THE HARRIERS HERALD
No. 174 August 2007
Editor: Sue Francis
In brief
· Thursday night schedules for August and September
· Correspondence received in July
· Thanks to all seven Harriers who contributed to this month’s issue
· Copy date for September’s Harriers Herald: Wednesday 29th August
Features
and reports
·
Ridgeway Relay – the Harriers team members
describe their experiences of a memorable day
·
The ‘Lumpy Bumpy’ - Sus reports on one of her
favourite races
·
The
·
· A trip to the Podiatrist – a new pair of orthotics for Sue
· Website Update – Mo investigates the history of GPS, and how it works
· Events Diary – Mo’s choice of races for late summer, and autumn
Thurs 2nd Peter L to lead
Thurs 9th Handicap Race
Thurs 16th Lucy to lead
Thurs 23rd Tom to lead
Thurs 30th Ryan to lead
Thurs 6th Kev to lead
Thurs 13th Pete H to lead
Thurs 20th Martin to lead
Thurs 27th Mo to lead
Correspondence received
|
||
Sender
|
Subject matter |
Action |
|
Road Running Leadership Group |
New licensing system for road running |
File
Copied to
Martin & Dick |
|
SEAA |
Info. update #108; Treasurer’s report & accounts for SEAA AGM |
File |
|
|
Newssheet; list of benefits of England Athletics membership; S.E. Eng. Ath. Staff contacts; nominations for regional awards; club-to-club workshop |
File |
|
|
S.E. regional education booklet: H&S workshops, courses for coaches & officials |
File |
Ridgeway Relay, 17th June
Martin, Leg 1: Ivinghoe Beacon to
As in previous years I had the
privilege of kicking off the Compton Harriers annual Ridgeway Relay Challenge.
Leg 1 itself offers a varied 11 mile jaunt through some very nice countryside
and gets the business end of the day over and done with in a timely fashion.
Susanne, Leg 2:
I
was ready for it, all I needed now was Martin and there he was looking like he
had been suffering for some time – I went storming down towards the Church,
only to get caught by a car which was coming in the opposite direction. I obviously
did not want to give way resulting in meeting up at a very narrow gap. I think there was more panic in his eyes than
mine when he realized what he had done.
Reaching the High Street, Peter H was already there to offer the first
drink of water; that is what I call team spirit. The next thing on the agenda was the
Monument. Having practised the route
several times I have learned that you do not have to go all the way up to the
Monument I can turn off slightly earlier which I did only to find another
runner having a pee, he must have thought that I was lost because he kindly
guided me in the right direction and I went along with it hoping he would not
reveal my little secret.
Somehow my lovely proper hill
towards the end seemed smaller than I remembered so, when I finally reached the
end trying to catch a few more runners, I was convinced that I must have had a
good time but no, I was 9 sec. slower that last year. Which made me think: I have app. 10-12
stiles/gates along the route. I have
never really practiced gates. I must be
able to improve on this just a second per gate will give me a better time – so
watch this space for next year where I will be an expert in gateways!
Peter L (Ridgeway Virgin), Leg 3: White Leaf Hill to Lewknor, 9.44 M,
What a great event! I felt like a pioneer - just me and the
elements (and 40 runners and the whole Harriers team just around every
corner). It's much more fun than running
in a big circle.
A Reading Roadrunner pulled me
along most of the leg at a good pace, but the last two miles were my idea of
hell – puddles the size of lakes and nothing but slippery mud (and just my road
shoes: got to have one excuse). I dropped more than a minute a mile here and
felt like crap at the end. My legs still
ache a week later.
I'd do it again, of course! I'm only sorry that I had to leave
early. Thx to Andy, Lucy and Martin for
taking me for a recce the weekend before.
Garmin record, as ever,
online. Also, if you have Google Earth,
do try the link on the page, it's fascinating.
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3053299
Kev, Leg 4: Lewknor to Swyncombe, 5.4M, 46:09
Well, after having run this leg last year I knew what I was in for this
year and I was fairly confident of a good performance. Waiting for Peter L to pop out from under the
M40, I was really starting to sweat up and was just so, so, so ready to
go! Saw Pete, moved into the path,
tagged and off we go. A Bearbrook lady
set off just in front of me and I really tried to catch her as the course
climbs easily off into the wooded section.
I caught her as we entered the wood but then she looked behind and saw
me and put on a spurt and was gone (I have this effect on all women
J ).
I had gone far too fast and
needed to ease off a little as I crossed the first road and carried on, the
path really deteriorated from here on with little to run on as it was ground
down by 4x4 tracks. I tried running on the
peaks but after all the rain just kept on slipping off into troughs. I tried running in the troughs but these were
full of pace-sapping sticky mud. So I
just ploughed on leaping about and caught a runner who was running while
talking on his mobile phone. I put him
in his place and then concentrated on putting distance between us so he
couldn’t use me as his “navigator”.
A few road crossings and more
muddy track later I passed the Harriers, took on water and ran up to the farm.
This is the only place where you can get lost on my leg; I cut left through the
farm and into an open glade. I pushed
really hard as the path climbed right up in front and then it bears right and
kicks up to the top of the hill. Just at
the top I did die a little and had to stop running and stride out for a few
seconds. Once I could breathe again I
nipped through the wood and saw the finish.
I could hear Andy from here (big gob!).
I flew down into the valley, windmilling all the way and then made a
conscious effort to really pick up the pace and make small fast steps up to the
finish. I couldn’t see Sue till the last
second but then locked on, lunged and tagged her. Job done.
Sue, Leg 5: Swyncombe to South
Stoke, 10.1M, 1:15:36
On the Saturday night, I went to bed early, feeling
uncharacteristically nervous about my stage of the Ridgeway Relay. I hadn’t run further than 8 miles for
several months, and I was worried about my ability to keep up the concentration
and the pace in the event that I had no other competitors to race. However, on race day itself, I was really ‘up
for it’. Having made good use of Dick’s
new chemical toilet, I waited at my starting point from where I had a good view
of Kev’s fast approach into the dip, then his long slog up the hill towards me. Conditions were good for me – not too hot or
cold, and very little mud. I paced
myself sensibly and felt comfortable by the time I reached
Andy, Leg 6: South Stoke to
Bury Down, 10.4M, 1:17:45
Pete H, Leg 7: Bury Down to SW
of Wantage, 9.1M, 1:12:22
Whilst culturally lacking - no
churches were visited - this year's event again succeeded in being an enjoyable
day out. Once more the six team-members
preceding me ran fast stages and were well within the cut-off time set for the
changeover at South Stoke. Consequently
I set off some 11 minutes after the mass start and for much of my leg there
were no other runners in sight. At times
it felt a bit like a training run. That
was until I was passed by Owain Bristow who was running at 5:33 pace and looked
so comfortable that he could have kept running for several more miles without
drawing breath. Eventually I did catch
six tailenders, albeit that it looked doubtful if two of them would actually
complete the leg due to their lack of fitness.
The end of the leg came somewhat sooner than I expected so I decided to
use up my remaining energy with a sprint finish.
My other significant contribution
to the team on the day was to get an attractive lady runner to stop for a drink
and a chat on Kevin's leg - unfortunately the pause did not slow her down
enough for him to catch up!
Ricky, Leg 8: SW of Wantage to
Charlbury Hill, 7.8M, 59:10
Nigel, Leg 9: Charlbury Hill to
Now I'm aware that dedicated athletes and particularly endurance ones
regularly travel long distances to compete in big city marathons, but never
before had I even entertained the idea of travelling across the pond to
participate in a running event. However, this was something altogether
different, it was the Ridgeway Relay, an event which I first entered 9 years
ago, and one which I still feel rather privileged to be part of.
I appear to have leg 9 all to myself these days, such is the generosity
of our team captain! Every year I seem to take over from someone different and
this year was to be no exception. The newcomer was a relative youngster
by the name of Ricky who had a broad northern accent which I recognised
immediately, and who behaved like some deranged animal at the beginning of his
leg. The pace at which he set off made me rather nervous and more eager
than ever to get to my start at Charlbury Hill.
Ricky finished as he'd started and I took over fully aware of what lay
ahead. There is something rather comforting about knowing the exact
route, it gives the runner a certain confidence from the outset.
I reached
I must have been about half way in to the leg before I reached the
runner directly in front of me, but this is always rather satisfying and it
gave me the impetus to push on. I managed to pick off several more runners on
the route through Ogbourne St George before the final assault on the climb to
the finish.
As always, support from the Harriers was fantastic and enabled me to finish the
leg in my fastest ever time.
Leg
10 is a great choice in the Ridgeway relay – a net downhill gradient, superb
views, cool temperatures and of course, bringing home the baton for the
Glorious Compton Harriers! Although I
wasn’t quite up to speed (my last race averaged 17 minute miles) I was
determined to give it my all.
Fortunately Ash’s heavenly flab-jack had reached my mitochondria by the
time Nigel flew up the last few yards to
Lumpy Bumpy, 15th July
Sus
What an excellent race! Will probably in the future stand as one of my favourites!
App. 10 miles (I measured it to 9.71). First year that it was organized and it had absolutely everything: real hills like Streatley Hill level, lovely woods, grass fields, towpath and a bit of road. The finish was a few minutes from the start, which got runners talking and reflecting on the day’s race before heading for the car. None of the route was the same as the Terminator or the Rough and Tumble. The marshals must have come from perhaps the same old peoples’ home, they were all similar ages and did an absolutely brilliant job. At the prize giving we were welcomed by the biggest cake table I have ever seen! Our race number was used as a raffle ticket for a pair of running shoes – so how more exciting could it get! Though I did not win anything, I went home with a full stomach and a race that definitely must be tried again next year!
1st man home Gary Brien 1:03.02
1st lady home Nikki
Hazzard 1:
Me 4th lady home in
208 finished the race.
The
Martin and Lucy
From an organisers point of view, this year’s Compton Canter was a resounding success. Not least because we attracted more race entrants (37) than marshals (15, plus a dog) while dispensing with the unseemly spectacle of a mercy dash to the Royal Berks.
Despite the modest turn out the event was well received by all those that took part, several of whom had come back following the inaugural event. Clearly, we have all the ingredients for a first class race, plus the added attraction of a pleasant village fete to entertain friends and family who may accompany the runners.
We hope to host the event again next year, following the same format. However, we would like to increase the event’s popularity and thought that a name change might be appropriate, the ‘Compton Canter’ sounds a bit soft. Any thoughts?
Many thanks to Steve Lambert-Gibbs, Sue, Mo, Sus, Peter, Tom, Kevin, Dick, Jan, Veronica Carr, Simon, Andy, Ryan and Jenna (the dog) for giving up your Saturday to help out.
The race was won by Tim Hughes
(White Horse Harriers) in 34:54, first lady was Lisa Godding (unattached) in
40:04, and first
Milton Keynes Half
Kirsty completed the Milton
Keynes Half Marathon, her first since the arrival of Lola three years ago, in a
good time of
A trip to the Podiatrist
Following a string
of non-serious, but persistent, niggles in my lower back, knees and feet, my
physiotherapist suggested I consider a visit to a podiatrist to be fitted up
with some new orthotics. As I’d made my
current pair of orthotics last since 1992, I agreed it would be sensible to
invest in something to help keep my limbs injury-free into my veteran running
years. I made an appointment to see
Geraldine Watkins, the podiatrist at ‘Activ VIII’ in
My 80-minute
appointment began with a discussion about my past and current injuries –
predominantly my feet, which have given me problems on-and-off over the last 20
years and, more recently, the aches in the patellar tendons under my kneecaps.
Observing my posture
in standing position, Geraldine said that, although my knees turn inwards, I
have a ‘varus leg axis’ meaning that when I stand with my feet together my legs
are bowed apart. I then had to run
barefoot across the footscan pressure pad.
On the digital images of my feet, the points of pressure were
highlighted in different colours. Both
feet showed over-pronation while running, but standing still on the footscan
showed that (although I have fairly low arches) my feet are generally good
meaning that the problems arise from higher up the leg. She used a gonometer to measure various
angles on my hips, knees and feet. She
told me I have ‘femoral neck anteversion’, which means the joint of my
thighbone and hip is further forward than ‘normal’ (something I would have been
born with) and is the root of my problems.
For the final stage of the assessment I had to run barefoot on a treadmill, while being filmed, at my ‘usual’ pace. I cockily set the treadmill at 800m-pace, but began to regret this as I had to repeat the exercise while being filmed from the side, then the back, then the front….then repeat it all while wearing my trainers! The ‘motionQuest’ software allowed her to replay the film in slow motion, while overlaying it with lines to show how much my movements deviated from the longitudinal axis. I have a fair idea of my deviant running actions from various still photos taken over the years, but the video was quite enlightening! First we looked at the side-view, which was quite impressive, showing a good posture and stride. However, the back view showed a high degree of inward rotation of each leg, leading to over-pronation, turning in of my knees, and flicking out of my lower leg during the propulsive phase. The front view also showed that my feet ‘over-cross’, meaning that the left foot hits the ground on the right side of my body midline, and vice versa. Geraldine explained how this running style is principally a result of the femoral neck anteversion, and would cause high stress forces in my knees and feet. I’d never really thought about this before, but it makes sense. The video also clearly showed that my pelvis rocks from side to side whilst running, instead of remaining level. This was particularly pronounced over the right side, making me lurch to the right – this explains why I often feel I am being dragged into the gutter when running on the right hand side of the road! This pelvic instability is apparently due to weakness in the gluteal muscles.
Her
first recommendation was that I should have new orthotics which, by raising the
arches of my feet, should help to align the hips and knees. However, she did say that my hip/knee
alignment is so far out that I would need my arches raising by an impossible
amount to fully correct the problem! Her
second recommendation was that I also should address the pelvic instability by
intensive dynamic gluteal strengthening exercises.
Two weeks after
my visit, I received a thorough set of information on my assessment including
still pictures of my running action, a print-out of the footscan pressures,
recommended running shoes to suit me, recommended stretching exercises and
strengthening exercises for gluteus muscles.
Shortly afterwards, I collected my orthotics, which I am now breaking in
for a couple of hours a day before attempting to run in them. Hopefully, I will soon notice fewer injuries
and you will notice an improvement in my style…..!
Website
update… http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk
Mo
As
several Harriers now regularly use GPS receivers to determine distance, time
pace etc when running, I thought it would be a good idea to find out a little
bit more about these devices and how they work.
I have picked up information from a variety of sources so I have listed
web references at the end of my article if you want to read in more depth.
What
is GPS?
The
Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up
of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of
Defense. The first satellite was placed
in orbit in 1978 and the last in 1994. The satellites are divided into six
groups of four and each group is assigned a different path to follow. This
creates six orbital planes which completely surround the Earth. GPS was originally intended for military
applications, but following the shooting down of a Korean Passenger plane that
had strayed into Soviet airspace in 1983,
How
does it work?
GPS
satellites transmit radio signals to earth and GPS receivers use this
information to calculate the user's exact location. Essentially, the GPS
receiver compares the time a signal was transmitted by a satellite with the
time it was received. The time difference tells the GPS receiver how far away the
satellite is. Now, with distance measurements from a few more satellites, the
receiver can determine the user's position and display it on the unit's
electronic map.
A
GPS receiver must be locked on to the signal of at least three satellites to
calculate a 2D position (latitude and longitude) and track movement. With four
or more satellites in view, the receiver can determine the user's 3D position
(latitude, longitude and altitude). Once the user's position has been
determined, the GPS unit can calculate other information, such as speed,
bearing, track, trip distance, distance to destination, sunrise and sunset time
and more.
The
GPS satellite system
Here
are some other interesting facts about the GPS satellites (also called NAVSTAR,
the official U.S. Department of Defense name for GPS):
·
The first GPS
satellite was launched in 1978.
·
A full
constellation of 24 satellites was achieved in 1994 and the system announced as
fully functional in 1995.
·
Each satellite is
built to last about 10 years. Replacements are constantly being launched into
orbit.
·
A GPS satellite
weighs approx 2,000 pounds (1
·
Transmitter power
is only 50 watts or less.
How accurate is GPS?
Normally
you can expect accuracy to be within a few feet, but it depends on the number
of satellites from which it is receiving a good signal and it also depends
where those satellites are in the sky. If they are all in the same part of the
sky, then the result will not be as accurate. The satellite signals will not pass through
buildings (or mountains!), so if you are out of the direct view of a satellite
you might get a signal from it, but reflected off another building or mountain.
In this case the signal will have travelled further and so your calculated
position will be wrong. This is called multipath error. It's a particular
problem in cities. Most modern GPS units can recognise and discard really bad
reflected signals, and it's not nearly so much of a problem in moving vehicles.
Does the weather affect GPS?
In
poor reception conditions, clouds and rain can weaken signals to the point
where they are unusable from particular satellites. Also, although we think of
the speed of light as being constant, this is only true in a vacuum. The speed
of light in the atmosphere depends on the pressure, humidity and what is going
on in the ionosphere, so small position errors of up to 15 feet or so can
result.
Why does it take my GPS so long to lock
on to the satellites?
The
satellites only transmit the information every 12.5 minutes, so the time to
lock on to a reasonable number of satellites will always be some fraction of
this. Most receivers can also do a 'warm start', where they assume at the
beginning that the orbital elements have not changed since last usage. If it's
more than one day since you last used it, though, it will most likely do the
full 'cold start', collecting the orbital elements from scratch.
Can I use my runner's GPS as a satnav in
my car?
Not
really. Car satnav units contain both GPS and sophisticated mapping and route
planning software. Runner's GPS units lack the latter two essential items.
Besides, you should keep your eyes on the road rather than peering at a small
LCD display on your wrist!
References:-
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk ;
http://www8.garmin.com ;
http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov ;
http://www.tech-faq.com ;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Flight_007
(Mo – Aug 2007)
Events Diary: Most entry forms can be downloaded from race
websites; others are likely to be on the club notice board.
|
Wed
01 Aug |
PEWSEY MID WEEK 5, |
5 miles |
|
|
Sun
05 Aug |
LAMBOURN CARNIVAL 5 & 3m FR, 10.30am, Lambourn |
5 miles |
See club notice board |
|
EAS CASTLE COMBE 10K,
Race Circuit, Nr
Chippenham |
10k |
||
|
Sun
12 Aug |
SALISBURY 5-4-3-2-1
TRAIL |
Various |
|
|
BEARBROOK JOGGERS 10K, |
10k |
||
|
MIDHURST 10K, |
10k |
||
|
Sun
19 Aug |
BURNHAM BEECHES ½ Mthn,
10.00am, Farnham Common |
13.1 miles |
|
|
ISLE OF WIGHT ½ Mthn, 11.00am, Sandown &
Shanklin |
13.1 miles |
||
|
Sat
25 Aug |
RIDGEWAY 85 MILE
CHALLENGE, 10.00am, Ivinghoe Beacon |
85 miles |
|
|
Sun
26 Aug |
PEWSEY ½ MTHN, 10.30am, |
13.1 miles |
|
|
Sat
01 Sep |
OVERTON 5M ROAD RACE
& FR, |
5 miles |
|
|
Sun
02 Sep |
THE BEAST 14, 10.30am, |
13 miles |
|
|
HEADINGTON 10K, 10.30am, Worminghall, |
10k |
||
|
Sun
09 Sep |
PEASEMORE FESTIVAL 5 M,
10.30am, Peasemore, Berks |
5 miles |
See club notice board |
|
THE GRIZZLY, |
~18miles |
ENTRIES CLOSED |
|
|
Sun
16 Sep |
THE BONESHAKER,
10:30am Ardington Sports
Club |
5k,20k,5k |
|
|
Sun
23 Sep |
CIRENCESTER 10K, 10.00am, |
10k |
|
|
Sat
29 Sep |
|
10k |
|
|
Sun
30 Sep |
ADP HIGHCLERE 10K M-T
RACE, |
10k |
|
|
Sun
07 Oct |
CRICKLADE 10K, ½ MTHN
& FR,
10:30am
Cricklade, Nr Swindon |
10k,13.1m |
|
|
Sun
14 Oct |
AUTUMN 10M ROAD RACE, 10.00am, Tadley, Hants |
10 miles |
|
|
|
13.1miles 10.3k 5k |
See club notice board |
|
|
Sun
28 Oct |
BEACHY HEAD MARATHON, 9.00am, St Bede's
School, |
26.2 miles |
|
|
Sun
25 Nov |
EAS CASTLE COMBE 10K, 09.30am, Castle Combe
Circuit |
10k |
|
|
Sun
09 Dec |
WINTER 5.3 M CROSS COUNTRY, 11.00am, Tadley, Hants |
5.3 miles |
(Mo – Aug 2007)