THE HARRIERS HERALD No. 255, May 2014 Editor: Sue Francis
Contents, features, reports, results • Thursday night schedules for May and June • Race results: Brighton Marathon – Ryan and Philomena happy with fine performances; White Horse Half – Pre-Marathon training run for three members; London Marathon – Three Harriers post excellent performances; Rotterdam Marathon – Mags smashes her PB; Compton 20 & 40 – Seven Harriers do very well in another successful staging of our own Club’s event; Chieveley Chase – Sue wins some local chutneys; Bledlow Ridge Off-roader 10K – Simon earns a decent goody-bag in tough conditions • Handicap Race – New member Mark sets the standard, as Mo and Richard tie in sprint finish • Webmaster’s article – Mo features CDC 2014 photos; ‘Runners’ Medical Resource’ website; and lists forthcoming races of interest • Thanks to Mags, Simon, Mo, Philomena and Tom for this month’s contributions to articles and photos • Copy date for next Harriers Herald – 30th May
Thursday night schedule for May Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs
1st 8th 15th 22nd 29th
Susanne to lead Jonathan to lead Compton Relay, 5:30 pm, Cricket Field Colin to lead joint run with Team Kennet Gillian to lead
Thursday night schedule for June Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs
5th 12th 19th 26th
Mo to lead Lucy to lead Handicap Race Compton Boundary Run? Provisional date
Correspondence received – none during April. Race results Brighton Marathon, 6th April Ryan and Philomena made the trip to Brighton for the second successive year. Ryan was very happy to finish 238th in 3:11:31 – his 2nd fastest marathon time. He describes the race as a “great marathon, well organised with awesome crowds and a fab finish”. Philomena also had an excellent run, finishing in 3:34:18, which placed her 3rd in the FV55 category, and 1092nd overall. The race winners were also Kenyans: William Chebor in 2:09:25, and Alice Milgo in 2:35:33.
White Horse Half, 6th April Three Harriers did the White Horse Half as a training run in preparation for forthcoming longer races. Martin (1:34:28,115th) and Lucy (1:50:11, 286th) were tapering for the London Marathon; while Colin (1:52:53, 313th) was getting some miles in before the Compton 40. The race was won by David Bruce (Highgate Harriers) in 1:10:57, while first lady was Shona Crombie-Hicks (Bourton RR) in 1:24:51.
HH May 2014
1
London Marathon, 13th April Three Club members ran very well in London and all were very pleased with their performances and enjoyed the day. Susanne was the first Harrier home with a time of 3:09:50 (2277th overall, and 17th in her category). Next came Martin, ever consistent around the 3:15 mark, with 3:16:46 this time (3114th). Lucy completed the team with a solid 3:38:36 (6525th, and 46th in her category). Terry had the 2014 London Marathon Club Entry but, since an ongoing injury affected his winter training he decided to carry over the entry to 2015.
Rotterdam Marathon, 13th April Mags Rotterdam probably isn’t your first choice for a city to visit, being rather industrial, but they do a very good fast marathon! It got me beating my previous PB by 11 minutes. There were 35,000 runners registered in total for the two races, the 10k and the marathon. Of 13,500 registered entrants, about 11,000 started the marathon. This was a nice number as it didn’t feel so crowded and finding things was much easier than at the large big city marathons, so I was much calmer before the start. My only gripe is my usual one (it’s an old lady thing!)…toilets! There was one per starting pen, which was woefully inadequate and, after a 20 minute wait, I had to abandon all hope and get ready to start. With hindsight, I should have just gone back to my hotel room, but never mind! I then managed 5k before I saw a portaloo and decided it was no good, the lack of bushes at the start meant I had to queue (for over 5 mins.) to go. I now know that at about 5-6 miles you come to green areas so, just hang on until the park! The locals all seemed pretty relaxed about lots of people running into bushes. The whole route is closed to traffic for the race, and there is a 5.5 hour limit because of this. They don’t stop you but you do run at your own risk after this time. The start is right in the centre, so the main train station and main city centre hotels are all very near. The route takes you in loops so you often see the faster/slower runners on the other side of the road which, depending which side you’re on, can cheer or depress you! Being Holland it is very flat, the only slight incline is when you go over the big bridge. The Dutch people are lovely, they like to come out and cheer you on. I don’t speak Dutch but I got the general impression they don’t want you to walk! Twice I decided I wanted a walk and twice I got people shouting my name and then cheering when I started running again! They look after you, there are plenty of water stations which also have power drinks and some have fruit too. I even got one of the first aid people, who were riding through on a motorbike, come and ask me if I was ok as I was looking pale….when I replied in English their response? “Ah you’re English that’s why you’re pale!” In summary, while it isn’t the prettiest marathon to do, it’s pleasant, flat and fast with a lovely atmosphere. I would be happy to do it again.
Compton Downland Challenge 20 & 40, 21st April Sue The 18th Compton Downland Challenge was a huge success and received excellent feedback from many competitors. With dry, sunny, mild weather, conditions were pretty good for the 326 competitors who gathered at the start in the Downs School playing field. Among the competitors were seven Harriers, while a further 13 Harriers were involved as marshals, time-keepers and results-compilers. All, whether competing or helping, did our little Club proud. Aaron and Colin had, several months previously, been encouraged by other Harriers to take on the ‘40’. To their credit they rose to the challenge, neither having previously run further than marathon distance. They ran together all the way, pacing themselves sensibly, making the most of the feed-stations, and making sure they smiled for the camera every time they encountered Tom! They finished together, in 100th position, in a great time of 8:38:52. The winner of the ‘40’ was Simon Sikora (Marlow Striders, 5:03:37), while first lady was Natasha Farid-Doyle (6:45:39). HH May 2014
2
Ryan had a brilliant run in the ‘20’. Always amongst the leading group, he finished 2nd in an excellent 2:22:47. Rich and Jonathan ran together for the first ten miles, before Rich pushed ahead. They finished 38th (2:54:19), and 73rd (3:14:22) respectively. Simon covered the route at a fast walk (4:17:58, 177th) and finished just ahead of Terry and Emma (4:18:05, 178th); this was the longest distance that Emma had ever run. The race was won by Steve Paterson (2:18:31), with first lady Rachel Masser (Woodstock Harriers, 2:31:32). Simon says: “I had a great time on the 20 - the going was ideal, the route was exceptionally well marked and the marshals and CP crews were as friendly as ever. I was just a tiny bit disappointed that I didn't finish in 4 hours, but I probably set myself an impossible target time to begin with, so my 4:17:58 wasn't too bad considering I walked probably 18 miles of it. And I'm pleased that I chose to do it as my 200th event too - if there are any (other) statisticians in the Harriers they might like to know that since I started keeping a record of my races I have now run or walked 3587.3 miles in 619 hours 06 minutes and 39 seconds (that's an average distance per event of 17.9365 miles and an average of 10 minutes 21.30 seconds per mile). Then again, maybe it's just me who's interested...”
HH May 2014
3
Chieveley Chase 5.7M MT, 26thApril Sue Having enjoyed this race in 2013, along with four other Harriers, I returned this year as the sole representative of the Club in a field of 133 runners. After a night of downpours, it was good that the rain held off for the race, but the multi-terrain course was very wet and muddy underfoot in places. I was very glad I wore my studded Inov8 trail shoes, which gave me the confidence to tackle the worst mud at a reasonable pace, leaving behind the three men I had been running with for the previous 2 miles. Despite the mud, I was 29 seconds faster than last year (41:48), but only because I didn’t need two toilet stops this time! Unfortunately my ‘antics’ last year seem to have given me a reputation as, just before the start, a male runner who I don’t know said: “Ah, it’s you who does the toilets stops isn’t it?!” All finishers received a goody-bag containing a medal and ‘Quaker Oats’ products. Tea & cakes, or bacon butties were on sale, and the presentation took place promptly. The race was won for the third successive year by Gareth Watkins (Hillingdon AC) in 31:55 –.two minutes clear of the runner up. First lady was Laura Woodley (unattached) in 37:56, again a clear winner over Jess Franklin of Newbury. I was 4th lady (23rd overall) for which I won some mini jars of locally-made jams and chutneys. I’d highly recommend this race as a well-organised and friendly local event over a scenic course.
The Ridge Off Roader: Bledlow Ridge 10K, 27th April Simon The first Ridge Off Roader last year was an absolute cracker and it went straight into my ‘do-it-again’ list of events. I entered this year’s run at the end of January and persuaded my friend Matt from Quainton to do it too. Unfortunately, perhaps, the weather this year was less than ideal as a couple of days’ rain beforehand turned parts of the course into mud-slides - last year was cold and crisp and the going was firm underfoot – and the turnout was about 20% lower, but the organisation was still spot on. In addition to the 10K route and the 1K children’s run (for 4 to 8 year olds) the organisers added a 2K run around the school grounds (for 9 to 14 year olds) and a 6.5K run which covered two-thirds of the 10K route and missed out the second of the three serious hills tackled on the full distance. The route, described in last year’s report (HH 243), is challenging to say the least. The organisers managed to remove some of the kissing gates on the route which caused some hold-ups last year but (obviously) couldn’t do anything about the single-file paths through the woods or along the field edges, so at times I was reduced to what I regard as a bit of a slow walk uphill behind people who were (or thought they were…) running. The best bits, though, were the steep downhill sections on rather muddy, slippery paths; great fun, even though at one point I had to create my own emergency stop-lane through the bushes on one side of the path to save myself going baseover-apex. Matt and I ran the first 4.5K together, at which point he pulled away and I let him go. I thought I might catch him on the last hill but he was running with all the confidence of an over-enthusiastic puppy, and finished 121st in 57:06. Despite the rather sticky conditions I finished 134th out of 201 in 59:32 – a full 14 seconds quicker than last year – and, apart from trying to work out how I can out-run Matt on training runs but not at races, I was satisfied with that. HH May 2014
4
In addition to a very nice hand-made pottery ‘medal’, finishers received a goody-bag consisting of a gym-bag for muddy shoes, a large and rather unusual drinks bottle, a couple of snap-on reflective bands, a banana, a satsuma, a mini Mars bar and a small can of deodorant. You’d be hard-pushed to get a better goody-bag anywhere, let alone for the £11 entry fee that Bledlow charges. The overall winner this year was Eddie O’Gorman with a time of 38:57 – nearly a minute and a half down on his winning time last year, but probably because of the conditions – with Graham Smith second in 39:41 and Simon Sikora third in 40:12. First lady home was Grace Birch in 46:26, followed by Mizumi Inagaki in 47:47 and Lisa Newman in 50:30, whilst the last runner home clocked 1:29:45. As I wrote last year, I really can’t recommend this event highly enough – it’s incredibly well organised and the route has some cracking hills in it. I know it’s a bit of a trek from Compton to Bledlow just for a 10K but it really is worth the trip. I’ll be going back again next year.
Build-up to start of the Compton Challenge
HH May 2014
5
Handicap Race Sue The weather was perfect for the first of our daylight off-road Handicap Races – a mild, dry, sunny and wind-free evening. The 2.5K Relay Lap route was mostly good underfoot, apart from a short section churned up by horses’ hooves. Nine regular Harriers were joined by new member, Mark, who had already cycled from work at Harwell campus to Compton, and would later have to cycle home to Reading. We reasoned Mark was pretty fit, with age on his side, so I wasn’t too generous on his start time, setting him off just ahead of Martin. Nevertheless, Mark had a storming run gradually working his way through the group to catch his final victim (Mo) with 100m to go, and secure victory. Mo was determined to hold off a fast-finishing Richard D, and the international adjudicator (Jan) deemed them inseparable at the finish, though Mo claims his belly crossed the line first. So Richard and Mo share top points for being fastest on handicap. Philomena, Aaron and Colin all set off within 2 seconds, and raced well all the way to all finish within 10 seconds. Philomena was first of the three, but all credit to Aaron and Colin for posting good times just 5 days after completing the Compton 40. Sue, Lucy, Dick and Martin followed in close succession. With expert handicapping, and expert time-keeping, all runners finished within a span of 40 seconds. Well done Mark, Mo and Richard, and thanks to Jan for timing. The next race is scheduled for Thursday 19th June, and will be around the same route. Finish Position 1 2= 2= 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Position on handicap New Runner 1= 1= 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Name
Start time
Mark Mo Richard D Philomena Aaron Colin Sue Lucy Dick Martin
Finish time
7:14 0:49 6:03 5:34 5:32 5:33 7:05 6:13 6:06 7:17
Handicap Beaten? New Runner -0:44 -0:44 -0:37 -0:32 -0:27 -0:26 -0:24 -0:19 -0:09
Actual time
16:11 16:16 16:16 16:23 16:28 16:33 16:34 16:36 16:41 16:51
8:57 15:27 10:13 10:49 10:56 11:00 9:29 10:23 10:35 9:34
Handicap Championship: After three races, Martin retains his lead at the top of the points table, with Lucy, Mo and Sue in joint second. Pos.
1 2= 2= 2= 5 6 7 8 9 10 11= 11= 13= 13= 13=
Name
Martin Lucy Sue Mo Colin Jonathan Richard D
Aaron Dave Mags Philomena
Dick Jacqueline George Mark
HH May 2014
Race 1
Race 2
Race 3
9 8 5 2 4 7 4 6 12 10 1 -
12 7 9 6 8 10 5 1 -
3 5 6 12 7 12 8 9 4 1
Race points Race 4 Race 5 -
-
6
Race 6
Race 7
Race 8
-
-
-
Total of best 5 24 20 20 20 19 17 16 14 12 10 9 9 1 1 1
Website update… http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk Mo Links of interest this month The prize list and links to all results and photos for the 18th CDC2014 are now all online; the quick link is http://www.comptonharriers.co.uk/CDC2014Results.htm . Well done to all involved … feedback from runners has once again confirmed another successful outcome. http://www.iaaf.org/statistics//records will take you to a wealth of athletic statistics, records and profiles of the athletes concerned. Another new website that is well worth a visit is http://www.runnersmedicalresource.com . The site is advertised as a ‘One-stop resource for runners’ and covers advice on a range of topics such as fitness to compete, training, drinking, eating and injuries. Having read the ‘fitness to compete’ section, I think it is well worth a mention in any pre-race information. Finch Coasters (Pete H’s other club) emailed us with information about their forthcoming Woodland 5 Race Series. The races are "5 and a bit" miles along trails and paths in Crowthorne Woods and take place at 7:30 pm on the Wednesday evenings of May 21st, June 25th and July 30th with awards for the individual winners as well as overall series prizes. Entry is only £7.50 per event or £19.00 if you enter all 3. Entry forms can be downloaded from Finch Coasters website at: http://finchcoasters.org.uk/media/woodland5/2014/w5_entryform_2014.doc Webmaster’s article this month: The benefits of varying your Training Modes (Part 3) This is the final part in my series of 3 articles to explain and outline the benefits of various common modes of training, namely Speed/Interval, Tempo/Threshold and Long Runs. Having already covered the long run and speed training, this month’s article will cover Tempo/Threshold training. Tempo or threshold run training is ideal for 5K or 10K race training and consists of fast, continuous runs lasting for between 20 to 40 minutes carried out during a regular mid to long distance training run,. This type of training prepares your body for running at a faster pace for longer and also boosts your lactate threshold which is the point at which your legs can turn to jelly as lactic acid kicks into your system. (i.e. the point before you go into anaerobic exercise as your blood oxygen levels deplete and you find it hard to keep going). According to the experts, Tempo/Threshold training will trigger adaptations in the blood, increase metabolic enzyme activity and improve muscle fibre mass. It uses carbohydrate for energy, and burns more calories than steady running. Typical training exercises are: o Warm up for 10 minutes. o Run at tempo pace for 15 to 20 minutes. o Cool down for 10 minutes. The pace should be between your 10k and half marathon pace, at approximately 85% of maximum heart rate. As a further guide on pace, you should just about be able to talk for a few words whilst putting in a 'comfortably hard' effort. Other tempo workouts to try are: o Warm up for 15 minutes, followed by 10 minutes at half marathon pace, then 5 minutes jog, and finally10 minutes at 10k pace. o Or do three reps of 10 minutes at 10k pace with five minutes jogging between the reps. A longer interval session involving continuous 800s will also improve lactate tolerance: o Run 800m in the same mins/seconds ratio as your hrs/mins ratio for your marathon goal. In other words, if your goal is to run a 3:30 marathon, run your 800s in 3 mins and 30 seconds. o Start with six and aim to build up to 10, with recovery time the same as the time run at speed. (i.e. 3min:30sec in the example above). HH May 2014
7
A few forthcoming Events of Interest – see Website Events Calendar for more details: Sun, Mon, Wed, Sat, Sun,
May 4 May 5 May 7 May 10 May 11
Sun,
May 18
Wed, May 21 Sun, May 25 Wed, May 28 Sun, Jun 1 Sun, Jun 8 Sun, Sun,
Jun 15 Jun 22
Wed, Jun 25 Sun,
Jun 29
Three Forts Challenge (Mthn & ½Mthn) Chalgrove Festival 10K Silverstone Grand Prix 10K Marlborough Downs Challenge Grant & Stone Marlow 5 Highclere 10k Woodley 10K Royal Berkshire 10K Barton Stacey Fun Run 10K & 5K Welford & Wickham 10k Woodland 5 - Race 1 (Crowthorne) Bayer Newbury 10k Wallingford 10K Thames Run Back in a Flash 5K Race 1 Kintbury 5 Chiltern Chase - 5K Wargrave Charity 10K Ridgeway Relay Hungerford Harey 8 Whitchurch 10k & 5k Back in a Flash 5K Race 2 Woodland 5 - Race 2 (Crowthorne) Airbase Race - 10K
Inkpen Gibbet Challenge 10k Sun,
Jul 6
Sun, Sun,
Jul 13 Jul 20
Sun, Jul 27 Wed, Jul 30 Sun,
Aug 24
Sun, Sun, Sun, Sun, Sun,
Sep 21 Sep 14 Sept28 Oct 5 Oct 19
Sat, Sun, Sun,
Oct 25 Oct 26 Dec 7
HH May 2014
Thame 10K Didcot 5 Tadley 10k New Forest 10 mile Abingdon (Summer) 10K Grant & Stone Wycombe 10K & ½ Mthn The Great Bustard 5 Mile Down Tow Up Flow ½ Mthn Woodland 5 - Race 3 (Crowthorne) Back in a Flash 5K Race 3 Severn Bridge Half Marathon Pewsey Vale ½ Mthn Farnham Pilgrim Mthn + ½ Mthn Pangbourne 10k Multi-terrain The Barnstaple Mthn & ½ Mthn Basingstoke Half Marathon Frieth Hilly 5k and 10k Tadley 10 Mile Beachy Head Marathon & 10k Fairoaks Five & Ten (Miles) Tadley Xmas X-C 5.2 Mile
8