Sent: 09 November 2008 00:27
Subject: VS Update - cross country, reminders, results, bones, beer
Cross Country next weekend
Races are Saturday at
And Sunday at Nell Bank, Ilkley mixed 11:00am http://ilkleyharriers.org.uk/08peco.html
register on the day from 9:00am onwards.
Please let Paul Hunter [email protected]
know which of these you are running. If you are going to run one of these
but are undecided which to run, then also let Paul know as he will be able to
tell which day we are short for teams.
Quick Reminders
Next Tuesday (11th) we are at the Track at
Leeds Met. Run starts at 7:10. Arrive at least 5 mins early in case
there is a queue to pay! Details on www.valleystriders.org.uk/striders.htm#training
Next Tuesday (11th) is also the cut-off for
nominations for Committee Members.
The following Tuesday (18th) is AGM
(starting 8:30pm prompt) and Lasagne night (8:20pm), please book stating
whether meat or vegetarian lasagne.
NB from last Tuesday’s pie and peas, two people left
without paying or some people paid insufficient money. The pie and peas
was £2.50 and the apple pie £1.50.
A few more volunteers required to help at the Abbey
Dash, please!
Striders Xmas meal / presentation night Friday 19
December at Leos, price will be £9.50, more details to follow.
Results
Guy Fawkes 10
7 Tracey Morris
60:12 (1st W)
23 Dan
Fisher 64:13
58
67 Dan
Murray 68:08
135 Eric
Green 72:07
222 Simon Redshaw 76:27
319 Erica Hiorns 81:20
349 Sue
441 Chloe
The race was won by Darran Bilton in 52:59 who was
over 4 minutes ahead of the 2nd placed runner
somewhere between 20 ½ and 21 miles depending which
route you took
3 Steve
Webb 2:57
9 Anthony Fryer 3:00
11 Drew
Taylor 3:09
13 Ian Sanderson 3:13
25 Malcolm Coles 3:29
29 John Wallace
3:37
30 Bob
Jackson 3:39
39 Richard Adcock 3:51
44 Geoff Webster 3:55
61 Peter Stevenson 4:19
Them Bones, Them Bones, Them Brittle Bones…!
(From Paul Briscoe)
Many of you will be aware that I have gained a
reputation for breaking bones in important races. First (and probably most
famously!) I tripped over a rock during the descent from Ingleborough during the
1995 Three Peaks Race and smashed my wrist – but still got up and carried on to
come third. Then I repeated the feat at almost exactly the same point in the
2002
A number of people have jokingly suggested that I must
have brittle bones. I always dismissed this, as it is something normally
associated with post-menopausal women and almost unheard of in active younger
men. However, after my most recent fracture, which resulted from a pretty
innocuous fall, I decided to get checked out. It transpires that I do indeed
have osteoporosis.
It was my wife Jo who first flagged up the possibility
that I might have a problem. Earlier this year she attended a seminar at which
one of the topics under discussion was the adverse effect of certain steroidal
drugs on bone density. Jo realised that I had been given one of these drugs,
throughout my teenage years, to treat severe hay fever. My present GP has never
prescribed this drug because of the possible adverse side effects and openly
acknowledges that it is likely to be the primary cause of my condition.
Although I only received one injection per year, it was a large dose intended
to provide protection throughout the entire hay fever season. However, the real
problem is that it was administered at a time when I was growing rapidly and
hence laying down a lot of new bone.
When I went for my tests, I was dismayed to find that
I am over an inch shorter than I used to be. This is common in osteoporosis due
to the gradual degeneration of vertebrae in the spine and may well have been
compounded in my case by the compressive effect of running on the spine. It may
also explain why I started to suffer so many more aches and pains during my
last few years of running. So it’s probably just as well that I decided to stop
when I did!
The prognosis isn’t all that bad now that the problem
has been picked up, as there are drugs available which promote recalcification
of bones and which should prevent things from deteriorating. Even so, I think
it is probably wise for me to restrict myself to walking and cycling in future.
The moral of this story is that if you have ever been
on a long-term course of steroids, particularly in childhood, it might be worth
getting your bone density checked.
Of course, every cloud has a silver lining! It is
interesting to speculate on how much benefit my ultra-light bones were to me
during my days of competitive running ………just as long as I managed to stay on
my feet!
Otley Beer Festival 14th And 15th November
And now for a shameless plug!
I know that quite a number you enjoy real ale. If you
do, you might want to consider finding your way to Otley on either Friday 14th
or Saturday 15th November to attend the Otley Beer Festival.
The festival takes place in Otley Civic Centre (near
the start of the Otley 10 Mile Race) between 12 noon and 11.00pm on both days.
Admission costs just £5 and includes a commemorative glass and £2 worth of beer
(you can buy extra beer tickets!). All proceeds are shared between
Over the years, the festival has gained a reputation
for being very friendly and we have had to increase our orders yet again (60
different draught ales plus cider, perry and continental bottled beers) to
ensure that we don’t sell out before the end of the Saturday night. There is
also some live music……. and if you are around on Saturday at 5pm you might even
witness yours truly attempting to play his guitar. ………You have been warned!!