So, we’re into Autumn again, the leaves are turning brown, its getting colder (or should be soon!), the evenings are dark, and it can be quite difficult to find the motivation to pull on those trainers and head out the door for a run. But, it can also be a gorgeous time of year for running if you are lucky enough to be able to find the time during daylight hours. If you would like a change from your local routes, then make sure you search through our GRG researched and mapped running routes for inspiration. We have spent many enjoyable (well, mostly!), hours running around each of these routes, often having to iron out the impassable parts and less scenic bits and replacing them with the best we can find, so that you don’t have to. Our route of the month for November is a route alongside the Mersey in the popular Chorlton Water Park near Manchester. Happy autumn running!

Louise at GRG
www.GoodRunGuide.co.uk

Weight Management

Site News

Since the last Newsletter we've introduced a major upgrade to our Route Measurer tool.  The new tool has lots of extra features and is hopefully more intuitive than the previous one.  A small number of people have experienced slower response times when plotting points with the new tool - we are continuing to investigate this.  In the meantime, the previous version of the Route Measurer is still available to use via a link at the top of the Route Measurer page.

One of the features we've added more recently  to the Route Measurer is a 'quick save' facility so that routes can be saved frequently as you plot them rather than waiting until you've plotted the whole route. 

In October we introduced a new facility to print sections of your Training Planner in a weekly plan format.  We know that many people follow a training schedule leading towards a target race and enter the details of this into their Traning Planner.  Now it is possible to print off the whole of the training schedule in one go, with tick boxes that you can tick off as training runs are completed.

We have more exciting developments in the pipeline so keep an eye on the Member News for details.

As always, if you have any feedback about changes to the site or have a suggestion you would like to put forward, please let us know.

Good Run Wall on Facebook

Lacking motivation to get out and run? Wife, husband or friends fed up with you droning on about marathon training or races or just running in general. Well, Help is at hand.

The Good run Guide Forum is great for advice and general running infromation but if you just want to say (or drone on about) what a great run you had, or maybe you just lack motivation to get out the door, then the Good Run Wall on Facebook is the place to go.

Paul clifford who set up the group says: This group is great for sharing advice and experience but I would be equally lost without Good Run Guide for all the stats and tools. Following the move to a closed group we now have myself, Kat and Martin setup to add new members so that should remove any delays. People just need to search for Good Run Wall in Facebook and then ask to join.

Catriona adds: I think it's really important that we highlight how important the Forum is as well though. I see that as my index of topics I can search through and maybe help with. Whereas the Wall is my therapy and my help getting out the door. It's very hard to ignore the trainers and eat another slice of pizza when you know others on here are pushing themselves through injury, or can't run, or have achieved another personal goal.

And from Adrian: Seriously...GRG and this Wall have taught me so much... I'd love to see more in here! This journey of running has honestly changed my life.. I'd love for others to experience what we do! Plus as Cat said its a hoot in here!

Mike pitches in: We have total beginners; experienced / inexperienced marathon runners. Grandmas and grandpas; young folk; thin folk (probably a few not so thin!), club runners and people who only run in the dark (our moles). We nutters doing XC and others who run indoors when it's cold!

So, that's the view from group members and to reiterate, the group is closed, so that all your other Facebook friends don't see your posts on the Good Run Wall, only those in the group, so you can drone on about running with no-one judging or pulling a face, just giving positive vibes, help and encouragement.

One facility we especially love is when members post their training or racing routes on Facebook. There is then all the info on pacing, route, hills to see how your virtual friends are getting on.  If you want to post a run on Facebook just view the run on GRG and click Link to this Entry to make the run public and get the link.

Here's an example - if you click on it you can see my run on GRG!

We at GRG see the Wall facility as complimentary to the site and forum and if it motivates and enthuses our members then bring it on.

Andy at GRG

10 Gadgets and Gizmos

The Good Run Guide website has become very large over the last few years with literally hundreds of pages of information and tools.  We thought it would be a good idea to list some of the gadgets and gizmos from around the site that you may not be aware of.

1. Training Pace Calculator - Recommends how fast to run!


2. BMI Calculator - Work out your Body Mass Index.


3. Fitness Test - Based on your heart rate and recovery.


4. GPS Stopwatch - free smartphone app, works with GRG.


5. Male vs Female - running performance by age and sex.


6. Target Training Zones - personal Heart Rate zones.


7. Garmin Route Navigation - download and follow routes.


8. Age-Grading Calculator - was it a good run for your age?


9. GRG Mobile - a mobile app to access Good Run Guide.


10. Race Predictor - predict your finish time!

Lastly, here we have a great running animation on the site called "Onwards" by James Jarvis, which is fun to watch and something you may not have seen.

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League Talk

Here at League Talk the first thing to note is Hilary Young's perfomance at the Bristol Half Marathon; a fantasic time of 1:32:31 equating to an age grading of a whopping 84.2 percent, takes her to the head of the table. At the time of the last newsletter she was already 3rd on the list with a 81.7 percent. The challenge is there for all the rest and who knows she may not stop there but move the bar even higher. Creditable perfomances too from Peter Hutchinson who is always there or thereabouts and Mike Sheridan, likewise, in 2nd and 3rd at the end of the month although Mark Bradley has taken over in 3rd at the time of writing.

The unseasonably dry conditions early this winter, in many parts of the country, have allowed some cross country perfomances to appear in the tables. Usually the underfoot conditons preclude a good age grade at this discipline, but a quick perusal of the tables shows this not to be the case so far. No doubt normal service will be resumed for the rest of the winter.

Finally we have to make a quick mention of the fastest man, Chris Millington running a blistering 35:17 at Cardiff and we already mentioned the fastest lady, Hilary, but creditable mentions go to Vicky Bishop and Melanie Blackman both running sub 35 minutes at the relatively infrequently raced 5 mile distance.

Good luck to all GRG members on achieving your goals this winter whether it be on road, trail, country or fell.

Andy at GRG

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A Good Run Guide App for thre iPhone, iPad and other Smartphones.

Find out more

Christmas is coming so why not give someone you know a Good Run Guide Gift Voucher or a Good Run Guide running vest. 

Take a look in our Membership Shop for more details.