Summer League What a great event at Regent’s Park last Sunday! Thank you to all the volunteers, to Stephanie’s warpaint skills, all the excellent relay teams but especially to Nick for organising. I know it must have been stressful, but it went without a hitch on the day. Athletics Calling all track stars! It's the final athletics match of the year on the 13th August in Woodford. We are currently leading our group but will be close for first place on the day, so will be great to have a good turnout. We are currently discussing putting on a minibus/coach depending on the number of people coming to make travel there and back easier. Would be good to get an idea of how many people would be interested to come on a bus if we have one to get a feeling if this is worth arranging so let Janine know if you'd be interested. Mara Yamauchi Thank you to Alice for organising an exclusive training session, see below update. I am very excited to announce that marathon legend Mara Yamauchi will be providing a training session exclusively for Mornington Chasers, followed by a talk in the Grafton to launch her book. I've put separate sign-ups for each part of the evening, as we are more limited on numbers for the training session, and some people might just want to do either/or, but do sign up for both if you want to do both. Spaces limited to 50 for the training session, so sign up early to avoid disappointment. Sarah’s Words of Wisdom Marathon tip #5 (got the number wrong last week!): Know your WHY and verbalize it Well folks, it's August, and if you are training for London, then you are likely entering some of the toughest weeks of your training. Like the marathon itself, these weeks are not for the faint of heart. You need motivation. You need to know WHY you want to get out there and train hard. You need to know WHY you want to run a marathon. Everyone's WHY is different, but you need one. When things get tough you need to be able to reach for that WHY and push ahead (but not if you're injured, of course). When you have your WHY, write it down, put it on a sticky note on your mirror, say it out loud every time you leave your front door for a run, whatever works for you to solidify it and make it real. Mantras, or little phrases that you tell yourself when you are desperately trying to remember what made you sign up for a race in the first place, can go hand-in-hand with your why. Coach Jenny Moore says about mantras: Positive thoughts people. At some point during your marathon you are going to have a wobble. It’s not easy running 26.2 miles; otherwise everyone would do it. You need to have a game plan of what you are going to do when you start to wobble. One of my favourites is "just one mile". I find it easier at around mile 21 to just break it down into mile segments and treat the last mile "as a lap of glory". Whatever your mantra or whether it is remembering why you are running, have it prepped and ready to go. Race Report – Lydia This is the first time I’ve run at Summer League. I marshalled at Regent’s Park last year, my injured leg twitching to join in with the fun. I remember noting the way peoples’ faces had changed by the third lap - some into a special kind of misery, others into steely focus. This year, I was glad to be in the mass of runners, feeling my own face doing the same. We all had our own goals and expectations for this race. Whether it was a fun run, a training run or an all out effort, the race spirit was high. I laughed and chatted with others in the Honey Badger Express and I had a nice catch up with Ellie and Hattie. I loved seeing fellow Chasers marshalling. I pushed the pace more than I had intended to, and by the third lap, was in amongst the runners scraping the depths of their lungs for that last push. I’ve been there. 10k can be cruel. I pushed my own last kilometre and boy, doesn’t that stretch by the zoo feel good? Just a little downhill, continuing into the home straight. Familiar ground repurposed. Matt Brand smiling and pointing the way. During the picnic, Alex came up to me with his clipboard and asked if I’d like to be in the relay team. “YES. ABSOLUTELY.” (Seemingly this is not a response he’s used to when it comes to the relays.) Hattie, Jodie, Ellie and I briefly discussed baton tactics and then the race started. I was running the final leg, so was pleased to see the others whip around the 350m course with assured strength and speed, leaving me with very little to do. Or so I thought. I lined up ready to take the baton from Hattie, and a little girl on the start line kept staring at me. I tried to smile at her, but she remained unmoved, shooting daggers and sizing me up. I turned my back to her and took my place in the middle, in line with where Hattie was running. After a stiff start with cold legs, I was in pursuit of a Chaser win. People were shouting and cheering for me, but there was something slightly panicked in their tone. This didn’t sound like celebration, it sounded like a warning. But I couldn’t hear or see anyone behind me - as far as I was concerned, we had this in the bag. Little did I know, Dagger Girl was hot on my tail. I was only just managing to hold her off. A child! I heeded the panicked voices and cranked the gears a bit. I slowed a little shy of the actual finish, misjudging it, but I managed to make it through first. Apparently she even dipped her head over the line to try and take the win. Someone’s been watching the World Athletics Championships, eh. I might have held her off this time, but friends, beware. Though their legs are small, they are not yet worn down by booze, job applications and rising energy costs. I do feel slightly like I’ve stolen an important moment from a talented young girl, but whatever. Female Chaser Relay Team 4Eva. Big shout out to the other relay teams - astonishing work from everyone. Calendar Here's whats happening over the next few weeks other than our usual Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday runs. You can find our full calendar on the website. 13/08/2022 Athletics Fixture 4 Join - deadline 2022-08-11 21/08/2022 Summer League | Battersea 08/08/2022 Committee meeting 09/08/2022 Beginners week 8 - volunteering volunteer (2 of 5 left) 13/08/2022 Graduation Parkrun Join us! 28/08/2022 Summer Picnic 31/08/2022 Run with Mara Yamauchi Join (43 of 50 left) - deadline 2022-08-30 31/08/2022 Marathon Wisdom Book Launch Join (72 of 80 left) - deadline 2022-08-24 Results If you want to upload a photo or your results are missing, log in to our website and update your picture and Power of 10 ID. Golden Stag Mile (Finsbury Park), 22/07/2022 Mile Henry Woodward 4:43.8, 2 [78.44%] NEW PB   Alex Astley 5:01.3, 6 [73.88%] NEW PB   John Armstrong 5:19.4, 10 [78.41%]   Simon Fitzmaurice 5:19.7, 11 [70.76%] NEW PB   Philip Barnes 5:23.9, 1 [68.72%] NEW PB   Thomas Goodey 5:28.7, 1 [67.72%] NEW PB   Katrina Kelly 5:31.7, 5 [75.85%] NEW PB   Pete Calvert-Barr 5:33.4, 2 [67.29%] NEW PB   Liam Moroney 5:36.4, 2 [66.17%] NEW PB   Daniel Berry 5:44.6, 7 [78.93%] NEW PB   Daniel Lewis 6:01.2, 13 [67.73%] NEW PB   Matt Brand 6:01.5, 11 [62.58%]   Alex Renton 6:07.0, 13 [65.64%]   Rosie Young 6:11.1, 5 [67.80%] NEW PB   Hattie Lowe 6:11.4, 6 [67.74%] NEW PB   Jodie Pearlman 6:12.9, 8 [67.47%] NEW PB   Jonathan Wood 6:14.1, 9 [64.40%] NEW PB   Gaby Anderson 6:26.1, 7 [65.16%] NEW PB   Yan (Patrick) Li 6:41.4, 4 [63.92%]   Alice Sullivan 6:59.1, 4 [68.71%]   Collette Farnol 7:19.9, 7 [57.69%]   Elizabeth Aryeetey 8:09.7, 6 [69.94%] NEW PB Golden Stag Mile (Finsbury Park Athletics track), 22/07/2022 Mile Katrina Kelly 00:05:31 (00:05:31), 5 (-, 1) [76.01%] NEW PB   Amin Adan 5:34.16 (5:34.16), 3 (1) [70.48%] NEW PB Mallory Park Summer Mile / 5K (incl. Leics & Rutland 5K Championships) (Kirkby Mallory), 28/07/2022 1M Bethany Thompson 9:39, 16 (7, 1) NEW PB Serpentine Last Friday of the Month 5K (London Hyde Park), 29/07/2022 5K John Grigg 37:07, 114 (1) [68.93%] Parkrun 30/07/2022 Aberbeeg Rebecca Howarth 25:53, 21 (-, 1) [57.05%] Ally Pally Mike Hurford 23:21, 34 (1) [70.09%]   Stephanie Mercier 25:28, 53 (3, 1) [58.38%] Antrim Kevin Gormley 21:20, 12 (1) [62.89%] Barking Dawn Curtis 34:10, 85 [45.61%] Beckenham Place Lizzy Muggeridge 39:53, 258 [40.53%] Bedfont Lakes Christopher Leslie 21:27, 10 [60.53%] Central, Plymouth Mabel Ellerker 28:10, 121 [52.43%] Chelmsford Central Lauren Longhurst 18:53, 11 (1, 1) [78.55%] NEW PB Clacton Seafront Paul Matthews 30:21, 81 (1) [66.78%] Eastbourne Myles Preston BA (Hons), CIMA (Cert), GDL, LPC, PGCE, MA, MSc, A* A Level in Government and Politics 18:20, 6 (1) [72.73%] Finsbury Park Simon Fitzmaurice 19:32, 16 [67.92%]   Rafaele Lamour 25:02, 124 (-, 1) [66.71%] Gladstone Alex Renton 23:29, 27 [60.04%] Gunnersbury Gaby Anderson 31:24, 307 [47.03%] Hampstead Heath Jonathan Gorner 19:50, 14 [65.46%]   Daniel Berry 22:20, 39 (1) [71.49%]   Johnny Chapman 25:11, 91 [51.69%]   Paul Dickens 26:20, 108 [50.95%]   Andy Hickson 27:07, 129 [59.37%]   Yan (Patrick) Li 27:09, 130 [55.19%]   Nick Herbert 29:33, 173 [43.94%] Highbury Fields Fiona Russell 22:37, 54 (-, 1) [75.53%]   Krush Patel 30:27, 212 [42.64%] Jersey Farm Juliette Westbrook 24:57, 65 (-, 1) [59.19%]   Andy Davies 24:58, 66 [52.07%] Linford Wood Daisy Wooller 30:07, 91 [49.03%] Sharpham Road Playing Fields Rebecca Taylor 24:22, 19 (1, 1) [65.66%] Walthamstow Tony Him 25:45, 38 [54.37%] Wimbledon Common Alina Williamson 23:53, 135 [62.67%] NEW PB Woodhouse Moor Sophie Fenner 29:14, 165 [50.51%] Summer League 10k (Regents Park), 31/07/2022 10K Amin Adan 00:41:52 (00:41:52), 50 (10) [66.72%] Links Send your stories to newsletter@chaser.me.uk. 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