Harris Blog

Walking & Climbing October 2011

We decided to go back to the Peak District and whilst there, spend a day of nostalgia visiting our old haunts when we were at Sheffield University.
After being towed by an obliging AA man to Bradwell from Watford Gap, l arrived an hour or more late for our “warm up” walk. The lads met me at the garage at the other end of the village where I left my car to have a new water pump fitted; on with the boots and away.
We made the best of the good weather and walked towards Brough, viewed the remains of a Roman fort at “Navio” and the old lead mine workings complete with stone flu, and had a break at the hamlet of Shatton (which means farmstead between two rivers-not what you were thinking) We climbed over Shatton Moor to Wolfpit where we inspected a tumulus, across Overdale Nature Reserve to Bradwell Edge then a sharp, slippery decent to Bradwell Church. My being late hadn’t encroached on an interesting 3hr jaunt before it got dark.
That evening, we were joined by a sixth old student (my best man) who had suffered some hard times and who we’d persuaded to come if only for the nostalgia trip into Sheffield. After sausage and bubble or pork belly we entered the pub quiz, came third and ended a late evening with bingo. But for number 18, I’d have won the jackpot.
On Wednesday, we caught a double decker bus into Sheffield which took us through some lovely countryside swathed in mist into the city (about 45mins) We got off at Pond Street and wandered to the Station which has been substantially refurbished since we were there 50yrs ago; the West side is now futuristic water features leading up to the huge Hallam University building. What’s that?
When we were last there, there was a small Sheffield Poly, that’s all. On, up to the Winter Gardens and Millenium Centre before coming to the Crucible Theatre. All very smart, worth a visit in itself. A cup of coffee and a brief look at the art and history of cutlery before a tram ride up to Western Bank. Modern , smooth double -jointed trams which were reintroduced about 12yrs ago. (We remembered the originals) Alan, who had risen to the rank of Colonel in the TA Paras had arranged for us to meet Chris Moore, who had been 3yrs older than us and had done his National Service so had been a Lieutenant in our OTC and still lived in Sheffield. “The Bath Hotel” was being refurbished-Chris had chosen it as being as it was 50yrs ago not knowing about the refurb, so we had to find a poncy place round the corner where we spent an hour poring over old photos and reliving our times in the TA. Alan strove on; Pete, Terry and I got into a lot of trouble , earnt some good money and never rose above the rank of Private.
We then looked round Firth Hall where we used to take our exams, the Students Union which was like the Savoy compared with when we were there. I asked the girl on the desk if she got paid to which she replied in the affirmative. Everything was voluntary in our day even the building of a Bailey Bridge for students to gain access from Western Bank across a landslip into the Union. ( actually, we were paid a crate of beer each per day and did it in just over two days) We walked up to Broomhill where Martin and I used to buy a fish cake and chips for our lunch and if flush, a bilberry pie from the butcher’s wife. Down Ashdell Road to look at Stephenson Hall , across the road to see our rooms in Carisbrooke (now spelt Carysbrook for some reason).
Sadly, all our rooms were unoccupied we guessed ready for redevelopment; what a waste of badly needed space for students to live. We wandered down to Hunters Bar and caught the 272 bus back in time for a pint of Skipton Brewery’s “Copper Dragon” before a shower. John Porteous, the mechanic,had contacted me whilst we were on the bus to say that my car was fixed; I told him where we’d been and he said that he was a school mate of Chris Moore’s son, so there’s a coincidence.
It was raining lightly the next day when we set off in Alan’s Land Rover Freelander for Ladybower Reservoir where we parked on the West side before walking back and over the A57 bridge to take the path up Lead Hill.
Up over Whitestone Lee and over Derwent edge where we saw several Red and Black Grouse of both sexes and were startled by their call when disturbed. We stopped at the “Cakes of Bread” rock outcrop to shelter from the wind and rain and ate the turkey rolls that we’d bought at the village shop. Over Howden Edge, scrambing down Dove Stone Clough which was the toughest section then we found Archer’s Farm a little off where we had intended to arrive on the East side of Ladybower. As the rain had become heavier, we plumped for walking back along the water’s edge path back to the Land Rover having been out for seven hours.

Make a note; Jez and Karen Warrington Ye Olde Bowling Green Inn, Smalldale, Bradwell, Hope Valley. Derbys. S33 9JQ dalesinns@aol.co.uk tel. 01433 620450 www.yeoldebowlinggreen.webs.com a friendly pub in which to stay. Steve H.

Presentation Evening Speech October 2011

No doubt you will receive a report re the Presentation Evening which went very well . In my role as President, I said a few words and finished by quoting a piece written by Ron Pickering the President of Haringey AC for their Newsletter dated February 1987.

He had mentioned Haringey AC’s venture into Europe, saying that they were ambassadors of the sport. He then wrote “Why should we not create the best athletic environment for successful performance based upon the rules of fair play and at the same time establish a welcome atmosphere for those who first want the “fun” of athletics or who are limited in either their abilities or their opportunities for excellence?

That I honestly believe is the real “buzz” that l get when l am down at New River. Very often l bring friends who immediately sense the same feeling and nothing makes me feel more proud than to be a member of such a club. Whatever talent, shape, size, colour, creed or event let no one be denied, for it is something to be cherished and tell your grandchildren about.”

Hackney Schools’ Sports Championships October 2011 held at the Clissold Leisure Centre, Stoke Newington
Hackney Schools’ Sports Championships October 2011 held at the Clissold Leisure Centre, Stoke Newington

This was the fourth time that this event had been held and Ty and I have worked at the last three. This year, it was decided that an extra day would be added before the Championships to cater for “pre School” age children, so on Friday, 7th October, Karen Murphy was coopted to help us along with Ben Pochee (Highgate Harriers) representing Quad Kids.
Despite being told that we’d have children of “about 5yrs old” we found that we had children of 3yrs old! Our first brilliant idea was to give each child a number, pinned on with just one pin. We had to deal with about 100 little kiddies, so we did a short, suitably simple warm up and split the children into groups which we rotated every 20mins. Between events, each group sat on a mat the colour of which corresponded to the colour given to their group. In the morning, we had a 20metre sprint which Ty supervised, a standing long jump onto a proper marked out mat organised by Karen , then throwing a “howler” (smallest version) which l supervised. Each child had a go at the three events by rotation and we had “young leaders” to help us.
We explained that in the Olympics, Usain Bolt is called up by his number not his name, so the children responded well to being “called up” just like the real thing.
Everyone was given a packed lunch, suitable for all fads and religions and the children were given a “motivational” speech by a paralympian blind swimmer followed by a theatre troupe mime with an Olympic theme.
After lunch break, during which we’d sloped off for a cup of tea at the ethnic café upstairs, we resumed working with the kiddies.
Each school chose who they wanted to do each event and a competition was held. As the scores were recorded, Ben rapidly sorted them on his laptop according to his Quad Kids tables, so that at the end of the competitions, we had an instant set of results.
The afternoon finished with the Presentation Ceremony the winning nursery school being Linden. All the competitors were given medals and kept their numbers to show off at home. We finished at about 2.30 by which time the children were tired but happy.
We’ve never tried coaching 3yr olds before, but this “experiment” was a huge success due to the quality of the coaching, the assistants and the environment. What are your thoughts on the matter?
Ty, Karen and I were back on Monday, 10th October for a week of Sportshall Athletics accompanied by Ismail ( our Algerian ex international 400m runner colleague ) 60 to 70 children each day from 8yrs to 16yrs old including some with “special needs”. We had fun, commuting every day to Finsbury Park station and fast walking/jogging across the park to and from the Clissold Centre, eating cheese sandwiches every day, lots of tea, shifting the “bleechers” twice a day (obviating the need for weight training on Wednesday) and falling asleep on the train going home! Did you know that you can’t use an Oyster Card between Hadley Wood and Potters Bar stations? On the Monday, Ty had a good start to the week when he was thrown off the train at Potters Bar and had to return to Hadley Wood, leaving Karen to take the After School Club at Pope Pauls.
Click on the photos below for a larger image.

Tour de France July 2011

Whilst being interviewed, Cavendish said “ you know there’s a part of the brain which says “ I shouldn’t be doing this”. Well, we (bike riders) don’t have it”
Jens Voight (oldest rider in the Tour from Germany) said “ if there’s still a 10% chance that I can win something, then I’ll take it; otherwise it’s a 0% chance by not going for it”
When Cavendish wins a stage, all his team punch the air as they finish such is his inspiration to the HTC team in which there are some brilliant riders in their own right like Mark Renshaw.

Climbing & Walking April 2011

After an early start with the London Mini Marathon wheelchair children, I ran with the backmarkers to the finish and waited for my training group of adults. All of them did “PB’s” or near except one of our new guys who hit a pothole, buckled his wheel and had to retire at 16miles. Security is tighter every year more in aid of those like photographers who are making a buck than excluding potential terrorists. So after I’d helped find my guys ride home, I called to see our magnificent baggage-handling teams.
Off to Kings Cross Station to meet Joan who met me with my climbing gear. I changed in the Gents for 30p and caught 3pm fast train to Newcastle (£48.00 return) whilst Joan took my running stuff home by local train.
After staying overnight with Alan, my whisky expert friend in Newton, Northumberland, we had an easy journey to Braithwaite having time to visit Corbridge en route. We all met in the garden of the “Royal Oak” had a sandwich, donned our boots and set off up Barrow (455m) along to Outerside (568m) down to the disused mine and back along the Coledale Beck Valley which took us 4.5 hours. Steak & Kidney Suet Pudding and Veg, a few pints of Jennings Cumberland bitter ending with Bells and a shared cheeseboard before bed.
Before breakfast, we popped to the village General Store where the owner made us sandwiches of fresh baked baps for £1.80 each (£3.60 each in M&S) to take with us up Grisdale Pyke (791m) missed Eel Crag, Crag Hill (838m) Sail (773m) Causey Pike (637m) down Stoney Croft and along the valley road to Braithwaite about 8.5 hrs. We needed a couple of pints before showering after a hard day. After dinner we joined a bunch of Geordies to watch the last part of the Newcastle Man U game.
On Wednesday, we drove to Crummock Water to park before ascending Grasmore (851m) via Red Gill. The views were even more spectacular than the previous days; something we’d never experienced before as we usually suffer poor weather. The reflections in Crummock Water from a third of the way up Grasmore were just like the photos you see winning competitions even the surface of the lake was unusually smooth.
Then we hit the scree. Two steps up one back, nowhere to sit to take a rest, plodding on, thousands of step ups, harder than circuit training. It took Alan and I two hours, Martin and Steve nearly three whilst Terry sensibly chose to walk back to Buttermere and meet us in “The Bridge Inn” where we’d had a “magic moment” downing a pint of “Black Sheep” a couple of years ago.
After a good rest a few phone calls and a homemade sarny, we continued on past Crag Hill and down a gully to Gasgale Gill and back to the road where we climed into Alan’s Jag for the short journey to the Bridge to meet Terry, about 7hrs.
That evening, after dinner, we watched the end of the Arsenal v Spurs game and I had a beer with Bobby Smith’s grandson. (Bobby, a robust centre forward from Yorkshire who played with Jimmy Greaves)
The next day, Alan dropped me at Newcastle Station which had trains going everywhere; Scotland, Cornwall, all over. I left at 1pm and with a good connection, was in my house by 4.30pm, unpacked, repacked and went off to Norfolk for a few days whilst the good weather lasted.
Another good value pub for the list; The Royal Oak, Braithwaite. Nr Keswick, Cumbria CA12 5SY Tel 017687 78533 email tpfranks@hotmail.com www.royaloak-braithwaite.co.uk

Birthday Celebrations 12 February 2011

On Saturday 12th February, after training at Trent Park, we celebrated the 90th Birthday of Jack Stancombe and the 80th Birthday of Derek Wood. Jack was given his bespoke A4 sized card from us first and when Derek arrived, having forgotten about the occasion, he was given his. We heard how Jack had not taken up running until he’d retired at 60 and how, a lifelong Arsenal supporter, he’d often met George Graham in Trent Park whilst training and given George his advice! Famous for his antics in Bruges at the European Vets road races, he had asked Emile Zatopek for his autograph to which Zatopek responded by asking for 70yr old Jack’s signature first. Derek, known for his wild parties in his youth, although a useful steeplechaser, found fame as a Vet, peaking in his 50’s to win National and World Championships and records by running Marathons in just over two and half hours. Our President recalled some famous Barnet Vets team victories including National and European honours which included them both The assembled throng then sang “Happy Birthday” and we all tucked in to some long awaited cake.

  Steve Harris

Burns Night Celebration 29 January 2011

The Cunningham Family ( including 77yr old Jim, who supervised the car park in the freezing cold for a while) organised a 21st Anniversary Celebration of Burns Night at Finchley Catholic Boys School on Saturday 29th January. Many Club members supported the event and enjoyed some “Old Speckled Hen,” Budwieser and wine supplied by Dave Wilcock at the reception before sitting down to a traditional Burns Night meal, cooked by Sheila, Andy’s wife and her helpers.
We started with cock-a-leekie soup, then Katherine came round to sell raffle tickets (she was nearly as good as Sophie Parker) The organisers are to be congratulated on the quality of the Haggis which came with swede, turnip or neaps all the same vegetable depending whether you come from Barnet, Heckmondwike or Glasgow.
We had the traditional reciting of poems, some by men who were unable to speak the Queen’s English and some by men of Greek origin who spoke even posher than the Queen’s English. The best was the last; one of the only short poems read by a woman.
Pudding was “crannach”; raspberries and cream on oatmeal-lovely.
This course was accompanied by the highlight of the evening; Mel Parker “singing” a Burns ode to the tune of “Green grow the Rushes O” during which the audience sang the chorus.
We finished with cheese, biscuits and grapes while the raffle was drawn and prizes given to Steve Chilton for his poem and to Tim Butler for being the best dressed.
A table of 20 different malt whiskies was provided for us to sample with our coffees.
Phil Cunningham kept the evening going by acting as a humerous, efficient MC although he was not wearing a proper kilt, he’d done his best.
Over 80 people attended and Phil announced that well over £1000 had been raised for the North London Hospice which is adjacent to the School. Well done.

New Year - Same Attendance at Copthal - 19 January 2011

Despite it being freezing cold with rime on the track, a total of 45 Barnet & District athletes were training on 18th January at Copthall Track. I know of 5 regulars who were sick, injured or babysitting which would have made up the 50. I have just entered this information in my 28th Training Log ( an exercise book which represents about one year’s training notes ) Out of interest, I checked 19th January last year and we had the same number attending. Last year, there was Ty, Chris, Steve C, Bela and myself ( taking James’group ) as coaches. This Year , we had Ty, James, Chris, Bela, Peter R ,Eddie, Steve C with myself doing admin.

This year, we covered a wider range of training within the “endurance” spectrum and in the “sprints” spectrum along with jumps and throws.

I’m pleased to say that we had more people training than Shaftesbury. Steve Harris

Steves Oldies Tour of Spain October 2010

Luton to San Javier, Murcia by Ryan cattletruck for only £66 return which is bearable for 2hrs 20mins. We all managed to get our max 10kg including helmets into the regulation 50x40x20cm bags and paid the extra £30 for Percy to have a 15kg limit to include our pedals.

Arrived on time to 28degrees and picked up the Mercedes people-carrier then met the Bike Hire man at the first roundabout as agreed. The smallest (for me) was a collectable Colnago with an 18 speed Campag groupset and Sella Royale saddle, lovely. As Percy had the longest legs, he had the Decathlon cyclo cross machine with Hichens- type curly back forks.

Off to Campo de Palos, a pretty fishing village situated on a promontory complete with historic stone lighthouse on the Costa Calidad (hot coast) where Corkie had his apartment. We settled in, bought provisions for breakfast, fixed up the bikes and went out for a pizza and some LARGE gin & tonics in readiness for the big day ahead.

A 10am start to cycle along the side of the Mar Menor inland sea to Cartagena where we stopped briefly at a smart restaurant overlooking the harbour for a coffee. Adjacent to our spot was one of the first submarines built in 1888 by Leon Pucel.

We found our way out of the town which in 13th century had been one of the premier shipbuilding/naval ports in the Otoman Empire and still remains as an important base for both the Spanish and US Navies .It was such a pleasure to be cycling in the warmth and to be given respect by motorists even the police who waved us on at a roundabout as we left the town to tackle the hills.

The hills soon became mountains;hairpin after hairpin in 30degrees of heat. You thought that you might get a “blow” round the next bend, but it just got steeper and steeper I looked down, one 25 tooth cog left ( keep it in case I crack) half the electrolyte drink was gone already, no wonder Santani took EPO! The views were some compensation, views which included abandoned Pyrite and Lead mine workings, a source of wealth for Cartagena in the past. The mountain proved to be 1500m high.

Having won “the King of the Mountains” title on my Colnago and not wanting to take my feet out of the toe clips, I leant on a reflective post only to see it topple over the gorge with me clinging onto the barrier. At that moment, my mobile rang; “Johnny Rowe here” John had phoned to thank me for the card Joan had made and we’d sent.

Tom with the aid of a triple front clanger was next, then Corkie and Perc who all waited for me to finish chatting to John. An exciting decent followed where we reached speeds of 70kmph. NB in Spain the cars come up on the right-hand side of the road; could have been fatal! The adrenalin rush of the speed clouds your judgement.

In the foothills, we were travelling through some pretty villages looking for a rural café to have a late lunch when Corkie stopped worried that we’d dropped Percy and I went up his back whilst doing about 35kmph. The cuts weren’t bad but my ribs are still sore 16 days later. After a rest and a couple of Ibuprofen tablets we pressed on.

At the next village, we had a welcome baguette and beer/orange then pressed on against the wind towards El Algar via a 10mile detour due to a new road having been constructed. With 5miles to go, we just had to stop for refreshment before making for home. After showering, we managed to walk to Campo de Palos for a paella and more G & Ts by the quayside.

Having had a hard day, we spent the Wednesday cycling along the shores of the Mar Menor Northwards to get the ferry from San Javier to La Manga and back home

On the trip across the bay, I chatted to a couple from Horwich nr Bolton who live up the coast. They promise themselves to cycle along the beach on 1st January then return to the North of England until April when they come back to Spain where the houses are not suitable for cold weather. We heard that there was a Neil Diamond

Impersonator on at the “Square”, so we ate at a grand Chinese restaurant ( the biggest G&Ts yet ) before sitting out in the square and listening to a good rendition of “Crackling Rose”.

Next day, we took the van to Cartagena before leaving the historic town, now extensively renovated after serious damage during the Civil War. The intended route was a long ,less steep mountain climb with spectacular views followed by a long fast decent in a loop to eventually finish back at our start. Although it wasn’t so sunny, the atmosphere was close and after about 10miles, Corkie,who was suffering from a bug, had had enough. In deference to our leader, we turned and decended for ages whilst admiring the magnificent views back to Cartagena. En route back, we stopped at a village called “Botillo”, I think it was, for a snack and drink while Corkie drove back for a well deserved kip. Tom, Perc and I took our time and poodled back stopping for a look at Corkie’s local cove before a swim in the pool and a brush up.To satisfy Percy’s hunger for some meat, we visited an Argentinian restaurant for steaks and again enormous Gin & Tonics.

On the last day, we spent time clearing up, so that Corkies’ place was perfect for his return in the Spring then trundled off to a spot on the coast near San Javier called Los Alcazares for a long lunch at La Encarnacion, This was a place worth going to Murcia for. An old-established traditional resaurante with a beautifully tiled courtyard and tropical plants, mature local staff, not Morocans, where we ordered the “Lunch of the Day” for 15euros each. Whilst we were waiting, the waiter brought us pork brawn,, on fresh bread, then ham on melon, sole in batter with chips and aubergines then home made cream ice cream; a brilliant last meal to last us until we got back to UK in the evening. After dropping off the bikes and filling the van with only 20euros worth of diesel, we sat in the sun with a cool drink whilst eyeing the passing passengers. Home on time with no hitches; Corkies Barbara arrived like magic to take us back to our cars.

What a great area of Spain to go for a bit of a bike tour.
 

Reflection on an October Saturday Mornings Training Session - 2 October 2010

Eleven youngsters aged between 10 and 13yrs turned up on an unexpectedly fine morning. We had a warm up run to the top off the hill by the Hockey Club field well known to cross country competitors. We practiced some drills before jogging down to the bench. I gave each person a cone and split them into groups A and B.On the first whistle, group A ran up the hill for 15secs when I blew the whistle again and each of them put their cone down on the right side of the track and walked back to the start through the woods. The B group then did the same, putting down their cones on the left side.

We completed 3x hills and the majority improved on their marker each time. The best for A group were Chris Connelly and Charlie Murchison and for B group Olive Curran and Ashvin Kuri. We then jogged to the Commando –style “Fitness Trail”. Charlie, Mark , David and Chris were the best at the rope climb and once the boys had moved on, Olive and Zurenu managed perfectly well too.

We all had a go at the scrambling net, pull ups, the balance beam, sit ups, “monkey bars” etc then went back to the “under and over hurdles” where we divided into Olive and Charlies teams for a relay race in which each person had to do a double foot leap over the outside of the hurdle and then run/crawl back under the middle. Over 3x efforts, team times were reduced from 1m 25secs to 1m19secs then just under 1min with 5 per team.

Olive in an aside to me said “I’d rather stay clean and lose” to which Mark commented “I’m wearing my Dad’s stuff so I don’t care”. Back to the lifting beams where I had to impose rules ; one at a time starting from the lighter end. All did well once they had understood that they had to use their leg strength. Mark did best, using his height to advantage.

After jogging back to the pineapple monument where they got a boring history of why it was there, it was a free for all back to the car park.
  Steve H.

July to September 2010 Update of Activities by Barnet & District AC to the Herts Network

The following note is taken from a quarterly report sent on behalf of the club outlining the current coaching activities taken by the club. This underlines our position in the local community and is a tribute to the commitment from our coaching team. Steve H
'Our big thing this Quarter has been our “Barnet on the Move” scheme for which we had support from North London Proactive Partnership.
We held jogging for beginners sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays in Oakhill Park , East Barnet starting at 6pm for 12 weeks culminating in a professionally measured 5k Race on Saturday 18th September. All participants finished without stopping en route, some of whom could only jog and walk when they started. The race was properly timed, medals were given out and we even had some “spot” prizes.
An average of 40 people took part every week and 60 completed the race. 10 volunteers and coaches helped on the day.
The “exit route” will be our 6pm Thursday session based at our New Barnet Clubhouse and our Saturday morning session at Trent Park.
Our training numbers have been down due to holidays
Monday Circuit Training average 10 athletes, ( 2x coaches ) Tuesdays Track 30 ( 5/6x coaches ) Wednesday Weight training 10 ( 2x coaches ) Thursday Road and Track 30 ( 3/4x coaches ) Friday Weights 4 ( 1x coach ) Saturday Trent Pk 50/60 ( 5x coaches ) The split of participants is about 50/50 between under 18s and over 18s in these activities. Sunday, individual training and competitions involving probably 30 mostly adult members.
We’ve been involved in coaching in 6x Primary schools in Barnet involving over 100x yr 4/5/6 children of both sexes. This quarter, we have coached at an Independent school both Athletics and Football averaging 60x 14-18yr olds; boys and girls. This has involved 7x different men and women coaches working sometimes together or on a rota.
As you know, we had our Club Champs on Sunday 19th Sept at Jarman Park at which 30 athletes from 9yrs to 70yrs were involved along with 4x coaches, 5x officials and 3x volunteers
We are giving a 15yr old boy with Downs Syndrome and a 14yr old V I boy a try out to see if we can include them in our regular sessions.
Membership; New 4xF, 2xM O/18s; U/18s 1xF, 2xM Deletions 4x O/18 F, 1x O/18 M'