THE HARRIERS HERALD No. 299, January 2018 Editor: Sue Francis
Contents, features, reports, results
Thursday night schedules for January and February Ridgeway Relay – plea for a volunteer to take on the Captain’s role Christmas Meal – A great celebration to end the year Mo F Sports Personality of the Year – a special report from Simon’s alter ego Race results and reports – Oxford Mail x-country Race 2; Mapledurham 10; Aylesbury Boxing Day 10K; Goring & Streatley Fell Race Handicap Race and Handicap Championship – the 2017 Champion is announced Webmaster’s article – Mo features: Harriers WhatsApp group; post-run essentials; and a list of forthcoming races Thanks to Simon, Darren, Richard D and Mo for this month’s contributions
Thursday night schedule for January Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs
4th 11th 18th 25th
Martin to lead Handicap Race Pete O to lead Colin to lead
Thursday night schedule for February Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs
1st 8th 15th 22nd
Philomena lead Richard D to lead Handicap Race Vince to lead
Ridgeway Relay 2018 – a plea from Richard D Richard is asking for a volunteer to take over from him as Team Captain for Compton Harriers’ Ridgeway Relay team. Richard has done a great job over the last few years, and he is happy to provide advice and guidance to whoever is willing to take it on next. Please let Richard know if you would like to take this on. Notification of the Relay from the organisers (Marlborough Running Club) normally happens sometime in January so Richard would like, if possible, to pass on the contact details of his successor when he receives these details. This year’s Ridgeway Relay is scheduled for the Sunday 17th June. Richard says his main duties as Team Captain have been:
Liaise with Marlborough Running Club as point of contact / Team Captain for Compton Harriers Ridgeway Relay Team on receipt of invitation to participate in the Relay. Last year the MRC contact was Simon Boast and the invitation was received on 29th January, together with instructions. Distribute information to Compton Harriers on receipt of invitation, asking for volunteers to run in the Relay. We normally enter the senior category, which must include at least two ladies in the team. There are also categories for Veteran runners and Ladies. Follow up with Club members so that, ideally, we have at least 12 volunteers to run (10 runners and 2 reserves). Determine running order of Relay, taking account of any stage preferences expressed, with stronger runners being allocated the more difficult stages. Keep team members informed of information updates from the race organisers. Ensure transportation arrangements on the day have been made by individual runners, including any pickups or set downs, car shares etc. (Ideally) arrange venue for post-race meal. On the day follow the team around the event, ideally arriving at the start and each subsequent changeover point in time to ensure that runners are present and have registered at the changeover point and received their numbers. Note, this can be delegated to other Club members who are not running that particular stage.
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Compton Harriers’ Christmas Meal Sue Many thanks to Richard for organising a very enjoyable Christmas gathering at The Crown & Horns in East Ilsley. I’ve attended every Compton Harriers Christmas meal since 1991, and this was the first time we’ve held it at The Crown & Horns. It proved to be a very good choice of venue, with friendly service and good portions of very nice food. A total of 26 Harriers and partners attended and, after some rearranging of tables by Vince and Ben, we managed to fit everybody onto two long tables. After the main course, the winner and runners-up of the Handicap Championship were announced (see Handicap report later for full results), but only Ben was present to collect his 2nd place prize. On behalf of the Harriers, Sue then presented Jan K with a gift to thank her for her great support of the Club, particularly as our trustworthy timekeeper for the Handicap Race, Relay and Boundary Run. The draw for the 2018 London Marathon Club Entry was held. The four names in the pot were Charlotte, Mark, Terry and Vince. Each of their names was written on three pieces of paper (verified by Kirsty’s husband, Pete!), folded and put in to the pot. The pot was passed around the non-Harriers in the party who, in turn, picked out a piece of paper and read out the name. With the first person to have all three of their named pieces of paper drawn out to be declared the winner of the Club Entry, it became exciting when both Charlotte and Mark had been drawn twice. Ann Disney put an end to the anticipation when she drew out Charlotte, who was very happy to receive the LM Club Entry. Some photos taken by Darren and Sue are below. The rest can be seen at: http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk/WebPlus/Photo.html
Three wise men?
Smart but casual!
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Mo F – Sports Personality of the Year By HH Special Correspondent Hermione Goatfondler Compton Harriers’ very own Mo F was left speechless earlier this month when he was awarded the prestigious SPOTY award at a surprise ceremony. “I’m speechless,” he said. “Oh, no I’m not. But I am lost for words.” Handing over the award during a live link with the Goring Bide-A-Wee Rest Home for Bewildered Athletes, local dignitary Fred Shoelace said “You may well be surprised by this, Mo, but believe me you’ll never be as surprised as everyone who voted. Nobody expected a result like this. In fact, we have been recounting the votes for the past two weeks and still can’t believe it. Mo F, you are SPOTY 2017.” Accepting the trophy, a clearly emotional Mo F responded “I am clearly emotional, but I accept the trophy. But I’m not spotty. Honest. I do have a rash, though, look …” at which point the live link was fortunately lost. A few minutes later it was restored, which enabled a recomposed Mo to resume his acceptance speech, which continued for several minutes until he was restrained by the nurses. He was last heard shouting “Unhand me, Matron. I’m Sprouts Personality of the Year, I am. I like sprouts.” Mo F is 104.
Race Results and Reports Oxfordshire x-country League Race 2, Carterton, 3rd December Sue The December Oxfordshire x-country race almost didn’t happen, as there was a problem finding a willing host club and appropriate venue. Two weeks before race day, the venue was confirmed as Kilkenny Lane Country Park in Carterton, and all participating clubs were asked to provide volunteers. Parking was at West Oxfordshire Business Park, which was about a mile from race HQ, necessitating a complicated walk through a huge housing estate. The course itself was pretty flat, on a mixture of grass and compacted paths, and involved multiple laps of the park with some tight turns. The terrain suited me, and I ran well, and this (along with the fact that the last-minute organisation deterred some of my usual rivals from taking part) meant I secured a better position this time (19th, 28:35). Team Kennet’s Emily Faulkner was 5th, but there was no 3rd runner to complete the team. Jess has a great run to finish 2nd (25:37) behind her Newbury AC team-mate Isobel Fry. There were no Compton Harriers in the Team Kennet men’s team this time (although Colin was marshalling), but the team finished 9th in Division 3.
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Mapledurham 10, 3rd December Darren Not an event I had done before but it came recommended by other Harriers. It turned out five of us had entered: Ryan, Mike, Richard D, Philomena and myself, so a good CH day out to be had. Travelling to the event, following the sat nav consisted of some very tight and busy lanes as I got near. Ample car parking however. The morning was slightly milder than it had been the preceding few days, however the payoff was that it was raining on and off. A friendly welcome in the marquee when I went to collect my bib and timing chip. The chip was a shoe-fixed version wound through laces, it seemed to work well and caused me no issues. However, now for my usual moan. Toilets!!! I read somewhere the claim of ample toilets, they appeared to have done a disappearing act. Instead was a block which in the gents consisted of a small urinal and one actual toilet, with a door that was in the process of rotting away. I was quick to use these very ropey facilities, and just as well I did, as a huge queue soon assembled. Enough. So, to the event. All cross-country, very hilly and in some places very muddy following the overnight rain. The five Harriers gathered together at the start, and off we went. I proudly led the Harriers charge, leading our team for at least the first 50 yards, before Ryan (who apparently wasn’t racing) shot past and disappeared into the distance pursued by Mike. So, I settled into my own little race overtaking a few, the odd one overtaking me. The course was well signposted, with plenty of friendly marshals, the miles soon clocked down and I really enjoyed the race. I had a cracking nearly race-long battle with another competitor; I must have overtaken him a handful of times and he did the same to me. As we went into the last half mile he had the lead, but got slightly baulked by some slower 10k runners. I seized my opportunity and slipped past again, luckily having enough left for a bit of a sprint finish to hold him off. A cracking event I would recommend, although later in the race it can get a little congested with groups of slower 10k runners. So how did we all do? 275 recorded finishers for the 10-mile version. Ryan 17th with 1:10:13 Mike 18th with 1:10:33 Myself 39th with 1:16:00 A special word of note was Richard D’s result - 106th overall with 1:24:51, winning his male 60+ age category! Also, well done to Philomena finishing 111th overall with 1:25:14 placing her 2nd in her age category! We all got a very nice medal.
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Aylesbury Boxing Day 5K, 26th December Simon Despite having run this race a few times previously, including last year with my sister-in-law Emma, I hadn’t really planned on doing this one again this year. However, I woke at 6am Boxing Day, the weather wasn’t bad and, unable to come up with a half-decent excuse at short notice, I got up, had breakfast, filled in the entry form and jogged the mile-and-a-half up to the race HQ in Kingsbury Square in the centre of Aylesbury just after 8:30am. Turn-out was, as usual, pretty good for this event, which is now in its 58th year. There is a large ‘enter-onthe-day’ contingent – I’d guess probably half the runners – and consequently the queue for the late entries desk increased steadily, to the point where it looked like a few entrants might not have their numbers in time for the 9:45 start, although all went smoothly in the end. Chip timing was new for this year, with tags having to be fixed to shoes with sandwich-bag ties. I (as did many others) opted to string the tag through my shoelaces – safer and more secure for the run, but it required shoelaces to be untied at the finish in order to remove the tag. Still you can’t have everything, and I’d far rather have to untie a shoelace than have an unrecorded finish time. For some reason the start line was moved back some 30m from previous years’ start lines, though no one really seemed to know why. We all then had to shuffle across into one half of the road so that everyone ran over the mat at the start, which the organisers had to remove pretty sharp-ish so that people didn’t cross it again after the initial 200m lap of Market Square. The route itself – a lap of Market Square followed by two laps around the outskirts of Aylesbury Town Centre, with the finish outside The Feathers pub in Kingsbury Square – is not particularly inspiring and not particularly pretty but it does the job, and there’s a moderately interesting little climb about halfway round each lap. I had what I thought was a steady first kilometre (5:12) but then recorded alternate slow and fast km times to finish in 26:00 – overall nearly three minutes quicker than last year and, perhaps unsurprisingly, around my average time for a 5K Parkrun these days. The winning time of 16:05 this year was recorded by unattached runner Ryan Burling, with last year’s winner Owain Jones of Bristol & West AC in 16:10 and Philip Sewell, also unattached, in 16:40. First lady was Alice Wright from Vale of Aylesbury AC in 20:25, with Helen Mulhall of Bearbrook Joggers Running Club second in 20:34 and Tracy Galbraith – second lady last year and now running for Oxford City – third in 20:48. Last home of the 214 finishers was unattached FV35 runner Ativa Vaughn in a time of 46:40, whilst I was in 119th place. Overall this is a well organised and well attended event and although, it does attract runners from as far afield as St Albans, Milton Keynes, Bedford, Leighton Buzzard, Bicester and Oxford, it’s probably a bit of a trek for other Compton Harriers. However, if you are just plain desperate to do a 5K the day after Christmas then Aylesbury’s the place to be. And it’s not often I write that…
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Goring & Streatley Fell Race, 27th December Sue The fourth annual Goring & Streatley Fell Race took place in challenging conditions. The previous day’s heavy rain had been followed by overnight snow, which was now starting to melt. The mix of compacted snow and melting snow on muddy ground made it difficult to get traction on both the uphill and downhill sections, and the biting wind was against us on the first of the four big hills. It was hard going even in fairly knobbly trail shoes, but those who were wearing road shoes had to be extra careful. Four Harriers took part, with 53 other humans and a few dogs. Race organiser Giles had a good battle with Vince all the way. Giles excelled on the uphill sections while Vince, who was not familiar with the route, worked hard to catch Giles on the flat and downhill parts. With a long downhill tarmac finish on The Coombe, Vince managed to finish just ahead of Giles. Several minutes later I was the next finisher, Jeremy and his daughter though I had to run fast down The Coombe as I heard the footsteps of a fast-finishing youngster behind me! Jeremy completed the shorter route with his youngest daughter, who was one of several impressive youngsters taking part. The two race leaders (Colin Wood and Roger Gill, both of Newbury) had a good battle all the way, finishing together in 45:26, five seconds ahead of local man Jake Morris. Two talented 12-year-old lads were in the top six. Vince was 7th (50:34) and Giles 8th (50:54), with me 9th (57:12, 1st lady). When all had finished, we gathered in The Bull for drinks (they do a very nice hot chocolate!). Many thanks to Giles, his family and friends for organising a fun but challenging event. Mo’s full set of photos of the event can be viewed at: http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk/WebPlus/Photo.html
Giles leads Vince up from Stitchens Green
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Sue crests the final hill
November Handicap Race Sue A cold and crisp November evening saw 13 runners take on the final Handicap Race of 2017. In the absence of Championship leader George, there was a chance for others to reel him in on the leader board. Despite the cold conditions, the first three finishers all clocked excellent sub-12 times. Once Jess had caught 10 seconds on Martin, he hung on and they had a great battle all the way. Jess eventually won the race by 1 second from Martin, and she set the evening’s fastest time. Ben ran well to take 3rd place. After a strong start which saw him racing Jess and Martin, Vince felt unwell and was forced to stop before jogging to the finish. Many thanks to Jan and Dick for timing in the bitter cold. Finish Position 1 2 3 4 5= 5= 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Position on handicap 1 2 3 4 5= 5= 7 8 9 11 12 13 10
Name
Start time
Jess Martin Ben Lucy Philomena Richard D Sue Darren Aaron Colin Jonathan Vince Mo
3:53 3:43 4:00 1:06 2:02 1:49 3:37 4:03 3:23 0:49 2:44 3:57 0:42
Finish time
Actual time
15:33 15:34 15:53 16:06 16:15 16:15 16:19 16:25 16:28 16:39 17:02 20:48 21:31
11:40 11:51 11:53 15:00 14:13 14:26 12:42 12:22 13:05 15:50 14:18 16:51 20:49
Handicap Beaten? -0:27 -0:26 -0:07 +0:06 +0:15 +0:15 +0:19 +0:25 +0:28 +0:39 +1:02 +4:48 +0:31
Handicap Championship 2017 – final scores Thanks and well done to everyone who took part in the 2017 Handicap Race series, which consisted of five races around the winter Village Lap, and four races around our ‘new summer route’. Twenty-six runners completed at least one of the nine races, with 10 – 15 runners per race, but only Martin, Philomena and I raced all nine. Many thanks to Jan who was there to time-keep for every race, whatever the weather, and to Dick who was there to assist her with the race finishes. For the Championship, a person’s best five scores count towards their final total. Ryan, Mo and Jess each secured two wins, and there were also wins for George, Richard D and Ben. Ryan won races 1 and 2, so was championship leader early in the year, but then didn’t do any more of the races. With consistently high scores, Philomena took the lead after race 3 and remained at the top until race 7, when George moved ahead. Darren, Sue, Aaron and Mo were always vying for the runners-up positions, but Ben gradually worked his way up the leader board. Although he missed the final race, George held the top place, with 45 points (he previously won the Championship in 2015). Ben was 2nd, ahead of Philomena. See next page for full results. The 2018 Handicap Championship will use the same format and scoring system. The first race of 2018 is scheduled for Thursday 11th January, and will be around the Village Lap route.
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Handicap Championship 2017 – final scores Pos.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10= 10= 12= 12= 14 15= 15= 17= 17= 19= 19= 21 22 23 24= 24= 24=
Name
George Ben Philomena Darren Sue Mo Aaron Richard D Martin Kirsty Jess Ryan Jonathan Tim Lucy Mark John Colin Vince Richard T Susanne Mike Kristie Dick Charlotte Pete O
Race 1 (1) 7 8 (5) 3 6 1 12 1 (1) 10 4 2 9 1 -
Race 2 8 9 6 7 (1) (2) 5 12 10 (1) 4 3 -
Race 3 (6) 12 9 (5) (3) (1) (1) 1 10 8 4 2 7 1 (1) -
Race 4 9 (1) (3) 7 (4) 12 6 1 8 5 (1) 10 2 1 -
Race points Race Race 5 6 7 (6) 2 9 8 (5) 8 (3) 7 12 9 2 12 10 (1) (1) 6 3 1 10 5 1 1 4 4 1 1 1
Race 7 9 (4) 6 7 (1) 12 5 3 10 8 2 1 -
Race 8 12 10 (5) (1) 7 3 8 (1) 4 6 9 1 2 -
Race 9 9 7 (4) 5 2 (3) 7 10 12 1 8 1 1 -
Total of best 5 45 42 40 35 33 32 31 30 27 25 25 24 24 21 20 20 17 17 11 11 10 9 3 1 1 1
Website update‌ http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk Mo It may not be everybody's 'cup-of-tea', but those of you who have already signed up with the 'WhatsApp' group will know that it is a good way of finding out what events other Harriers have entered and are proposing to enter. The system has end-to-end encryption, so only those in the group will be able to see the various messages. If you wish to be added to the growing list of members in the Harriers WhatsApp group, just get in touch with Rich or Charlotte and ask to be added to the group. This month's article: Post-Run Essentials Before rushing off to the pub after a run (except on club nights of course), it is worth spending a little time on post-run recovery exercises, which will help to keep you injury-free and improve your running and overall fitness. o
Refuelling: it is essential for good health and muscle recovery that you replace protein and carbohydrates as soon as possible on completing your workout and the most efficient way is through whole foods (fresh fruit and vegetables rather than processed food) as they are digested and processed by the body more efficiently. Homemade smoothies, organic animal protein and whole oatmeal are ideal foods to replace your energy stores.
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o o o
o
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Re-hydrating: whether this is part of a smoothie, as suggested above, or a protein shake, or plain water, it is essential to replace the fluids your body has lost during your run within 30-60 mins. Stretching: when your muscles are warmed up, they are much more pliable, so this is the perfect time for some static stretching and 'foam rolling' to maintain flexibility and range of motion. Recording your efforts: by keeping a log, you can analyse your progress and pick up on improvements and progress you are making towards your long-term goals. This will also highlight any signs of overtraining. Wash or wipe away the sweat: if you don't have time to shower after a run, make sure you do a quick wipe-down with baby wipes (or similar) to avoid any bacterial issues and rashes in sensitive areas ... not to mention the 'strange smell' of course! Rest: make sure you have sufficient rest and sleep as part of your post-run recovery as this allows your body to heal and recover more quickly ... and sets you up for your next run!
Links of interest this month: (Regular list at: http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk/WebPlus/Links.html) If you want to see the treadmill in a new light, try moving some of your speed workouts indoors ... more details at https://goo.gl/3XnF5t. If you are struggling to return to fitness after injury or other forced lay-off, then this RW article is worth reading: http://bit.ly/back2shape.
Events Calendar Summary
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan 2018
see Website for full details: (http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk/WebPlus/Calendar.htm) Sun, 07: 11:20 Oxford Mail XC League Round 3 (Adderbury) Sat, 13: Country to Capital 45 Sun, 14: 10:15 Woodcote 10k • Rough 'n Tumble 10 Sun, 21: 11:00 Gloucester Mthn, 50k & ½ Mthn • Winter Windsor ½ Mthn, 5k, 10k & 15k Sun, 28: 10:00 Longleat 10K Sat, 03: Thames Trot Ultra 50 Sun, 04: 11:20 Oxford Mail XC League Round 4 (Venue tbc) • Lungbuster 2018 - 9 miles XC Sun, 11: 10:00 The Wiltshire 10 • 10:30 Bramley 20ml & 10ml Road Races Sat, 17: 12:20 Dorney Lake Winter Half Marathon ½ Mthn, 5k, 10k & 15k Sun, 18: 10:00am Wokingham ½ Mthn Sun, 25: 09:00 Brighton Half Marathon • 10:30 The Terminator (12 miles XC) Sat, 03: 07:30 Lulworth Cove Trail -10K, ½ Mthn, Mthn & Ultra Sun, 04: 11:20 Oxford Mail XC League Round 5 (Farmoor) • Goring 10k Sat, 10: 10:45 Deep River Trail ½ Mthn & 10k Sun, 11: Barcelona Marathon • MK ½ Mthn & Festival of Running Sun, 18: Reading ½ Marathon • Ridge Off Roader • 10:30 Grizzly 2018 • 12:30 Windsor & Eton 5k, 10k & 15k Sun, 25: 09:00 Yeovil ½ Marathon • 14:00 Combe Gibbet 2018 - 16miles Fri, 30: 09:30 Maidenhead Easter 10 Sun, 08: White Horse ½ Mthn • 08:30 Thames Towpath 10 • 09:30 Baildon Boundary Way (Trail ½Mthn) • Devizes Half Mthn Sat, 14: 12:30 Thames Valley Spring ½ Mthn, 5k, 10k & 15k Sun, 15: The Brighton Marathon • 09:00 Woodley 10k Sun, 22: 09:00 Southampton Mthn, ½ Mthn, 10k & 1ml fun run • 10:00am Virgin Money London Marathon Mon, 07: 09:30 Shinfield 10k Sun, 13: 09:00 Henley ½ Mthn & 10km Trail Runs Sun, 20: 08:30 • Royal Windsor ½ Mthn & 10k River Trail Runs • Windermere Marathon Sat, 26: Grand Union Canal 145ml Sun, 27 Dauntsey 10k • 10:00 Newbury 10k
For events after May, see online Calendar or follow link for other sources: http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk/linkindex.htm#Event Finder
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