THE HARRIERS HERALD No. 293, July 2017 Editor: Sue Francis
Contents, features, reports, results
Thursday night schedules for July and August Compton Annual Relay – the latest A thank you letter from Jan Race results and brief reports – Otmoor Challenge, Ollie Johnson 5-mile, Dinton 10K, Chiltern Chase, Compton Charity Cycle, Man vs Horse, Salzburg trail marathon, Ridgeway Relay, Ridgeway Revenge, Downlands Dash Handicap Race – A win for Richard D, and Philomena extends her Championship lead Webmaster’s article – Mo features: Compton Harriers’ donation to Beechcroft Memory Clinic; runners’ excuses debunked; post work-out essentials; and forthcoming local and interesting races Thanks to Richard, Jan and Mo for this month’s contributions
Thursday night schedule for July Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs
6th 13th 20th 27th
Tim to lead Compton Relay – see below for more information Lucy to lead Sue to lead
Thursday night schedule for August Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs
3rd 10th 17th 24th 31st
Meena to lead Handicap Race Darren to lead Pete O to lead Mo to lead
Compton Relay Sue The annual Relay will take place on the evening of Thursday 13th July starting at 5:30 pm from the Downlands Sports Centre, and there will be no ‘normal’ Club run scheduled for that day. I currently have 16 teams, including five teams of Compton Harriers & friends, six teams from Newbury Runners, four teams from Harwell Harriers and one team from Newbury AC. Thank you also to those Harriers who have offered to help on the evening. More details for runners and helpers will follow by e-mail.
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A letter from Jan Dear Harriers I imagine that my Mum would have been more than a little embarrassed if she had known that Compton Harriers would be making a donation in her memory, and I know for certain that she would definitely be embarrassed if I didn’t send a thank-you letter! When it was suggested to me that some of the profits from this year’s Compton Downland Challenge might be donated to a local Alzheimer’s charity as a tribute not only to my Mum but also to Martin’s Dad, I was pleased to recommend Hillcroft House, which is a specialist NHS Unit based at the West Berkshire Hospital, as a worthy recipient. My sister, Sarah, and I were grateful to receive valuable support following Mum’s diagnosis and we both agreed that we would like other families affected by this cruel illness to benefit. Mum always showed a keen interest in all Compton Harriers events and, for about twenty years, was happy to lend a hand at the CDC, either at Registration or in the Results terrapin. She was very proud to receive a Compton Harriers 20–year commemorative tankard, which was displayed on her kitchen windowsill. Our sincere thanks, then, not only to Compton Harriers and all CDC 2017 participants, but also to Mo and Sue who kindly visited Hillcroft, after Sarah and I declined the opportunity to have our photographs taken handing over a cheque. With thanks, Jan x (See also Mo’s article on page 8)
Race Reports and Results Otmoor Challenge, 3rd June This event has become a regular fixture in Philomena’s running calendar and, this year, she was joined by Terry. Otmoor is an area of fenland between Oxford and Bicester, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a major bird sanctuary belonging to the RSPB. This was the 38th running of the Otmoor Challenge, a halfmarathon around the roads, tracks and fields of Otmoor. Meena and Terry both ran very well, finishing 70th (1:44:36), and 73rd (1:45:04) respectively, from a field of 280 runners.
Ollie Johnson 5M, Kintbury, 4th June Martin was 23rd (33:16), Lucy 81st (40:00) and Colin 109th (42:23). There were 165 finishers.
Dinton 10K, 8th June Two members of Compton Harriers took part in this Thursday evening race. Ben was 24th in 41:53, and Vince 31st in 43:04. There were 180 finishers.
Chiltern Chase, 4th June The Chiltern Chase is a multi-terrain run, from the village of Ewelme, along picturesque the bridleways and stony trails of the Chiltern Way. There is a choice of three distances (5K, 10K and 15K). Rich B and Charlotte ran the 10K. Rich finished 83rd in 48:49. This was Charlotte’s first race, as she builds up to running a marathon. She did very well to finish 216th (58:49) in a field of 329 finishers.
Compton Charity Cycle, 10th June Three Compton Harriers took part in this 25-mile charity cycle event for Compton Pre-School. Compared with last year, when the event was held in early autumn and some of the tracks were very muddy, the ground was firm this time. We set off with a nice following wind, which made the first 6 miles seem quite easy. HH July 2017
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Then we turned towards the Hendreds and it became hard work! Once again, this was a friendly local event followed by a BBQ and live music. Despite thinking that his bike was rather old and in poor condition, Vince had a great ride to finish in about 2.5 hours, while Mo and Sue completed in around 3 hours.
Man vs Horse, 11th June On a wet weekend in Wales, Mike completed this tough 23-mile event. He finished 41st out of 188 solo runners, beating 17 of the 40 horses.
Salzburg trail marathon, 17th June Ryan very much enjoyed this tough event, and did extremely well, despite his recent injury concerns. Ryan said: “What an amazing marathon. It had everything: beautiful scenery, awesome support, but was by far the hardest marathon to date for me. Mountains, with the most challenging of descents….at times, I felt it was harder mentally than my first IronMan but I loved it. My time was 5:29, but finishing 19th overall, I'm happy.”
Ridgeway Relay, 18th June Richard D Sunday June 18th dawned bright and very hot for the running of the 2017 edition of the Ridgeway Relay. Indeed, conditions during the day were understood to be the most challenging in the Relay’s history due to the heat, which started at 22oC and rose to the low 30s in the afternoon. However, the dry spring and early summer did mean that running conditions underfoot were the firmest for some years, uncomfortably so in some places! The heavy growth resulting from the early spring meant that certain signs and turn offs from the race route were harder than usual to identify, making the pre-race route test run of each runner’s stage more critical than ever this year. 42 runners, representing some 23 clubs, together with a small contingent of Compton Harrier supporters, arrived at Ivinghoe Beacon for the start of the relay at 7:30 in the morning. Martin Fray, first stage runner, set off in the main pack. Despite a niggle in his leg, Martin ran a steady stage, running in a small group, and finished the tough first stage in Wendover strongly in 20tth place. The fact that two strong teams, Headington A and Reading Road Runners A, both had runners abandon the stage due to the conditions, illustrated how tough the day was to be for the runners. Martin handed over to Sue Francis, running her customary second stage. Sue ran her usual steady stage and cheered on by Compton Harrier supporters at various places during it, saw her finish in 14th place. Sue handed over to Vince Page, who has only recently joined the Harriers, at Whiteleaf, just outside Princes Risborough.
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Vince, who only heard he was running less than a week before the Relay, and running in it for the first time, ran very well over the undulating terrain of his stage, gaining two places to hand over in 12th place to Debbie Bishop just west of the M40 at Lewknor, for the relatively short but tough stage up to Swyncombe Church. Debbie, running the Relay for the first time in three years, travelled down for the day from Birmingham with her family, including new-born twins, especially to run the race. Despite facing some stiff competition from some fast runners over her stage Debbie ran well to only drop a few places in the run up to Swyncombe Church. Here Debbie handed over to Tim Marsters in 19th place for the long stage down Grim’s Ditch and along the Thames to South Stoke. Another race debutant, Tim showed the benefit of his ultra training with a strong stage and gained two places, handing over to Giles Humphreys-Evans in 17th place outside South Stoke School. The hand over being at 13:18 it was outside the 13:00 cut-off time for the mass start at the beginning of the 7th stage. Using his local knowledge and ultra training, Giles ran the long 6th stage, which passes through Goring and up onto the Downs, superbly gaining four places for the Harriers, finishing in 13th position. Giles’ 5th place amongst all runners overall on this stage shows how strong a run his was. Kirsty Reade, another Harrier running her first Ridgeway Relay, started the 7th stage from Bury Down before Giles arrived, being one of the runners in the first mass start at 14:00. Whilst she didn’t manage to welcome Giles in this did give Kirsty the benefit of being in a competitive environment for much of her stage. In some very hot and exposed conditions at the top of the Downs, Kirsty did well to finish ahead of most of her fellow mass start runners and completed her stage in an overall position of 13th place, passing over to Terry Bartholomew at Sparsholt Firs. Terry ran a steady race in very hot conditions and along what was a new stage for him, up past White Horse Hill and on to Charlbury Hill, where he handed over to Jonathan Phillips in 14th place. By this time the conditions could be best described as sweltering! Jonathan, running the 9th stage for the fourth time, set out on this tough and long stage up to Barbury Castle at 16:26. In tough conditions Jonathan had been running a steady stage and had maintained his position well until, on reaching the outskirts of Ogbourne St George he unfortunately missed the correct turning and had to run nearly a mile before he realised his error. He retraced his steps and continued the long haul up to Barbury Castle, accompanied by myself for the final mile, arriving for a well-earned rest at 18:19, finishing his stage in 16th place. Meena Mburu, starting from Barbury Castle in the second mass start of the day at 17:45, ran a consistent stage and was encouraged by supporters both at the start, at Hackpen Hill and outside Manton Stables. She brought the team home just after 19:00 in the evening in a very creditable official 15th place (unofficial 13th place if one excludes the Headington and Reading Road Runner teams who failed to finish stage one but were given estimated finishing times) in an overall time of 12:38:02. This was understandably slower than last year’s time of 11:47:30 but a very good result given the conditions. The winning team was Oxford City AC who finished in a phenomenal 9:27:01, followed by Vale of Aylesbury in 2nd place in 10:46:21, with White Horse Harriers finishing 3rd in 10:58:32. The supporters and seven members of the team who made it to the finish line duly celebrated afterwards with a well-earned meal in the White Hart pub in Hampstead Norreys. I would like to thank everyone who took part in the relay, Lucy and Martin for ferrying Jonathan and Meena’s cars from the start to the end of their stages, and also to the many supporters at this event. Let’s look forward to another enjoyable event in 2018. See next page for a selection of photos taken by Mo and by Barry Cornelius (http://www.oxonraces.com/photos/ ) Mo’s full set of Ridgeway Relay photos can be found at: http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk/WebPlus/Photo.html
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Ridgeway Revenge MT 13.6M, 24th June Six days after the Ridgeway relay, Jonathan returned to the village of Bishopstone to tackle the Ridgeway Revenge, a long off-road half-marathon taking in Fox Hill, Hinton Downs, Ashdown House and an iron age hillfort, Alfred’s Castle. Jonathan completed the race without getting lost, but results are apparently not yet available on the race website.
Downlands Dash, 25th June The Club was really well-represented at the Downlands Dash 10K and 3.6K fun-run, organised by Compton School. The 10K is over a multi-terrain course with four challenging hills. But conditions were good, and both the men’s and ladies course records were smashed by the race winners Matthew King (36:31) and Jess Franklin (41:51). Vince was first Compton Harrier with an excellent 7th place (44:32). Terry had a great run to finish 16th (49:26). Tim ran with his wife Louise, and they clocked 58:10 (63rd & 64th). Charlotte and Mark (running his first race as a Compton Harrier) finished together in 1:00:44 (144th and 45th). The Bartholomew family had three finishers, as Emma accompanied daughter Kaitlin on her first race, and they finished in 1:06:44 (91st & 92nd). There were 105 finishers, with the last runner clocking 1:32:50. Having done a race the previous day, Sue opted for the 3.6K event, which had only 14 entrants. She was 3rd overall (16:25) behind two young lads who comfortably broke 15 minutes. Vince’s wife Amy did well to finish 10th – her first race just five months after having a baby. Thanks to Richard D, Martin, Lucy, Dick and Jan for marshalling and to Jonathan and Mo for support. All of Mo’s photos for this race can be viewed at: http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk/WebPlus/Photo.html
Charlotte, Mark and Emma on Shepherds Hill (9.5K)
Most of Compton Harriers finishers: Sue, (Reggie dog), Vince, Charlotte, Terry, Mark, Emma & Kaitlin HH July 2017
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Handicap Race Warm dry conditions greeted competitors for June’s Handicap Race around our new summer route. Twelve Handicap regulars were joined by first-timers Vince and Mark. Richard D showed a good boost in fitness to win with a 20-second margin. Jonathan also showed a great return to form to take second place. A strong run from Vince saw him finish next, recording the evening’s fastest time. Aaron was the only other runner to beat his handicap, despite claiming to be injured with a perforated eardrum! Jan and Dick did a great job recording finishers’ times, with Mo helping by recording finishers’ names. The next Handicap Race is on 10th August. Finish Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13= 13=
Position on handicap 1 2 New Runner 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 New Runner
Name
Start time
Richard D Jonathan Vince Aaron Philomena George Kirsty Tim Colin Sue Ben Martin Susanne Mark
Finish time
Actual time
13:26 13:46 13:54 13:58 14:00 14:03 14:06 14:11 14:22 14:26 14:33 15:46 16:32 16:32
11:06 10:21 9:38 10:03 10:59 10:18 10:48 9:42 12:23 10:16 10:04 11:13 12:50 12:50
2:18 3:25 4:16 3:55 3:01 3:45 3:18 4:29 1:59 4:10 4:29 4:33 3:42 3:42
Handicap Beaten? -0:34 -0:14 New Runner -0:02 0:00 +0:03 +0:06 +0:11 +0:22 +0:26 +0:33 +1:46 +2:32 New Runner
Handicap Championship: After five races, Philomena has extended her Championship lead to 6 points, ahead of George and Darren. However, since the final Championship scores are based on an individual’s best five performances, a lot could change in the remaining four races. Pos.
1 2 3 4= 4= 6= 6= 8 9 10= 10= 12 13 14 15 16 17= 17= 19 20= 20= 20= 20=
Name
Philomena George Darren Ryan Aaron Sue Kirsty Tim Martin John Mo Ben Jonathan Richard D Colin Richard T Mike Susanne Lucy Kristie Dick Vince Mark
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Race 1
Race 2
Race 3
Race 4
7 8 12 6 5 1 1 10 3 1 4 9 2 1 1 -
9 8 6 12 2 7 10 5 1 4 3 1 -
9 6 5 1 3 8 10 7 1 12 4 1 1 1 2 -
3 9 7 6 4 8 5 1 12 1 10 2 1 1 -
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Race points Race Race 5 6 8 7 9 3 6 5 1 2 10 12 4 1 1 1
-
Race 7
Race 8
Race 9
-
-
-
Total of best 5 36 30 26 24 24 22 22 21 18 17 17 16 14 13 12 11 9 9 5 1 1 1 1
Website update… http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk Mo More news on our Charity Donation:
Further to last month’s update on our charity donation from the proceeds of the Compton 20 Downland Challenge, on Thursday 8th June Sue and I presented a cheque of £1000.00 to The Memory Clinic at Hillcroft House. The news was also posted on our Facebook page. The picture shows Sally Cairns, the Interim Service Manager, accepting the cheque on behalf of the Community Mental Health Service for Older Adults. Links of interest this month: I recently read a very interesting article on the Map-my-run blog about excuses runners use to avoid a training run. I must admit I have considered many of the excuses myself and I'm sure most runners have too. It's well worth a click on the following link ... http://bit.ly/runornottorun ... and I guarantee you will be familiar with nearly all the excuses! Post work-out essentials: After successfully completing a race or a strenuous work-out, you probably feel like sitting down and relaxing, but there are a few essentials you should attend to first ... Warm down with a light 10-15 minute jog to help with the removal of waste products and delivery of fresh blood to your overworked muscles. Follow up with static stretching which helps to cool you down, increase muscle relaxation and potentially get tight muscles back to their resting length. Typically, hamstrings will tighten if you don’t consistently stretch after long runs and you are more likely to develop injuries and lose speed. Try to spend 30 seconds or so stretching out each muscle group, especially those that feel particularly tight. Re-hydrate asap, especially if you have lost any more than 2% of your body weight during your workout. Weight losses greater than 2% tend to indicate significant dehydration and could put you at risk of heat stroke as well as increasing muscle soreness. In addition to drinking plenty of water before exercise the general recommendation by health professionals is to drink at least half a pint every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise and half a pint to 1 pint of water following your workout. It may also be beneficial to hydrate with an electrolyte-containing sports drink or coconut water if you are particularly de-hydrated. It is important to eat protein after a strenuous workout so that muscle growth and recovery can take place. Aim to eat 20 to 40 grams within the first 20 minutes after your warm down. Don't forget the Carbs; you may need more carbohydrate than protein. Experts suggest that post-workout foods and drinks with a 3:1 to 4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein are ideal for exercise recovery so for every gram of protein you consume following a workout, you will need three to four grams of carbohydrate. Refuel again within 2-3 hours with a high-carb meal with moderate amounts of protein and some healthy fats and vegetables to reduce inflammation. Rest is essential for muscle repair, so avoid staying out too late if you want to optimise recovery. In order to produce the necessary hormones for the repair process, experts suggest a target of 8 hours sleep. Massage aching muscles using a foam roller and treat yourself to a professional sports massage every so often. Get running again with some light jogging and gradually build your training back up over the next week or so. However, if your legs are particularly sore consider some gentle cross training on the bike or in the pool. HH July 2017
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Events of Interest – see Website Training & Events Calendar for full details:
Oct
Sept
August
July
Sat, 01: Sun, 02: Sun, 09: Sat, 15: Sun, 16: Wed, 19: Sun, 23: Fri, 28: Sun, 30: Sat, 05: Sun, 06: Fri, 11: Sat, 12: Sun, 13: Sun, 20: Sat, 26: Sun, 27: Mon, 28: Sun, 10: Fri, 15: Sat, 16: Sun, 17: Sat, 23: Sun, 24: Sun, 01: Sun, 08: Sun, 22:
09:00 Birmingham Black Country Marathon • 10:30 Bracknell Samaritans 10k & 5k 09:30 Didcot 5 • 09:30 Buscot 5k & 10k 09:45 The Adderbury ½ Mthn, 10k & 5k • 10:00 Greystones 10k & 5k Walk or Run • 11:00 Tim's Tadley 10k 11:15 New Forest 10 Race to the Stones 100k & 50k • 19:00 Hornton Classic 6 Race to the Stones 100k & 50k • 09:30 Wycombe ½ Mthn & 10k • 11:00 Black Park 10K 19:30 Thames 10K • Woodland 5 (Miles) 10:00 Down Tow Up Flow ½ Marathon • 10:30 Kingsclere Twist 5K & 10K Kennet & Avon Canal 145 Mile Race 09:00 Run for Champagne - COTSWOLDS - 10K/5K • 10:30 Wellingborough 5 (Road) Round Reading Ultra Marathon Hooky 6 • 09:30 Bearbrook 10K Sturminster • 10:30 Sturminster Newton ½Mthn & 5k Oxford Ultra 66 10:00 Thames Meander Mthn & ½ Mthn 09:30 Burnham Beeches ½ Mthn & 10K • Run Dorney 5k, 10k & ½ Mthn • Salisbury 54321 Trail Runs Lulworthcastle 10k • 09:00 Run-for-champagne Berkshire 10k run & 5k walk Liverpool - Leeds 130 mile Canal Race • Ridgeway Challenge 86 Miles Ridgeway Challenge 86 Miles • 09:30 Headington 5 • 11:00 Englefield Run 10K
Harwell ½ Mthn 08:30 47th Chiltern Mthn • 09:30 Chippenham ½ Mthn • Henley 10k •10:30 Pangbourne 10k •11:00 Earthtrust 10k IOW Fell Race Series IOW Fell Race Series IOW Fell Race Series • 10:00 Cotswold Classic 10miles (Road) 10:00 Ridgeway Run 5 & 10 mile trail
Swallowfield 10K+3K & Duathlon Blenheim Palace ½ Mthn, 10k & 2k 09:30 The Yorkshire Marathon • 11:00 RARE 5k & 10k Abingdon Marathon • 10:30 Exmoor Stagger & Stumble
... don't forget, if you want to search for more events, especially those further afield, just follow our page link for other sources: http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk/linkindex.htm#Event Finder:
Thursday evening selfie during Colin’s run, near Bagnor HH July 2017
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