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THE HARRIERS HERALD No. 295, September 2017 Editor: Sue Francis

Contents, features, reports, results     

Thursday night schedules for September and October Race results and reports – Round Reading Ultra; Indian Queens Half Marathon; Hooky 6; Dinton 10K; Weymouth Triathlon; Canterbury Half; Englefield 10K; Reading AC Mile Festival Handicap Race - Mo F emulates his namesake for a race win Webmaster’s article – Mo features: running for weight loss; how to prevent a stitch; and a list of local and interesting races for the autumn months Thanks to Mo for this month’s contribution

Thursday night schedule for September Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs

7th 14th 21st 28th

Richard D to lead Mo to lead Handicap Race Martin to lead

Thursday night schedule for October Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs

5th 12th 19th 26th

Kirsty to lead Jonathan to lead Handicap Race Sue to lead

Race Results and Reports Round Reading Ultra 50K, 5th August The inaugural Round Reading Ultra, a multi-terrain course that circumnavigates Reading, had the option of a 1-lap 50K route, or 2-lap 100K route. The course included a variety of terrain, including flat river and canal towpaths, undulating woodland trails, country lanes, and paths through Reading's urban green spaces. Tim took part in the 50K, finishing an excellent 12th out of 93 finishers in 4:57:30. The race winner was Steven Graves in 4:11:24.

Indian Queens Half Marathon, Newquay, 6th August Four Harriers and a dog headed to Cornwall to take part in a big sea swim event on the Saturday, and a multi-terrain half marathon on the Sunday. The sea swim was cancelled due to choppy water (so, according to Sus, they ate a lot of fudge instead), but all completed the half marathon. Sus was 143rd (1:42:54), Charlotte 422nd (2:13:58) and Mark 476th (2:24:44). Unfortunately, although Rich finished, he was disqualified because running with a dog was not permitted!

The race winners were Peter Le Grice (Mounts Bay Harriers) in 1:11:50, and Emma Stepto (Cornwall AC) in 1:21:00.

As the human runners recover, Reggie cannot hide the disappointment of his disqualification

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Hooky 6, Hook Norton, 6th August This was Richard D’s first competitive race of 2017. He finished in a good position of 139th out of 341 finishers, in a time of 45:59. The race winners were John Parker (Cheltenham & County Harriers) in 32:19, and Jenny McBain (Alchester RC) in 38:10.

Dinton 10K, 10th August Vince recorded his fastest time and best position of this 10K series, finishing in 41:43, 14th out of 193 finishers.

Weymouth Triathlon, 20th August Mark participated in the sprint distance triathlon, finishing 61st in a total time of 1:42:24.

Richard at the Hooky 6: Photo by Barry Cornelius

Mark and his triathlon medal

Englefield 10K, 27th August Richard D represented the Club in the 8th annual running of this multi-terrain 10K, round Englefield Estate, near Theale. Richard finished a good 66th out of 295 finishers, in 48:59. The first man and lady (Kristian Watson and Amber Gascoigne) both set new course records.

Canterbury Half Marathon, 28th August Vince completed this challenging half marathon on a hot day, finishing in 1:40:52 (40th out of 409 runners).

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Reading AC Mile Festival, 28th August Sue Mike and I took part in the second annual Mile Festival, held at Palmer Park athletics track in Reading. This event was open to anyone, regardless of age, experience or ability. There was electronic timing, music pumping out on one side of the track, and a post-race barbecue. There were 13 races, with runners seeded into different races based on their predicted mile time, and completely independent of age, gender or ability.

Race 1 was for the slowest runners, and race 13 for the speedsters. The slowest time of the day was 13:11, and the fastest time was 4:31; and competitors ages ranged from 13 to 65.

This was Mike’s first race on a synthetic track and he’d treated himself to a pair of running spikes. Having given similar predicted times, we were both seeded into race 8. Our ten fellow competitors were four veteran men, five young ladies aged between 15 and 20, and a 15-year-old boy. Mike and I both paced ourselves well and ran strongly. Mike tracked the two race leaders for 3 laps, then made his move. With a storming last lap, he won the race in 5:19.22, which smashed his predicted time. The rest of us finished in close succession, which made for a good race. Having predicted myself a time of 5:40, I was happy to clock 5:40:43 (8th).

Handicap Race Despite the recent rain, conditions were good for August’s Handicap race, and some good times were posted, with several runners achieving PBs or season’s best times. In this World Athletics Championship week, Mo F lived up to the reputation of his namesake as he led from start to finish to win the trophy. Richard D did his best to chase Mo down, but couldn’t quite get there. The third finisher was Ben, who really went for it and recorded the evening’s fastest time. A good battle between Darren and Sue saw them both set PBs, while George and Meena also beat their predicted times, and Colin was spot-on. New member Jess took part in her first Handicap Race. Thanks again to Jan and Dick for time-keeping. The next Handicap Race is scheduled for 21st September.

See next page for results.

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Handicap Race results Finish Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 14

Position on handicap 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 New Runner 10 11 12 13

Name

Start time

Mo Richard D Ben Darren Sue George Philomena Colin Kirsty Jess Aaron Lucy Pete O Martin

Finish time

Actual time

16:31 16:35 16:37 16:43 16:45 16:56 16:58 17:00 17:02 17:03 17:12 17:20 17:48 19:28

16:09 11:07 9:13 9:27 9:44 10:09 10:55 12:09 10:43 10:02 10:13 11:52 11:56 12:04

0:22 5:28 7:24 7:16 7:01 6:47 6:03 4:51 6:19 7:01 6:59 5:28 5:52 7:24

Handicap Beaten?

-0:29 -0:25 -0:23 -0:17 -0:15 -0:04 -0:02 0:00 +0:02 New Runner +0:12 +0:20 +0:48 +2:28

Handicap Championship After six races, the top three placings remain the same, with Philomena, George and Darren separated by only 4 points.

Pos.

1 2 3 4 5 6= 6= 6= 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17= 17= 19 20= 20= 20= 20= 20= 20=

Name

Philomena George Darren Mo Sue Aaron Ben Kirsty Ryan Richard D Tim Martin John Colin Jonathan Richard T Mike Susanne Lucy Kristie Dick Vince Mark Pete O Jess

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Race 1

Race 2

Race 3

Race 4

7 8 3 5 6 1 12 1 1 10 4 9 2 1 1 -

9 8 6 1 7 2 12 10 5 4 3 1 -

9 6 5 (1) (3) (1) 12 8 1 10 7 4 1 1 2 -

(3) 9 7 12 4 6 1 8 5 1 10 2 1 1 -

4

Race points Race Race 5 6 8 7 3 9 2 6 12 5 1 4 10 1 1 1 -

5 6 8 12 7 2 9 3 10 (1) 4 1 1 1

Race 7

Race 8

Race 9

-

-

-

Total of best 5 38 36 34 28 26 25 25 25 24 23 21 18 17 16 14 11 9 9 6 1 1 1 1 1 1

Website update‌ http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk Mo

Links of interest this month: Running can be one of the best ways to burn calories and lose weight, but only if you train properly, eat healthy food and get plenty of rest. So, if like me, you are struggling to control your weight even when you have 'upped' your mileage, you are probably not following the right training plan. Alright, I do like a pint of beer afterwards and of course training hard does make you hungry so you need to eat afterwards. Well, after reading an on-line article on the Running Bug website, it was easy to see the 'error of my ways'. The link to this interesting and informative article is https://therunningbug.com/fitness/weightloss/5-top-running-for-weight-loss-tips .

No time to train? Follow these tips in another online article on how to fit exercises into your busy daily life at https://therunningbug.com/fitness/beginners/how-to-fit-fitness-into-your-daily-schedule .

Preventing a stitch: Most runners will have suffered with a stitch at some time during a run. The shooting pain can be unbearable at times, affecting breathing and forcing you to slow to a walk or even stop. I have previously covered how to get rid of a stitch, but not how to prevent it in the first place. The painful condition is caused by the diaphragm and tummy muscles unexpectedly going into spasm but even medical experts are unsure why this happens, focussing on blood flow, blood pressure, posture, movement and digestion. But all the runner really wants to know is how to stop it in the first place! Therefore, here are the various tips for reducing the likelihood of it happening to you: o

o

o o

o

Eat lightly pre-run, avoiding foods high in fat or fibre as these can take longer to break down and digest, especially when you are running. Eat foods that fuel your run and offer sustained energy but keep them light.

Having a good warm up will reduce the chances of developing a stitch later in the run. Don't rush into your planned training pace as it could be too big a jump for the body to handle. Aim to spend the first 10 minutes of any run, session or workout gradually reaching the pace planned for that day. Start slowly letting the body warm up its core temperature, lubricate joints and open up the energy pathways.

Strengthen your core: Physio experts believe a stronger core helps to retain your posture and secures your diaphragm and reduces movement and potential muscle spasm as you run.

Breathe naturally and relax: Keep a rhythm that feels controlled, such as breathing in every 2-3 strides and still relatively deeply rather than short gasps. Sudden changes in breathing patterns or depth are known to upset the diaphragm and can trigger a stitch from time to time.

Maintain posture: aim to run tall, be light on your feet and possibly lean forward slightly as you run, keeping relaxed with shoulders dropped and head up. This will take the strain off the diaphragm and reduce the chances of triggering a stitch.

When a stitch does strike: o Keep calm and try to relax. Tension and frustration will make the spasm worse. If the pain is mild, just breathe deeply, calmly and maintain posture, and see if the stitch will ease. o If it gets worse, slow down and try stretching your arm high into the air above your head on the side of the pain. This will force the tummy muscles to stretch out and ease tension on connective tissue in spasm.

Holding this as you run or walk for 30-60 paces can often do the trick so you gradually pick up your effort again. o Another tip which I have mentioned before‌as your foot strikes the ground on the opposite side to the stitch, breathe out hard and keep repeating this. So, a stitch on the left side requires you to breathe out as the foot strikes on the right side and vice versa.

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Nov

Oct

Sept

Events of Interest – see Website Training & Events Calendar for full details: Sun, 03: 09:00 Andover Trail ½ & Full Mthn • Dunstable Downs Challenge ½ Mthn, Mthn & 20ml • 09:45 Little London 10k Trail 09:30 Maidenhead ½ Mthn Sun, 10: 08:30 47th Chiltern Mthn • 09:30 Chippenham ½ Mthn • Henley 10k •10:30 Pangbourne 10k •11:00 Earthtrust 10k 14:30 Kidlington 5k Fri, 15: IOW Fell Race Series Sat, 16: IOW Fell Race Series • 09:00 Chiltern Wonderland 50 Sun, 17: IOW Fell Race Series • 10:00 Cotswold Classic 10miles • Marlborough Temple Trail ½Mthn & Tiny Temple 5 Miler 10:30 Swallowfield 10K, 3K & Duathlon • Andover 10k & 5k Lake Runs Sat, 23: 10:00 Ridgeway Run 5 & 10 mile trail • Woodstock 12 Sun, 24: Eton Dorney Triathlon Series• 10:00 Swallowfield 10K,3K & Duathlon • 10:30 Highclere 10k • 11:00 Longworth 10k 10:00 Mortimer 10K & 3K Sun, 01: 08:00 North Downs Way Ultra (30miles) • 9:00 Reading O2O 10k/3k/1k • Blenheim Palace ½ Mthn, 10k & 2k 11:00 Basingstoke ½ Mthn • Dartlington 10ml Trail • Hanney 5 Sun, 08: 09:30 The Yorkshire Marathon • Oxford ½ Mthn • Henley ½ Mthn & 10k • 10:00 Ridgeway Run 15k • 11:00 RARE 5k & 10k Sun, 15: 10:00 Tadley Runners 10 ml • Freith Hilly 10k & 5k • 10:30 Thames Valley 5k • 12:30 Windsor Autumn - ½ Mthn Sun, 22: 09:00 Abingdon Marathon • 10:30 Exmoor Stagger & Stumble Sat, 28: Beachy Head Marathon & 10K Sun, 29: The Stickler (10.1 miles) Sat, 04: 10:30 Burnham Beeches Run - 5k & 10k Sun, 05: 09:30 Marlow Half Marathon and 7M Sun, 19: Avebury8 Nine Sun, 26: 10:30 Eynsham 10K

... 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:

Post-Handicap Race selfie, featuring the runners, and the time-keepers

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