Introduction to the coach - by Pete Chan

Introduction to the coach

Well Hi to those I know and also to those of you I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting. Our intrepid chairman Pete Mulleady asked me to consider taking on this role following Shaun Moran’s decision to step down. I would like to firstly say that Shaun left a very big set of boots to fill!! I think in any other walk of life he would have been awarded a CBE or something for days, weeks and years of totally voluntary commitment and dedication with no financial benefit ……… so let’s all make sure we recognize him with beer tokens at the Christmas do…. I have agreed anyhow to take over and try and continue the work.
I am coming into this at quite short notice and OK I have done the UKA Level II (pending assessment) coaching qualification (so if any of you need help with hurdling technique, shot putt or triple jump give me a shout), but this responsibility is something else and not one I take lightly. I know how hard distance runners train so it has to be done correctly efficiently and as effectively as possible to ensure we all get as much from ourselves and the available time as is possible.
A bit of background about me … I’m a 45 yr old Vet. I began running in 1984 inspired by watching the London marathon that year at a mates house and nursing a huge hangover from the previous nights binge. I soon built up to being able to do 30 mins non stop (2 miles!!) and joined the running club at Lostock AC. I spent the next years trying all distances from 5k upwards and even a few track races. I did a while with Wigan Harriers in the late 80’s and left to start Wigan Phoenix with around 25 others. My own purple patch came from 91 to 97 during that period is when I set all of my best times.
I practically lived in Finland from 97 to 2001 and hardly ran at all in that period due to minus 40 degree C winters and excess traveling and truthfully just general laziness … I had stopped making time for it and could not get going again. I returned to the running in 2002 and was shocked at how much my kit had shrunk by just hanging there in a wardrobe!! It took 3 years to work my way back to do the Belfast marathon in 2005 and have kept myself fit ever since and am loving the racing. I joined A&T in June 2007 as I saw something good here and an enthusiasm for the sport which I had not seen for many years….
Coming back from such a bad state of fitness is still something I take a lot of pride in though… I have a picture of me finishing London in ’97 in my office at home, and I still look at and believe I can run a Marathon PB some time …. That is the goal that keeps me pushing hard.

The moral of the tale I suppose is don’t ever let it go!! …

There will come a day when we will not able to do this!!...

SO LET”S MAKE THE MOST OF IT.