Rising to the challenge.

  Jan Turner - 26.2 next ?? Blimey, on Monday I didn't think I'd be doing a newsletter this week as I wasn't sure there would be enough stuff to include. I was forgetting that you guys won't let something like social distancing and a pandemic get in the way of achieving your goals ? So this week we've got quite a bit, including links to an EA podcast featuring our very own club, courtesy of Paul Hawkins. We've got a T&F update on the juniors from Paul Bearman with news on Lewis Byng, Andrew Pozzi and Jack Sumners. I see that Lewis has just dead lifted 322kg.......... There's also a report on some of our talented juniors competing in their very own virtual 2020 Saunton Challenge. We also have reports from three senior club members who didn't let the cancellation of the London Marathon stop them achieving something notable at the weekend. Jan Turner was not that long ago a new recruit to the club's hugely successful Couch to 5k group and now, here she is, running a half marathon. A quick glance on Power of 10 tells me that had it been an official half, she'd now be ranked 36th in the UK in her age category. 26.2 miles next Jan ? We have Tim Hutchinson's report on his Backyard Ultra. Just the 2000 x 25 metre shuttles. Yep, there are 3 zeros after that 2. After completing it, Tim told me that he feels he might need some help. There's no might about it Tim. He also tells me that he's now suffering from delayed onset muscle soreness. Really ? I'm shocked. Kate Sergent, the club's international marathon runner, decided to spend Sunday morning running an idyllic half marathon along her favourite course, the canal towpath towards Wootton Wawen. Thank you so much to all three of you for having shared your experiences with other newsletter subscribers by way of their wonderful reports. Thanks are also due to them for following the government's guidelines, reiterated by Paul Hawkins in his email to senior members earlier in the week. "Staying at home isn’t so bad so please do respect the government guidelines and keep exercising alone or just with other members of your household and give others plenty of space." And also further reiterated by Sarah Bland when sending out details of the next virtual Shakespeare Race The same rules apply regarding social distancing, only family members with you, and please give walkers you pass a considerably wider margin than 2 metres, no-one wants to be showered with sweat at the best of times, least of all now. We all surely appreciate that for members to do anything other than follow these guidelines would be to put themselves, their fellow club members and friends, the club's reputation and the wider community at risk. I've rounded off this week's newsletter with a further dip in to both the junior and senior club archives and finally there's a few photos…