Coach profiles

**These profiles are a work in progress! If you are a Leader and your profile does not appear here, please send your answers to whitchurchwhippets@gmail.com**

Name: Fiona Leatham (UKA Coach in Running Fitness and UKA Leader in Running Fitness) Club coach coordinator and welfare officer.

Been a Whippet since: 2010

Favourite race or distance: Half marathon, if I had to pick one then the Potters Arf, a tough and testing race but with loads of really good support from the locals.

Favourite training session: Probably hills or a reps session, especially when it's over half way into the session and it's going ok.

Favourite food: Chelsea buns

Top running tips: Be consistent with your training and build up the distance gradually. Double tie your laces...

Best and worst running moments:

The best: Finishing the London marathon for the first time in 2011, if you don't know what happened next, don't ask, you may never get away! The worst: A few: Being injured for 4 months, once having stitch for the first 12 miles of a marathon and having to stop and re-tie my laces in a 10k pb attempt.

Name: Simon Phillips (Leader in Running Fitness)

Been a Whippet since: 2008

Favourite race or distance: Llandegla Dash in the Dark. It’s hilly, muddy, off-road and run in dark, so what’s not to like.

Favourite training session: Hill reps of course.

Favourite food: Post cross country cakes or should that just be any cake.

Top running tips: Try and do some trail or off-road running, it has a stack of benefits including improving your balance, strengthening your legs and core. Also don’t be afraid to run your long runs a lot slower than normal, you’ll still get all the benefits without the chances of over doing it.

Best and worst running moments:

My worst running moment was probably a long run out and back down the canal towpath many years ago. I felt great running out, but when I turned around it was into an ever stronger headwind and ended up taking 20 minutes longer on the way back. I don't think I've ever been so demoralised during a run as there just wasn't any shortcut to take.

My best moment, well definitely one of my most memorable, was running around the Long Mynd in the Mercia Hill Trial the morning after it had dumped loads of snow during the night before. It was definitely one of those days you're glad to be a runner.

Name: Adam Richards (Leader in Running Fitness)

Been a Whippet since: 2012 (I think, no idea really!!)

Favourite race or distance: Lake Vyrnwy half marathon, it’s a great race and a cracking club event. The atmosphere at the Lightning run (and the course!) is amazing too.

Favourite training session: Hills as a session but a nice 10 mile run is always fun

Favourite food: Anything but broccoli... a nice stuffed crust pizza always goes down well though

Top running tips: Don't tell yourself that it's only 'good' runners that can do something, if a lump like me can move anyone can!

Best and worst running moments:

Finishing Vyrnwy as first half marathon, completing the London Marathon in 2017. Worst: Blisters and any kind of chafing...

Name Michelle Purcell

Whippet member since 2014

Favourite race Liverpool spring 10k

Fave training session Simon’s special K’s (a killer really!)

Favourite food Italian or Thai very close call

Running tips. Start training slowly, don’t expect results too quickly and you will appreciate what you achieve more, but most importantly run to enjoy it don’t beat yourself up if you have a bad run .

Best running moment

Doing my first half marathon

Worst running moment

Getting taken out in a race where I needed a quick time by a bloke in an adapted wheelchair who wasn’t looking where he was going ( luckily still managed to do the time I needed)

Name: Sarah Gill

Been a Whippet since: 2017

Favourite race or distance: Grizzly Cub Run, Devon

Favourite training session: Fartlek

Favourite food: liquorice allsorts

Top running tips: Start a race at your pace and try not to go off too fast.

Best and worst running moments: Best - Coming over the finish line at the Grizzly with my fellow Whippet Nicole and having the mud hosed off us by the local firemen. Worst - Helena Tipping 10k where it 'tipped' it down the whole way round!