Website update… http://comptonharriers

Correspondence received
Sender	Subject matter	Action
Just Racing	Wellingborough MT series 2008; Wendover MT 5M (20-01-08); Swim Clinic (09-02-08)	Events Diary & notice board
Kensington Specialities	Special offer on pens laser engraved with club or race logo & wording	Discussed as a possibility for race mementoes
Flora London Marathon	Club Entry for 2008 FLM	See below
SEAA	Veterans X-C champs, Ruislip (02-02-08)	File
Club la Santa	Warm weather training camps at Lanzarote	Notice board
City of Lincoln Council	City of Lincoln 10K (30-03-08)	Events Diary & notice board

London Marathon Club Entry – As in previous years, our club has been awarded one guaranteed (but not free) entry to the Flora London Marathon. If you entered the marathon, but have not had your entry accepted, please let me know as you will be eligible for the draw to receive the club entry (i.e. your name will go ‘into the hat’) which will take place at the Harriers Christmas meal.

Compton Harriers AGM

Please make an effort to attend if you can.

Date: Thursday 6^th December

Time: 20:00 (after the December Handicap race)

Place: The Pickled Pig bar – bring your tea!

Christmas Meal

The Christmas meal will be held at The Red Lion, Blewbury, on the evening of Friday 21^st December at 7:30 pm. At least 17 Harriers or partners will be attending (I have paid in those deposits to secure our table), but there is room for a few more if you’re keen but haven’t yet let me know. I will need your menu choices by 7^th December.

Safety for cyclists

Following a narrow escape in a recent cycling incident, Simon has the following words of advice for fellow Harrier cyclists:

“I was cycling a few hours ago and I got cut up by a ba**ard driver in a red Vauxhall Cavalier (I think). He cut across me to turn left at a roundabout when I was going straight on, and I was already halfway across the road he turned into. There's no way he could not have seen me. The serious point is, when you're out on your bike, for God’s sake wear a helmet. I was lucky I was wearing one - if I hadn't been I probably would have fractured my skull. As it is, I have taken some skin off my right hip, my right hand and my right elbow, and I now have a big rip in the back of my 1997 South Downs Way Run sweatshirt, which I am REALLY annoyed about as I can't get a replacement. I've seen all the reminders in the Herald about making sure you're seen at night when running, and I thought it would be a good idea to remind Harriers to wear a helmet on their bikes too. I can vouch for their usefulness now”.

Hardwick X-Stream Race

Simon continues:

“I saw mention in the Herald of the Hardwick X-Stream 6 on 17 February next year. Hardwick is about six miles north of Aylesbury so, if any Harriers are doing it, let me know and I can provide directions to Joanna's if anyone wants to pop in afterwards. It's about 1/2 mile off the Aylesbury-Oxford road so it wouldn't be too much of a detour on the way back.

I guess that's about it for now. Regards to all the Harriers. I'm off to look for dented red cars now so I can dent the driver...”.

Oxford Mail cross-country series 2007/2008

Next race: Sunday 2^nd December, Culham Park near Abingdon

Ladies race (~3 miles) start 11:10 am

Mens race (~6 miles) start 11:40 am

Please arrive in plenty of time to find the Team Kennet ‘base-camp’ (somewhere near the race start area – look out for yellow vests with blue trim). You will need to collect a Team Kennet running vest and race number from Nick Bull.

Further details, along with maps to each venue and results (as and when they are posted) can be found at: http://www.oxonxc.org/

Sue was the only Harrier to take part in the first race of the series, at Ascott-under-Wychwood. Once the fog had cleared it was a nice, but chilly, day. The good underfoot conditions suited Sue, who ran 90 seconds faster compared with last year’s wet and muddy effort. She finished 10^th and, along with Team Kennet’s Rachael Elliot (4^th) and Helen Preedy (12^th), was in the winning team.

Herberts Hole, 18^th November

Sus

Though I was told that I should not expect a big hill, I was perhaps a bit disappointed that the hole was not bigger. But it is a well-organised multi-terrain race, app 10K (Lucy’s garmin said 10.7). It starts with a little hill but then you have the same hill to look forward to at the finish. Apparently, according to a regular Herberts Hole racer, this year the route was dry, still I found it muddy and slippery at certain places so next year it is worth thinking to perhaps wear some fell shoes because it is definitely worth doing again.

Ryan 45:22 - 28^th

Martin 45:34 - 29^th

Dick 48:52 - 48^th

Peter 54:24 - 105^th

222 men finished the race

Sus 50:31 - 9^th

Lucy 59:42 - 41^st

119 women finished the race

Eynsham 10K, 25^th November

Sue

I took part in the 20^th annual Eynsham 10K road race, in ideal running conditions. With a target time of sub-40 minutes, I was pleased to cross the line in 39:51 to complete my fourteenth Eynsham 10K. I was 74^th overall, 7^th lady and 3^rd veteran lady, for which I received a prize. The race winner Andrew Prophett (Cheltenham, 32:46) was 30 seconds ahead of his nearest rival. However, first lady Philippa Prescott (Bedford, 36:38), had less than 15 seconds lead over the 2^nd and 3^rd ladies. I was most impressed by 3^rd lady, Liz Hartney of Reading Roadrunners, who is 4 years older than I am, and finished exactly 3 minutes before I did! As usual, the race was very well organised and well attended, with 544 finishers.

Handicap Race

November’s Handicap Race round the Village Lap route once again had a slightly different start/finish point. An event at the Village Hall meant it was sensible to start elsewhere and where better than right outside Dick & Jan’s house? Jan could disappear into a warm house for 10 minutes while we were running, and Dick had fixed up a light to help her see the stopwatch and results sheet. It was a dry, still and partly moonlit evening, but the sub-zero temperature was hard on the lungs and limbs. By the time we reached the Primary School, now 2/3 of the way round the route, Dick had taken the lead, having passed Mo, Lucy and Pete H. I edged past Pete H up Shepherds Mount and seemed to be closing in on Dick. However, Dick had other ideas and with an ‘eyeballs out’ run back down to Burrell Road and good cornering, the gap remained the same and Dick was first back to his gateway and his wife (much to her surprise it seemed!). I was close behind and Pete H put in an excellent finish to hold on to third ahead of Martin. Peter L was next to cross the line, trying out his new orthotics for the first time, but still nursing an injury. Lucy and Mo both found the cold air affected their breathing, but both put in good efforts to record similar times to last month. Congratulations to Dick for his win (perhaps there’s a psychological advantage to starting and finishing outside your own house!), and thanks to Jan for timing on a bitterly cold night. The next Handicap Race is scheduled for Thursday 6^h December.

Pos	Name	Start time	Finish time	Actual time	Handicap Beaten?
1	Dick	1:26	13:51	12:25	-0:09
2	Sue	2:06	13:56	11:50	-0:04
3	Pete H	0:58	14:03	13:05	+0:03
4	Martin	2:23	14:09	11:46	+0:09
5	Peter L	2:10	14:51	12:41	+0:51
6	Lucy	0:06	14:55	14:49	+0:55
7	Mo	0:06	20:02	19:56	+0:57

After eight of the nine races, I have a strange feeling that the Handicap Series winner and runner up are already decided. However, there will also be a prize for third place – currently held by Mo, but with several others in contention, so no excuses for missing December’s race!

Pos.	Name	Race points
Pos.	Name	Race 1	Race 2	Race 3	Race 4	Race 5	Race 6	Race 7	Race 8	Race 9	Total
1	Sue	4	5	2	5	6	4	6	6	-	36
2	Pete H	5	4	4	3	4	2	4	5	-	29
3	Mo	-	-	6	7	-	5	1	1	-	20
4	Kirsty	-	-	5	-	-	7	7	-	-	19
5	Peter L	-	-	-	-	7	6	1	3	-	17
6	Martin	3	-	1	1	3	1	3	4	-	16
7	Dick	-	-	1	-	5	-	2	7	-	15
8	Kev	7	6	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	14
9	Rich	-	-	7	6	-	-	-	-	-	13
10	Lucy	6	-	1	1	1	1	-	2	-	12
11	Ryan	-	7	-	-	-	3	-	-	-	10
12	Susanne	-	2	1	4	2	-	-	-	-	9
13=	Freya	-	1	3	2	-	-	-	-	-	6
13=	Andy	-	-	1	-	-	-	5	-	-	6
15	Matt S	-	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3
16=	Phil	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	1
16=	Amy	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	1
16=	Don	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	1
16=	Tom	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1

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

My feature article this month outlines the ‘Top 10 Routes To Injury’ and how to avoid them:

Runners and injuries are a fact of life … if you run long enough or often enough, you will almost certainly develop an injury at some stage, but many can be avoided by cutting down a wee bit on the enthusiasm and using a little more thought.

1. Wearing new shoes on race day: Although it’s very tempting to show off your new acquisitions especially as they feel so comfortable, try to resist it. New shoes need to be worn first and gradually run in to avoid foot and lower-limb problems.
Prevention: Wear them in first.

2. Wearing old shoes: Another big temptation .. new running shoes are expensive and the old ones are comfortable and look OK, but the important point is the compression of the midsole. Joints and shins will suffer in well worn shoes!

Prevention: Change your shoes at least every 500-600 miles.

3. Wearing the wrong shoes: Your gait and foot strike are the factors which determine the correct type of shoe. An inappropriate type of running shoe will cause damage to muscles and joints.

Prevention: If you don't know what you're doing, shop at a specialist running retailer. Don't try running a fell race in a road shoe!

4. Ignoring Pain: Runners accept pain as part of the sport however, ‘good’ pain associated with the progressing your fitness needs to be distinguished from ‘bad pain’ which tends to be unfamiliar, infrequent and generally localised to a particular area of the body. This could be an early-warning sign of injury, the final severity of which will be determined by how much notice you pay!
Prevention: Pay attention to unfamiliar pains. Ease off, and seek medical help where necessary.

5. Commencing treatment without diagnosis: Unfortunately being a runners you like to treat yourself knowing that the sooner you sort it out the sooner you will be back in competition. The trouble is that you're a runner, not a medical expert so you may have misdiagnosed your problem and started the wrong treatment and the injury isn’t recovering!
Prevention: If there's any chance that you're wrong, see a professional and don't DIY.

6. Not drinking enough prior to or during a run: We all know about the dangers of dehydration and yet it still is a problem with many runners. It is less of a problem on big race days, when runners are more meticulous in their preparations, than it is in training. Dehydration affects your health and performance whenever you run.
Prevention: Drink fluid little and often throughout the day, every day.

7. Not stretching enough: Most runners know they should stretch, but often they don't. What's more, many of them don't warm up or cool down either. The result is frequent muscle pulls, strains and post-run soreness.
Prevention: Warm up with a few mobilising exercises or a gentle jog before your run; cool down in the same way, followed by stretching.

8. Increasing mileage too quickly: Patience is a virtue … when you are building up to a longer race or coming back from injury, the temptation is to do it too rapidly.
Prevention: Increase your mileage by no more than 10 per cent per week.

9. Not allowing yourself enough recovery time: Training too hard, too often, is another common error made by people looking for rapid progression. Following one hard session with another, not taking rest days or not resting effectively when you're not running is not the way to do it. If you're constantly tired, you open yourself up to illness and infection, and your performance and motivation will suffer.
Prevention: Work out a balanced programme with hard days and easy days, and rest completely at least one day a week.

10. Non consideration of the advantages of cross-training: The repetitive, unidirectional nature of running puts a huge strain on certain parts of your body. The more you run, the more your chance of becoming injured. But you can maintain your fitness while reducing your injury risk by simply integrating other sports and activities into a total fitness programme.
Prevention: Being a runner doesn't mean you have to be blind to other sports.

Now for a few interesting web addresses to visit … to check on your calorie burn per session, how about a visit to http://tinyurl.com/29ylaq where you can use the online calculator and find out how to tweak your training for maximum burn.

Forget about clocking up hours of intervals on the track - experts now believe the 'comfortably hard’ tempo run is the single most important session for clocking faster times over every distance; read all about The Perfect Tempo Run and why it works at the following web address … http://tinyurl.com/2cu9uz .

All races and venues for the Berkshire Road Running Championships 2008 have now all been confirmed (see events table below) with the confirmation this week that the Abingdon Marathon will place on Sunday 19^th October 2008.

Christmas rapidly approaching, now’s the time to pick up the bargain new running shoe at this address http://tinyurl.com/2fpqxy .

A new social networking site especially for runners has recently been set up so if you are looking for the runner’s equivalent of Facebook, then maybe this will be the site to follow … http://www.runnerslounge.com .

Finally, Amy has a friend who has just opened a sports shop in Swindon (Rivermead Drive) … details can all be found at http://www.thebigadventurestore.co.uk

(Mo – Dec 2007)

Sun 02 Dec 07	OXFORD MAIL XC, Culham Park	3m(F),6m(M)	http://www.oxonxc.org
Sun 02 Dec 07	LUTON MARATHON & 3 STAGE RELAY, 10:00am, Luton	26.2 miles	http://www.lutonmarathon.org.uk
Sun 09 Dec 07	WINTER 5.3 M CROSS COUNTRY, 11.00am, Tadley, Hants	5.3 miles	http://www.hants.org.uk/tadleyrunners
Sun 30 Dec 07	OXFORD MAIL XC, Banbury	3m(F),6m(M)	http://www.oxonxc.org
Sat 05 Jan 08	Berks AA County X-C Championships, 12:15pm Upton Court Pk, Slough	6k(F),12k(M)
Sun 06 Jan 08	WOODCOTE 10K, 10:30 am outside Langtree School in Woodcote	10k	http://www.lions-gwd.org.uk/
Sun 20 Jan 08	WENDOVER M-T 5, 11:00 am Wendover Woods	5 miles	http://www.justracinguk.com
Sun 03 Feb 08	OXFORD MAIL XC, Cirencester Park	3m(F),6m(M)	http://www.oxonxc.org
Sun 10 Feb 08	DURSLEY DOZEN, 10.30 am, May Lane car park (by the Old Spot pub)	12 miles	http://www.g4cio.demon.co.uk/ddozen/ddozen.htm
Sun 24 Feb 08	GORING 10K, 11:00 am,	10k	http://www.goring10k.co.uk
Sun 02 Mar 08	OXFORD MAIL XC, Horspath, Oxford,	3m(F),6m(M)	http://www.oxonxc.org
Sun 06 Apr 08	WHITE HORSE ½ MTHN, 10:00am, Millbrook School, Grove	13.1 miles	http://www.whitehorseharriers.org

Distance	Race	Date	Status	Website
Half Marathon	Wokingham Half Marathon	10th February	CONFIRMED	http://www.wokinghamhalfmarathon.co.uk/
10 Miles	Maidenhead Easter Ten	21st March	CONFIRMED	http://www.maidenheadac.co.uk/
10K	Wargrave 10K	15th June	CONFIRMED	http://www.wargraverunners.net/
Marathon	Abingdon Marathon	19th October	CONFIRMED	http://www.abingdonamblers.co.uk/
Marathon	Flora London Marathon	13th April	STAND-BY	http://www.london-marathon.co.uk/

Thursday night schedule for December

Thursday night schedule for January

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