Running up that hill

The vision of Easingwold Running Club is to create a positive, diverse and socially

connected running community where everyone feels supported and valued. Having

recently finished an eleven-week training programme for the inaugural Easingwold

10k run, I can confirm that this vision is alive and kicking!

The experience of everyone who participated in this programme has been so

positive. One of the reasons for this is the ethos of ‘supportive challenge’ which the

programme leader John Howell-Walmsley and fellow running club members Cheryl,

Pippa and Sally-Ann established from the outset.

We were a diverse group, certainly in age range, with people from their 20s through

to their 60s, and in terms of our previous running experience and expectations.

Everyone had the same destination in mind: the 10km finish, but everyone was on a

different journey. A lot of us had never run more than 5k let alone a 10k, one or two

had run further but wanted to improve their technique, some wanted the camaraderie

of training together, some wanted confidence back after a gap in running; others

were recovering from injury or had ongoing health issues.

The programme got underway with an orientation meeting at The Olive Branch cafe.

Some people clearly knew each other, but many were alone and clearly

apprehensive, one person describing her emotional state as ‘quaking’. The

assumption that everyone could comfortably run 5k in 39 minutes or less prompted

some people to say that this was not necessarily a given! Lots of reassurance then

came from John that he would get everyone over the finish line if they stuck with the

Wednesday night sessions and training schedule for each week. However, it was

clear that this was also going to be a programme with some rigour. “We meet at

18.30 hours - do not be late!” were John’s parting words, providing a clue to his army

background, and making his expectation of our own personal commitment very clear.

The programme itself was highly structured, with a carefully planned schedule of

exercises and running drills. Over the next eleven weeks we progressively built up

our strength and stamina, and – just as importantly - our understanding of technique,

pacing and how to look after ourselves, including warming-up and cooling down

routines. We soon became familiar with the delights of such things as squats, pogo

jumping, single leg balancing, planks, sit ups and bridge hip thrusts. No doubt some

of our activities would have been a curious sight to dog walkers and other park

users.

As the weeks progressed, we increased our running distances, moving on from

Millfield Park to road running. In addition to our main Wednesday night training

sessions there was also the option to join a fitness training session at Alne and in

any event, there was the expectation that we followed through individually on the

prescribed training for that week.

The group experience was highly sociable and mutually supportive. Everyone was

keen to help each other, with plenty of opportunity to share experiences. Sometimes

this was done while running at the suggested ‘chatty pace’, before going on to more

strenuous activities. A lively WhatsApp group also helped us all to maintain

momentum and encourage each other.

At the end of the final training session John told us that we had actually done the

really hard work. Naturally we would be nervous about the 10k itself, but we should

also be very confident that we could do it. And, just as importantly, we should make

sure that we enjoyed the experience. These sentiments were echoed by Colin

Fletcher, Chair of Easingwold Running Club, who told us how proud he was of what

we had all achieved.

In the days before the race itself we suggested motivational songs which might help

us. These included Europe’s The Final Countdown, the theme tune from Rocky, Kate

Bush’s Running Up that Hill (we had all ‘enjoyed’ doing the hill run practice) and

David Bowie’s Heroes (‘we can be Heroes – just for one day’).

On the day itself we met at The Galtres and had a final warm up session. The

atmosphere in the town was special, with a feeling of excitement and coming

together, one person describing the event as ‘Easingwold at its best’. With our warm-

up completed and buoyed-up by the buzz of the occasion we were away. Most of us

duly maintained the suggested chatty pace in the early stages of the run before

settling into our own pace. Some of us even managed the ‘strong finish’ that we had

been encouraged to do! Everyone who entered completed the run. Our prizes for

finishing were a shiny Easingwold 10k medal, bottles of water, biscuits and a sense

of hard-won accomplishment.

This quotation from one of the group captures our experience:

“The comradery, team spirit and humour were a major part of the experience. I made

new friends, learnt new techniques about staying fit and healthy and at the end of it, I

did complete a 10K. But the best part: we did it as a team. Cheering the last member

over the finish line was as much a high as coming over it myself.”

If anyone is reading this is thinking about whether they should ‘run up that hill’ and

wondering whether they should give the 10k training a go next time, these words

from the final finisher over the line should encourage you:

“I was supported through the sweat and sometimes tears and have really enjoyed

the whole experience. So even if you think you can’t do it, believe me when I say it is

possible with the right people behind you!”