurture that spirit.

New Features

There are some new features in this issue, which I think are likely to become

fixtures, so let me know if you like them or not, and please feel free to suggest

others, as well as sending me articles for inclusion in the next issue.

The Alf Tupper – “Tough of The Track” Award

This award goes to the Club member

who has demonstrated the greatest

ability to endure hardship or

adversity in the course of either

running an event, or a related activity

in preparation for running an event,

since the previous newsletter.

Essential qualities include dogged

determination, preferably against

overwhelming odds, and as often as

not, a generous slice of stupidity!

Wearing red shorts is not a prerequisite, but as you will see below, it can

sometimes be an advantage!

The selection will be based upon purely arbitrary and subjective evidence which

has been presented to the editor for consideration during the intervening period

since the previous newsletter. There are no prizes and no appeals, but I am

supremely confident this will be a hard fought competition!

The Club Member Profile

Each issue of the magazine will also now contain a broad profile of a club

member, written by the said Club Member, in response to a standard

questionnaire.

A tungincheek™ Article

Although this article may not appear in all issues, it is the opportunity for

members to send in a humourous or perhaps a downright cynical sideways look

at some aspect of life, not necessarily related to running.

Please exercise your creative talents and get working on some amusing satirical

slant at whatever you think may appeal to our audience. On that last point, if you

can keep the words quite short, preferably no more than two syllables would be

helpful, and don’t make the jokes too deep, because the editor may struggle to

understand them, let alone explain them to readers!

Don’t worry about your writing talents either, the editor can help you with your

gramer and spelin’.

A tungincheek™ Article: Ian Hines

Competing to win - a few tips.

Winning isn’t easy. It takes time and experience to learn how to stay the course and come out ahead. Naturally you have to be fit and trained for the distance, but it's not enough just to want it, usually it is also very important to weigh up the opposition and plan ahead, a lot of which, as you will see below, revolves around integrity and respect.

Integrity

To have integrity means that what you say and what you do line up with each other. In its simplest form it means that you do not say one thing and then do another. It is therefore about being honest, especially with yourself.

In the context of a competition, the best way to achieve this is to have a strategy which matches your aspirations to your abilities, so make sure before you start the race that you know your goals and have prepared yourself to deal with whatever might go wrong as the competition unfolds.

It is simply foolish to start without knowing your own strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of your opponents. Be ambitious by all means, but also be realistic and don’t count your chickens before they are hatched otherwise you may end up with far fewer than you thought!

Integrity and ambition are vital to long term success. If you aren’t honest, or if you cheat in some other way, your reputation will be tarnished, so ultimately it is only yourself you are cheating. Ego and bravado have no part in integrity.

Respect the Distance

Sometimes a race can seem easy at first, especially if you take an early lead, but be prepared for others to come from behind when conditions become more difficult.

You may need extra stamina and determination when the going gets tough, and if you've used all your ammunition early the result might not be to your liking, and you may end up leading far fewer people across the finish line than you first

thought – perhaps on a really bad day, even less than half as many - as those around you sense you are losing ground and have simply run out of steam!

Respect the Field

The person who starts fastest seldom wins, so it is often better to hold back, assess the opposition to see what the experienced competitors are doing, and rely more on your own judgment than on the judgment of someone who despite initial appearances, may not really know what they are doing or who they are up against.

Ego alone does not win competitions, except of course if you are competing to become the President of the USA it would seem?

Think for Yourself

Sometimes a leader will appear quickly, so if you decide to tag along be cautious, it may not be apparent by their confident egotistical manner that they are going to fade, so you need to think for yourself and be prepared to adapt your plans.

This also applies to a break-away group because sometimes a group will pull clear, but they are often being pulled along by someone who has simply jumped the gun and misjudged the opposition. If you do find yourself in a break-away watch carefully to make sure it is not going to get swallowed up by the main pack when “the tough get going”.

Remember, whatever happens in a race, it is only what happens at the end that really matters. Be prepared to change tactics as the race progresses, perhaps by joining a stronger group as it overhauls the one you have been running in. They have probably got their pacing right so you'll be assured of a better position.

Experience really does make a difference.

Respect the Winners

Whatever the result and however your race went, congratulate the winners, or better still, join them on training runs and revel in their enthusiasm.

Learn not just by your own mistakes, but also by the mistakes of others who may look good passing the grandstand on the first lap, but who fade when it REALLY matters - and remember who they are for next time so that you do not get caught out by them again!

The Alf Tupper “Tough of the Track” award.

We have had roasting hot marathons, freezing cold midnight marathons, half

marathons, gruelling trail runs, speedy 10k’s, and a host of other notable

achievements over the last few months, but despite the excellent performances in

races by many members, two performances stand out in contention for this

particular award.

Both performances demonstrate the prerequisite dogged determination against

overwhelming odds, and yes, it must be said, a healthy slice of stupidity!

The first contender is a lady who

flew thousands of miles, went

shopping for a few hours, then

ran a midnight marathon mostly

off road on frozen terrain, over

tree roots, potholes etc, yet even

after stumbling about in the

darkness for four hours because

she forgot to pack her head

torch, still earned 22nd place in

the 2017 World rankings.

She then flew back to Paphos in

the early hours and was back at

work the same morning. Yes, of

course, who else but Anthi

Demetriou!!!

Now in any “normal” club

Anthi, that would have made

you the hands down, runaway

winner of this award.

However, as you know, PRC is

no normal club, so there is

another very strong contender

this quarter, whom we also

know and love.

This gentleman ran a marathon “as a training run” on the hottest day of the year up

to that point, didn’t bother with sun cream or any other wimpy namby-pamby

fashion accessories, and he pushed himself so hard that near the end he was

exhausted and almost speechless.

He wears red shorts, bounces on his toes, has many other fine attributes, amongst

which is clearly NOT the skill of applying sun cream, which can be seen from the

photograph below!

As can happen as a result of

extreme and prolonged

efforts, near the end of his

long ordeal he was

hallucinating.

He claimed for example that

some weirdo on a folding

“shopper” bike came up

alongside him and offered

him a lift – I mean, get real,

right? – then he claimed the

sponge he was handed up at

the PRC water station had

been soaked in Electrolyte

solution not water! How

ludicrous, there is no way that

could possibly have happened

now is there Collette? . . . . . . .

. . . . Collette?

This was certainly a gruelling run and a very gutsy performance on a tough day, but

two weeks later at Limassol it paid off when he posted his best time for the 2017

season of 4 hours 14 minutes, knocking 12 minutes off his time in Paphos.

Well done Lee, keep up the good work, there is obviously more in the tank!

Club Member Profile – Terry Davies

The tanned complexion, the ready smile, and with a great running career already behind him, this quarter we find out a bit more about Terry Davies.

We may guess by his accent that Terry hails from Manchester, but how many of us knew that he has a classic, fully Campagnolo equipped Raleigh Road Racing bike in his shed which would fetch a pretty penny in the American market?

Terry is certainly a class act who is just coming back into running, so watch this space – you may beat him today, but rest assured he will have his sights set on you tomorrow!

Running is not Terry’s only hobby however as he enjoys drinking decent wine, including Italian reds and Alsacienne Grand Crus, perhaps as an accompaniment to his favourite meal, seafood pasta?

When did you start running and Why?

I ran for school Xcountry in Inter schools etc, then break bringing up kids...restarted

early thirties as had little activity except with kids cycling (and some fairly serious

mountaineering, busy bagging Monroes) and been running since. For me a real

sense of achievement and the buzz!!

Who are your running heroes and why?

Steve Ovett, Jos Naylor - supreme athletes and a runner's runner. They embody the

essence of club running, in their respective fields - track, road and fell.

What do you most enjoy about running and why?

Overall, the sense of achievement also the planning for training runs and races.

What is your best running memory and why?

PB for marathon, vets winner in Teggs Nose and making the top 100 (just!!) In

Athletics Weekly for half marathon. Unfortunately, I've misplaced my running logs

for the 80's which is when most of my decent running took place, and my memory

is a bit hazy, but my half marathon times were consistent and often around 73

minutes with my PB 71 minutes.

Teggs Nose is near Macclesfield and consists of a 6 mile loop taking in the summit

of 380 metres, with some fast bits through woods. I was really chuffed with my PB

here as I got to keep the splendid pot for a whole year!

My marathon best was in the Flying Fox near Nottingham in 1985 and I managed

2h:34m. I also had a couple of Londons with 2h:38m and 2h:36m.

What do you consider is your best ever race and why?

Kinder Scout fell race...tremendous sense of camaraderie. Awesome!

When did you join PRC and why?

Late 2015 Needed running company as getting lazy....

How often do you run and how do you try and avoid injury?

At the moment trying for four short runs with lots of flexibility

Which running shoes do you favour and why?

Ortholite pro touch. Cheap and seemingly indestructible

What is your favourite music?

James (the band) . Personal interest here as my eldest (classically trained violinist,

Orchestra Leader) has been with the band for 28 years!!! Check 'em out - Oh Sit

Down, Laid, She's a Star etc Their new album has some beautiful stuff on it - But

then I'm somewhat biased.....

What books do you read?

Currently The European Dream; Count Zero. The former is a comparison between

The American Dream and the new way of conducting life in Europe. The book is

now 30 years old and has lost some of it's resonance especially post-Brexit, but it's

central themes remain - life in Europe is geared more towards quality of life with

less emphasis on the religious right and the need to prosper at all cost-The waning

American Dream. Count Zero is again, 30 years old but is an exciting Sci-Fi thriller

that plays around with radical ideas of Cyberspace.

What kind of films do you like?

Sci Fi, Thriller. Bladerunner and anything by David Lynch, but especially Blue

Velvet (evil and vulnerability personified: Frank, Dennis Hopper and Dorothy,

Isabella Rosselini.....shuddering as I write this!)

What could we do to improve PRC?

Making the Sunday run more worth the effort...longer/social aspect??

One thing really worth mentioning here about Terry is his modesty. The first draft

he produced for me basically said: “Started running, stopped, started again, stopped

again, and have now started again”. Well, OK , it said a little bit more than that, but

you get my drift.

When I eventually prised a few more details out of him, like his string of marathons

at an average pace of sub 4 minute kms and a 71 minute half marathon etc, he was

concerned that it would look like he was blowing his own trumpet!

So, just for the record Terry, you have a great trumpet to blow and we all want to hear it at full blast! Thank you for your contribution to this Newsletter and to PRC generally. Great to have you in our midst.

NOTE: This article is about all of us learning more about each other, and not just about our running prowess, so when you do your profile, please take a deep breath and blow your trumpet loud and hard – because we all want to hear it!

Another tungincheek™ Article: Steelie

Top Athletes

Terry is not our only “top athlete” of course, we have several very fine performers in PRC, many of whom are fastidious about healthy living, and in particular about their eating habits.

We all know this because every Saturday morning when we gather for breakfast at our favourite little Italian Bistro – cunningly disguised as the Frog and Toad Karaoke bar – we can see them all tucking into a full English, complete with fried bread and black pudding, those well known super-foods.

Antonio (Toni to his friends) the Sicilian Ristorantoré and I have a rather special relationship you may have noticed, and when I order a vegetarian breakfast - Prima colazione vegetariana - it now always comes complete with bacon and sausage.

Toni denies that he gets homesick – “nostalgia di casa” he romantically calls it – but when I asked him about his mother’s pasta he couldn’t hide a little tear forming in the corner of his left eye or the catch in his voice. Bless!

He’s a great guy that Toni, always makes us feel welcome, but even though he is obviously Italian, he still pretends to be English for some reason, and I wonder if he is on some “Don’s” hit list, – maybe even the very same “Don” whom Ian and I met in Sicily last October? Don’t worry Toni – we didn’t give you up!

Anyway, getting back to healthy eating, there is one particular individual in PRC who has an almost obsessive preoccupation with eating well, and to be fair, one glance at him and the extent of his dietary dedication will be obvious.

He does of course benefit from having a wife who makes excellent Walnut cake, and who has somehow mastered the knack of making walnut cake even when all she has to hand are raisins, sultanas and all-bran!

The secret to his success however is not in the “magic” walnut cake!

It is in the sheer quantity of other super-foods which he consumes on a regular basis, as here we see him having bravely downed several kilograms of dumplings.

His strategy is devilishly cunning. The sheer effort of getting his dumpling laden carcass up out of the chair builds up so much strength into his leg muscles that the effort of running is minimal by comparison!

Barry tells me that he also enlists Gill’s cooperation by getting her to hide the remote, so every time he wants to watch a different program he has to get up out of the chair and wade through 3 metres of shag-pile carpet to change channels.

It is this kind of hard-core selfless dedication which makes Barry a top athlete, and a shining example to us all, especially the younger generation!

For more leading edge training tips watch this space!

Winter 2017 Results

Recent PRC results include:

Anthi Demetriou bursting into

World rankings at 22nd place

with a strong 4:17:30 in an icy-

cold, mixed terrain, midnight

marathon on New Year’s Eve in

Zurich.

Chris Coleman recording a

remarkable 1:37:44 in the over 70

age group of the Ras al Khaimah

half marathon (seen here

cruising to a splendid age group

win in the Paphos marathon).

Dave Dowd winning the over 65

age group with an outstanding

1:34:05 in the Aphrodite half

marathon.

In the gruelling Blossom Trail

Run near Polis, Simon Rogers

was fourth overall, Nic

Sutherland was the first over 60

finisher, and ever-smiling Janet

Sutherland made her race even

harder by adding another loop,

yet still beat several others!

New recruit Hannah Howard has also been performing very well lately as this brief round-up of her recent performances indicates, with several excellent results in the women’s categories:

22 Jan Farnborough Half 1:23:24 1st

19 Feb Hillingdon Half 1:23:06 3rd

25 Feb Manx Harriers 10km 0:37:24 1st

12 March Bath Half Marathon 1:21:53

Paphos 5th March:

Marathon 42kms

On a very hot day, everyone earned their Medal, with Chris Coleman and Leslie

Slater cruising to age group honours. Simon Rogers was our fastest competitor, and

“man-of-the-match” was Lee Hinton who, having been on a sub 4 hour schedule up to

30kms, succumbed to the heat but still managed to finish ahead of Dave Leader.

Chris Coleman 1st 3:38:48 M70

Leslie Slater 3rd 3:44:11 M55

Simon Rogers 3:30:18 M40

Lee Hinton 4:26:10 M40

Dave Leader 4:33:39 M40

Half Marathon 21kms

Janet easily beat her target time and comfortably won her age group, whilst Nigel

elegantly snuck inside 2 hours with a masterful 1 second margin! John’s time was

also very creditable, given his current level of fitness.

Janet Sutherland 1st 1:53:31 F55

Nigel Radcliffe 1:59:58 M60

John Williams 2:04:34 M65

10 Kilometre

Never outclassed, Dave “Speedy” Dowd twinkled his toes around the 10km course

to win his age group by a very handsome margin. Well done Speedy!

David Dowd 1st 0:43:13 M65

Stylish Nigel (½m) “Speedy” Dave (10km) Smiling Janet (½ m)

“Speedy” is seen here demonstrating his familiar intensely focused race-face in the

Paphos 10 kilometre event, whilst recent recruit stylish Nigel Radcliffe appears to be

enjoying listening to an episode of “Live at the Apollo” on his way to breaking two

hours in the Paphos half marathon, and Janet casually smiles her way to a PB!

19th March:

Limassol Marathon 42kms

Recovered from his overheating ordeal two weeks previously, Lee delivered a much

improved performance, knocking 12 minutes off his time at Paphos and laying

down a season best. Well done Lee, keep up the good work.

Lee Hinton 4:14:53 M40

Limassol Half Marathon 21kms

Janet again went well, even though tired from the previous day’s training session,

and produced a very consistent time only a handful of seconds outside her PB:

Janet Sutherland 1:53:47

Eastleigh 10 Kilometres

PRC members Nigel and Hannah, another very recent recruit who gives “Speedy” a

run for his money, were both competing in this event, with Nigel clocking up a 5

year best performance at the distance, and Hannah using it as more of a race-pace

training run as part of her build up to an assault on her marathon PB:

Hannah Howard 0:39:01

Nigel Radcliffe 0:49:08

PRC’s Finest . . . . . . . . . . . . . Not Forgetting . . . .

Forthcoming Events Date Event Location 2 Apr Run around Paphos 4km & 10km Paphos Fort 23 Apr Pafos Sprint & Olympic Triathlon Paphos 23 Apr Xterra Sprint and Full Triathlon Paphos 30 Apr La Sportiva Lysos Run 13km & 21km Lysos, Paphos 7 May Xenon cross 10km Omodos 13 May 2 Castles Mountain Ultra 10k/30k/50k/80km Kyrenia, N. Cyprus 20 May Cyprus Ultra Marathon

10km, 21km, 50km,100km & 217km Vasa Kellakiou, Limassol

11 Jun Troodos Green Race 15km Troodos Square Pikni Relays Pikni Picnic area Jul/Aug Yeroskipou 4km Yeroskipou Square 7 Oct Troodos Mountain Ultra 10k/25k/50k/80k Troodos Square Oct Statos-Agios Fotios 10km Statos-Agios Fotios 5 Nov La Sportiva Vertical Feat 23-26 Nov International 4-Day Challenge - 6km TT/

11km hill race/ 21km trail/ 10km RR In & around Paphos area

26 Nov Aphrodite Half Marathon & 5k Yeroskipou Stadium 10 Dec La Sportiva Fit & Fun Challenge Stavrovouni

The Newsletter - Action Required This newsletter is a different style from previous issues, so has not been posted on the website yet because I think the club should have the opportunity to consider whether that is a suitable communication channel for the revised style.

I have taken a rather sideways look at the club’s activities, so some people may feel certain aspects of it are not appropriate for broadcasting on the website, eg. The Top Athlete article with references to “Ristorantoré Toni” and Barry’s Dumplings, and perhaps even the bit about Lee hallucinating.

My thinking is Newsletters are marketing opportunities so a mildly amusing and slightly irreverent style is more likely to interest non-members in following – and possibly therefore at some point joining - PRC than a straight laced and rather self-aggrandizing catalogue of our activities and achievements, which although very important to us, may not be quite so significant or entertaining for others?

Please have a think, and I will be looking for a decision from our next meeting on 10th April as to how we want to proceed with the Newsletter.

Thank you.

David (AKA Steelie)