DECEMBER 2018

RACING TIMES
Your quarterly dose of racing goodness

HO HO HO
Happy Christmas from GoodGym Race Team WHAT'S INSIDE
Ho, ho, ho. Happy Christmas. Welcome to the new edition Race Team
THIS ISSUE:
newsletter. It's all change with Frances leading the committee. Not signed
up to any races yet? Take a look at our website to see what's planned for
the new year. My first time as part of the
Until 2019. Joyeux Noel. Race Team - p2
Sarah xox
Setting realisitc goals - p3
Baby Sophie - p5
 The GoodGym spirit
MY FIRST TIME...AS PART OF
was not dampened
THE GOODGYM RACE TEAM!
by the weather
Words by Katie, GoodGym Portsmouth and, exactly as we
find in the group
I don't remember exactly when I signed up to the GG Race Team as my
second claim club but I definitely won't forget when I first raced as part of runs, everyone was
the team.  It was August Bank Holiday 2018 in Dorset. After the wonderful
summer, we'd been having a bank holiday camping and running trip welcoming and
sounded like a great way to finish the school holidays. I persuaded Tony
and Jo (also GoodGym Portsmouth members) to come along with me -
super friendly.
safety in numbers and all that!

We arrived in Dorset on the Friday after getting stuck in a little bit of south It was great to be sporting the red t-
coast traffic with everyone else escaping for the long weekend.  We found shirt, meeting others from GG's.  When
what seemed to be a reasonable spot to pitch the tents - close enough to out on the course there was lots of
the course to support each other from the comfort of our camping chairs support for other teammates, all easy
once the race began & not too far from the toilets!  We wondered how we
to spot in their GoodGym branding.
would find the other GoodGymers but we didn't have to worry as when we
When sheltering from the hideous
returned from the Farm Shop the representatives from Bristol and Bath
had pitched their tents right next to ours without even knowing. GoodGym weather (oh yes, classic Bank Holiday
psychic powers? stuff - torrential downpours, stormy
winds) in the ‘beer tent’ there was a
The races were great fun, I've never done a White Star event before, they little GG gathering and throughout the
are slightly bonkers but lots of fun, very pretty countryside loops AND we weekend there was sharing of stories,
got a packet of biscuits when we finished. Over the weekend I ran the 10km stoves, dry clothes, cups of tea & food
on Saturday evening and 12-hour challenge on Sunday as part of my supplies. The GoodGym spirit was not
marathon training.  Jo did the 10km, some laps in the 12-hour challenge
dampened by the weather and, exactly
with me and ‘Chaos’ on Monday. Tony went round and round with his
as we find in the group runs, everyone
walking poles for the marathon on Saturday and for the entire 12 hours on
Sunday (he is a lover of the distance runs). We had some very funky medals was welcoming and super friendly.
and many packs of biscuits to take home with us.
We went home with more friends than
we arrived with!  Now it's time to plan
which races we can make it to for 2019.
I look forward to meeting up with
everyone again then, and some new
faces too.
HOW TO SET A REALISTIC Failure is success in
progress.
GOAL
Photo and words by Sarah Rajabalee, GoodGym
Camden Be realistic.
With the days getting cooler, the nights getting longer and the
London Marathon ballot having just been drawn, we thought it Set a B goal and a C
was a good time to talk about setting realistic goals.
Whether you want to to eat more healthily or run a marathon, it’s goal.
good to have a goal. It helps with taking control of your life, gives
you a sense of purpose and a great sense of achievement when
you achieve it. On the other hand, however, if you don’t reach
your goal, then it can make you feel inadequate - that’s why it’s
important to set goals that are realistic and achievable.

1. So, what should you think about when you set your goal?
Be realistic about how much time you're going to put in
For her running goal, Ealing GoodGym trainer, Oliva looks at her
upcoming ‘running budget’ She says: “This is the amount of time
I have coming up I can realistically allocate to running. If I know
I’ve got a busy few months of work or am going away on holiday
that’s going to disrupt training significantly, I wouldn’t set myself
a big target. It’s setting yourself up to fail or be very stressed
when you can’t do it. Running is supposed to be fun so if it isn’t, I
don’t do it!”

2. Break it down
There’s nothing wrong with setting a big goal, but sometimes you
have to break it down. Sarah, a runner in Camden, tries to speak
to at least one person at events. She says: “I find networking
really hard and it takes a lot for me to go up to a stranger and
strike up a conversation. The first time I went to the monthly
GoodGym social was really daunting for me as I didn’t really
know anyone and I was really worried I’d end up sitting on my
own with noone to talk to. I had to really psych myself up to walk
into that pub and tell myself to say hello and to introduce myself
to at least one person, but I didn’t have to worry. Everyone is so
friendly and curious about you.”
3. Don’t fear failure
This is a hard one. Sometimes it's the fear of failure itself
that holds people back. As a certain A. Einstein said:
“Failure is success in progress.” Haringey Run Leader,
Sarah believes a goal should always push yourself a little
bit out of your comfort zone. She says: “Whether that's
running faster, further or on new terrain, pick one thing
to focus on at a time. Then have a think about the best
case scenario: if you don't get sick or injured, if you
don't miss a training session, what's the best you might
be able to do? That's your A goal. Then set a B goal and
C goal that you will still be happy with if things go
slightly wrong. Revisit these at regular intervals in your
training and adjust if necessary!”
4. Tell everyone!
“Once you’ve set your goal, tell everyone!” says Graham. “Your
friends, your colleagues, your lover(s) etc. The more people who
know you've got your heart set on a goal, the bigger your support
network will be and the more people who can hold you
accountable.”

5. Benchmark
“Setting realistic goals means not going overboard - or not being
ambitious enough,” continues Graham. He says: “Think about
your current level of fitness, how much time you can set aside for
training, and what else is going on in your life. If you aren't sure
about your current fitness, try running a parkrun - a free timed 5k
on Saturday mornings - as fast as you can manage - to find out.
You can also use running pace calculators to estimate what
you're capable of based on recent races.”

6. Celebrate your achievements

Give yourself a pat on the back everytime you tick off a goal. It
could be anything from a relaxing massage to your dream
holiday. You’ve earnt it.
 Crystal Palace
RUNNER IN THE
MAKING
At just six months old, Sophie completed her first
parkrun with Dad, Neil. Here's to many more
runs!

Crystal Palace

Catford

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