THE HARRIERS HERALD

No. 168, February 2007

 

 

Editorial

Welcome to February’s Harriers Herald.  You’ll notice I’ve altered the front-page layout this month.  Hopefully this will better highlight the latest news, race results and articles featured in the main text.  Thanks to Lucy, Sue P, Mo and Sus for all their contributions this month.

Sue

 

In brief

·        Congratulations to Kev who marries fiancee Emma on 17^th February

·        Next Oxford Mail x-country race - Sunday 4^th Feb., Cirencester Park, http://www.oxonxc.org./

·        Have you paid your 2007 subs? – if not, a reminder to return your payment and form to Lucy

·        Thursday night schedules for February and March

·        Correspondence received in January

 

Features and reports

·        Goring & Woodcote Lions 10K – a close race between Ryan and Sue

·        Rough ‘n’ Tumble 10 miles – good performances for four members

·        Tring-to-Town 45 miles – an excellent third place for Lucy

·        Handicap Race – results and points for the first race of the 2007 championship

·        Is your tetanus immunisation up to date?

·        News from New Zealand – ex-Compton Harrier Sue Paulin reports on her new life down-under

·        Pre-marathon training weekend – Sus reports on her weekend at Champneys Health resort

·        Website Update - Mo’s feature this month is maximum heart rate, and training intensity

·        How do my hand-warmers work? – Mo enlightens us

·        Events Diary – Mo’s choice of races returns in the popular tabulated form

 

Copy date for March’s Harriers Herald: Wednesday 28^th February

  

Thursday night schedule for February

Thurs    1^st        Mo to lead

Thurs    8^th        Martin to lead

Thurs    15^th      Handicap Race

Thurs    22^nd      Sue to lead

 

Thursday night schedule for March

Thurs    1^st        Kev to lead

Thurs    8^th           Dick to lead

Thurs    15^th      Handicap Race

Thurs    22^nd      Sus to lead

Thurs    29^th      Andy to lead

 

Correspondence received
Sender	Subject matter	Action
White Horse Harriers	Entry forms, White Horse Half (01-04-07)	Events Diary, notice board
Stroke Association	Looking for people to run the London Marathon for them	Notice board
Cirencester A.C.	Entry forms, Chedworth Roman Trail MT 10M  (01-04-07)	Events Diary, notice board
England Athletics	Notice of AGM (31-03-07)	File
Running Imp	2007 catalogue	File
West Wight Road Runners	Entry forms, The Needles Half Marathon & Marathon (03-06-07)	Events Diary, notice board
England Athletics	Details of membership from 01-04-07 (no payment required yet)	File

  

Goring & Woodcote Lions 10K, Sunday 7^th January

Sue

 

Ryan and I took part in this annual charity road race on a remarkably mild January morning.  Mo cycled two laps in reverse to support us and take photos.  The entry limit of 500 was reached, with would-be competitors having to be turned away on the day.  Knowing we have similar 10K PBs, I planned to use Ryan as a good pace guide, but Ryan held back a bit on the first 5K (which is almost entirely downhill) while I pushed on, trying to keep the leading lady in my sights.  However, halfway up the first major hill, Ryan caught me and we ran more or less together for the rest of the race – I moved ahead on the downhill and flat sections, whereas Ryan was good on the ups.  With 1K to go we were together again, exchanging brief words of encouragement before trying to push on for the finish.  Ryan pulled away in the last 300m and we finished 34^th and 35^th in 41:33 and 41:37 respectively, both agreed that our friendly rivalry had pushed us on to good performances.  First man was Chris Payne (Reading RR) in 35:21 and first lady Belinda Tull (also RRR) in 40:20; I was 2^nd lady.  There were 440 finishers.  The race was, as usual, very well organised, and raised £3000 for the Macmillan Cancer Nurse charity.

 

 

Rough ‘n’ Tumble, Sunday 14^th January

Sus

 

If you are into mud and hills then Rough ‘n’ Tumble is ideal.  Very well organized, a nice atmosphere and with a lot of humour.  If something had to be said, then I found it a bit unfair that you were penalized for checking their website where it stated that the race was full - but not if you turned up on the day?

 

Results:

1^st Man            Vito Graffagnino     1:08:16

1^st Lady            Sarah Paradine       1:22:56

68^th                  Ryan                      1:25:33

152^nd                Sus (13^th lady)       1:35:38

218^th                Pete                       1:41:47

264^th                Kev                        1:46:39

Tring to town 27^th Jan.  (Tring to Paddington: 45 miles on the Grand Union Canal towpath)

Lucy

 

This was good practice for the GUCR I thought, getting up at 5:30 after a bad night’s sleep, and getting an equally tired Martin to drive me to Tring, so I could start the race at 8:15.  However, since Runner’s World had mistakenly published the start time as 9:00 am the organisers decided to go with the flow and wait another 45 minutes to set us all off!

 

Since I wanted to get to Paddington before nightfall the delay gave me an extra incentive to keep the speed up, so I kept an eye on my trusty Garmin from the start.  The route to the canal was quite nice, being on a cycle path along the main road, and soon we were running on the towpath into a low sun, which shone through the mist and glared off the water.  Staying under 10 minute miles was my goal, and for the first 20 miles I just about kept up.  The day was just perfect – the only wind was in the Northwest and behind us all the way.  I got well up the field at the start, having to run hard to keep warm, but only a few people overtook me back later.

 

Just about halfway I noticed a familiar fleece jacket from behind, accompanied by a very distinctive haircut.  Dick and Jan just happened to be reconnoitering a new checkpoint, and when I hailed them had nowhere to hide!  It was relaxing to see some friendly faces and after a chat I bounded off again feeling much brighter.  The next ten miles remained pleasant, although I dropped down to 10-to-11 minute miles, and the sun appeared again as it got lower in the sky.  At a bridge at about 31 miles I met a few runners looking a bit lost.  Two barriers were stood across the path, with no explanation, and two guys were standing nearby wearing fluorescent tabards.  When asked the way to Bulls Bridge they pointed up some steps to some “Towpath diversion” signs.  However, they didn’t try and stop us running past the barriers and continuing the race, so what they were doing there is anybody’s guess!

 

Half a mile later the real Bulls Bridge appeared and we used our navigation skills for the only time in the race, and turned left!  There was a bit of a headwind at this point, but Hamborough Tavern checkpoint was soon in view.  Here I met Dick and Jan again, drank some of their tea and hurried off – 13 miles to go!  After a while I had another nice surprise: catching up Mike Smith, a 36-hour GUCR runner who happened to be having a bad day!  Five miles from the end Martin turned up with Dick and Jan, and another cup of tea, which fortified me for the final push, and for the final mile I was steaming along at 9 minute miles again.

 

Some other runner’s support crew who had been cheering for me all day gave me lots more claps and cheers as I passed a canal side pub.  Then I saw the glow of red-eye reduction lights as I stormed towards the finish.  It was 5 pm and night had only just fallen.  I was given a medal and also a trophy for 3^rd Lady – all I had to do was pose for a really excruciating photo!

 

Then all that remained was the obligatory post-run pint, and fortunately there was a pub not 10 yards away.  Although the race was light on organisation compared with most canal races I know, the essentials – route, weather and pubs - were there in shovelfuls, and I would recommend this as a good ultra distance-training event.

 

Results:

1^st                     Ian Sharman                             05:53:30                        M1

2^nd                    David Ross                               06:25:51                        M2

3^rd                    Harley Inder                             06:28:00                        M3

12^th                   Dario Cassini                            07:34:17                        MV

 

5^th                    Jenny Timms                             06:59:50                        F1

6^th                    Suze Lidbury                             07:02:21                        F2

9^th                    Mimi Anderson                         07:15:09                        FV

23^rd                   Lucy Gettins                             08:00:31                        F3

There were 83 finishers within the 12-hour time limit

Handicap Race

 

January’s Handicap Race unfortunately coincided with a day of gale-force winds and heavy rain.  Although the rain had stopped and the wind eased slightly by the evening, conditions were still far from ideal.  Although eight of us turned up, Mo was sidelined with time-keeping (as our usual timekeeper was away celebrating a milestone birthday – congratulations Jan!!), Sus was nursing a hamstring injury and Tom wanted to do a non-timed steady reverse lap (he mentioned something about ‘quitting at his peak’ after his magnificent pre-Christmas handicap win!).  So, there were only five of us left to race it out.  Despite the wind Kev and Lucy, who started just one second apart, raced well against each other and against the clock, both recording very respectable times.  Kev just managed to stay ahead to win the trophy and the first 7 points of the 2007 handicap series.  Pete in 3^rd and Sue in 4^th, were a bit off the boil this month (we could have blamed it on the windy weather if Kev and Lucy hadn’t run so well!), while Martin was also worried about an injury so took it steady.  Well done to Kev, and thanks to Mo and Sus for timing.  The next Handicap Race is scheduled for Thursday 15^th February (I’m not sure if Kev will be back to defend his title – he may be pre-occupied with a more important event scheduled for 17^th !)

 

Pos	Name	Start time	Finish time	Actual time	Handicap Beaten?
1	Kev	0:25	13:58	13:33	-0:02
2	Lucy	0:26	14:02	13:36	+0:02
3	Pete	0:54	14:22	13:28	+0:22
4	Sue	2:08	14:30	12:22	+0:30
5	Martin	2:53	16:13	13:20	+2:13

 

 

Pos.	Name	Race points
		Race 1	Race 2	Race 3	Race 4	Race 5	Race 6	Race 7	Race 8	Race 9	Total
1	Kev	7	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	7
2	Lucy	6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	6
3	Pete	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	5
4	Sue	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	4
5	Martin	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3
6	Tom	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1

 

 

Is your tetanus immunisation up to date?

At a recent cross-country race, I read a risk assessment displayed by the race organisers.  One thing that was mentioned was that cross-country runners should have an up-to-date tetanus vaccination.  Tetanus is a serious, sometimes fatal, condition of the nervous system, caused by infection of a wound with spores of the bacterium Clostridium tetani which live mainly in soil.  If spores enter an open wound, they can multiply and produce a chemical that acts on the nerves and affects muscle activity.  Symptoms are painful muscle spasms in the face, chest, back and abdomen.  Vaccination is given in childhood and a booster vaccination is recommended every ten years, particularly for those who participate in activities where dirt could get into skin wounds.

I last had a jab in 1990, so made an appointment to have one.  There are no side effects (except a vaguely sore arm), it comes combined with a booster against diphtheria and pertussis too, it is free, and it could save your life.

 

 

News from New Zealand

 

Sue Paulin was a regular runner with Compton Harriers for several years.  In May last year, she and husband Dave emigrated to New Zealand.   Below, Sue gives us an update on their new life down under.

  

On the weather front: well, what can I say!!!  Everyone says this is the worst summer they have known - typical hey!  We have had some nice days, and when the sun shines, it is SO lovely and hot, but the weather just changes in an instant over here - it is really quite spectacular when the 'fronts' come in.  Leading up to Christmas we had snow on the mountains (down to 500m) for almost a week, it was about 9 degrees (daytime temp), rainy and windy.  We had the open fire lit almost every single day over the holiday period - so much for summer!  We are really hoping it is going to warm up soon as Dad and Daphne are coming over on Friday for a holiday and Dave's oldest sister and her kids are due out in February.  It would be nice for them to see the sun after leaving the horrible UK winter!

 

We are now well and truly settled in the new cottage in Oxford and are absolutely loving all the peace and quiet!  We are so lucky in that we have a huge garden and a paddock (1 acre) which together with the cottage and the shed are all in need of a lot of TLC!  The weather over Christmas has been pretty rubbish - cold, wet, snow, wind!! but in between all of this we managed to get out and cut the paddock, dig veggie plots and do plenty of DIY.  We are just starting to build the chicken house, which needs to be ready for the hens at the end of January.  The plan for the paddock is sheep!! - we need to do some more work though and make sure it is completely exit-proof!!  Good fencing is definitely needed to avoid any escapees!!

 

As for the running - well, not as much as I should be doing.  I purposefully didn't join a running club when we were in the rented house as we knew we would be moving and Oxford is so small that there are certainly no running clubs in sight!  I have been getting out on the mountain bike though and doing tons of walking.  I use the running at the moment to exercise both Jessie (the dog) and myself after work, so that tends to be quite a short run before I get cracking with the projects at home.  Having said that, I am entered for a duathlon in ChCh in 2 weeks time!  It is just a mini event (3K run, 10K bike and 1.5K run) so, despite my lack of training, I will probably have a go anyway!  I am actually enjoying doing more varied activities over here - we spent a lot of the winter skiing, which was amazing and also plan to do some kayaking during the summer months.  The walking tracks too are just stunning: yesterday we did a 5-hour hike to some waterfalls near us - a picnic and a swim in the fall pools - how much better than that does it get?

 

Best wishes,

 

Sue X

 

Pre-Marathon Weekend at Champneys Health resort

Sus

 

Well what can I say other than I felt like royalty.  It all started back in November when I entered a competition to win this weekend through ‘Running Fitness’.  At the beginning of January I received an e-mail from Paul Larkins saying I was the lucky winner!

 

A week before the break I had a telephone call from Champneys Health resort telling me that I was the only one on the course.  So here I was, the only one together with all the experts on how to run a Marathon.

 

I arrived far too early but that only gave me plenty of time to have a good look around at the resort.  My first impression was what is this – a hospital?  It was all ladies in their fifties walking around in white robes – oh dear, this is not what I thought it would be!

 

My first session was a swim in the thalasotherapy pool, basically it was mineral water in a strong Jacuzzi - I am not sure what it was supposed to be good for apart from a nice massage.  At 4.30 PM it started to get more interesting; mental preparation exercise with Midge Thompson.  She started by convincing me that app. 20% of my effort in a race is based on physical and 80% is mental!  She was not trying to say that I should spend only 20% of my time in physical training but it shows the important of mental exercise.  Silence the internal critic and negative chatter by replacing it with positive supportive comments and thoughts – well we all know that, but what she advised was be prepared – write them down before an important race and then write the replacing positive supportive comment.  By doing that you are much better mentally prepared and supposedly able to quickly throw the negative thoughts away and replace with positive comments.  I have already tried it – and it does actually work!

 

During Friday’s dinner I was introduced to Paul Larkins.  We went through what Saturday was about and then it was time for me to hit my bed.

 

Saturday 10 o’clock I had my first running session with Paul Larkins.  We started with a warm up for about 15 min. and then it was time to do drills.  One of the ideas behind doing drills before a fast training session or shorter race is telling the body and mind in a exaggerating way what it is about to do.  I accidentally told him that I liked hills so our fast training session was 6 times up a hill – why did it look so easy when he did it?

 

After a good stretch it was time for a break and lunch.  In the afternoon I had my fitness assessment done.  Everything looked fine but my flexibility was very poor so something to work on here.

 

There was only one session on the Sunday; a 10 mile run with Paul Larkins where we talked about almost everything concerning running – having said that he did most of the talking while I tried to keep up with him!  No, it was absolutely a pleasure to run with him and never at one point did he indicate that it was boring to run with such a slow runner like me, he even said that I was definitely a runner and what better comment could you get from a person who once was ranked number ten in the UK!

 

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

Mo

 

Following recent discussions on max heart rate during training … and the fact that Ricky Bicky reached 200 beats per minute, I thought it might be a good idea to do a little research and outline an article on the subject this month.  Generally, the maximum possible can be found by deducting your age from 220 … so by that reckoning, Rick must only be 20 years old!

 

The key to best use of heart rate information is to first determine what your training goals are. Is it just to get fit? Do you plan to lose weight? Or are you an elite athlete requiring the absolute best your heart can give you? Knowing that, you can then work towards a preferred intensity level for your training.

 

Finding Your Target Heart Rate is essential for monitoring your cardiovascular fitness and progress; the following table will help you to determine this target: -

 

Zone	Ideal For	Benefit Desired	Intensity Level (% Maximum Heart Rate)
1	Light Exercise	Maintain Healthy Heart or Get Fit	50% - 60%
2	Weight Management	Lose Weight or Burn Fat	60% - 70%
3	Aerobic Base	Building Increase Stamina or Aerobic Endurance	70% 80%
4	Optimal Conditioning	Maintain Excellent Fitness Condition	80% - 90%
5	Elite Athlete	Maintain Superb Athletic Condition	90% - 100%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If the above has stirred your interest, then a visit to  http://www.fitsense.co.uk will provide you with more information on the subject.  The website also has a variety of calculators, such as BMI, Protein needs, weight converters, calorie needs etc.

 

Most experts believe that 3-5 times per week for a duration of 20-60 minutes at 60-90% of age specific maximal heart rate. 

 

To determine intensity of workout, the general formula for the average person is 220-age x 60% and x 90% of HRmax. For example, a 30 year old would calculate his target zone using the above formula: 220-30=190.  190x.60% =114 and 190x.90% =171. This individual would try to keep his heart rate between 114 (low end) and 171 (high end) beats per minute during training.

 

 

 

 

… and finally, especially for Tom …and any other budding scientists …

 

How do hand warmers work?

 

They consist of an aqueous solution of sodium acetate with a small "clicker" disk to provide a small clean surface that initiates crystallisation.  The solute is dissolved into solution by prior warming.  When heat is required, the disk is "clicked" to scrape a small surface, and this clean surface will initiate the sodium acetate crystallisation from the now supersaturated solution.  The heat of crystallisation is slowly released.

 

 

Events Diary: Most entry forms can be downloaded from race websites; others are likely to be on the club notice board.

 

Sun 04 Feb	OXFORD MAIL X-COUNTRY LEAGUE, Race 4: Cirencester Pk,	5k & 10k	http://www.oxonxc.org
	LONGLEAT 10KM, 10 am, Longleat House,nr Warminster,	10k	http://www.209events.com
Sat 10 Feb	BRANDS HATCH HALF MARATHON, 10:00am, Brands Hatch,	13.1 miles	http://www.fun-2-run.co.uk
Sun 11 Feb	WELLINGBOROUGH MULTI-TERRAIN SERIES, 10am	5k;10k;15k	http://www.justracinguk.com
	WOKINGHAM HALF-MARATHON, 10:00am, Cantley Park,	13.1 miles	http://www.wokinghamhalfmarathon.co.uk
	MEON VALLEY PLOD 19.5, 10:30am, HMS Mercury, East Meon,	19.5 miles	http://www.pjc.org.uk
	DURSLEY DOZEN, 10:30am, Old Spot pub,	12 miles	http://www.g4cio.demon.co.uk/ddozen/ddozen.htm
Sat 17 Feb	THAMES PATH ULTRA 50, 9:00am,	50 miles	http://www.thamesultra.com
Sun 18 Feb	HARDWICK X-STREAM, 11:00am, Village Hall, Hardwick,	~6 miles	http://www.bearbrookjoggers.co.uk
Sun 25 Feb	GORING 10K, 11:00am, Scout Hut (Adjacent to Fire Station),	10 k	http://www.goring10k.co.uk
	TERMINATOR 10, 10:30am, Pewsey School,	10 miles	http://www.pewseyvalerunningclub.com
Sun 04 Mar	OXFORD MAIL X-COUNTRY LEAGUE,  Race 5: Banbury	5k & 10k	http://www.oxonxc.org
	BARCELONA MARATHON – 08:30 am, Barcelona	26.2 miles	http://maratobarcelona.es/eng/index.html
	WELLINGBOROUGH MULTI-TERRAIN SERIES, 10am	5k;10k;15k	http://www.justracinguk.com
	PUMA WOBURN 10K, 10:00am, Woburn Safari Park,	10 k	http://www.209events.com
Sun 11 Mar	THE GRIZZLY – 10:30 am Seaton, Devon. (Entries closed)	20ish miles	http://www.axevalleyrunners.org.uk
	BANBURY 15, 10:30am, Spiceball Park Sports Centre, Banbury,	15 miles	http://www.banburyharriers.org
	HASTINGS ½ MARATHON, 10:30am, Sea Rd, St Leonards	26.2 miles	http://www.hastings-half.co.uk
Sun 18 Mar	ADIDAS SILVERSTONE HALF MARATHON, 12 midday,	13.1 miles	http://www.adidashalfmarathon.co.uk
Sun 25 Mar	EASTLEIGH 10K - 10:00am Fleming Park Leisure Centre	10k	http://www.eastleigh10k.org
Sun 01 Apr	SOUTH COAST ½ MARATHON, 10+5K 10:00am Seaford, E Sussex	13.1 miles	http://www.southcoastrun.co.uk
	WHITE HORSE ½ MARATHON, 10:00am Millbrook School, Grove	13.1 miles	http://www.whitehorseharriers.org
	CHEDWORTH ROMAN TRAIL,10:30am, Chedworth Village Hall	10 miles	http://www.cirencester-ac.org.uk</a.
Fri 06 Apr	MAIDENHEAD EASTER 10, 9:30am, Nortel, Westacott Way,	10 miles	http://www.maidenheadac.co.uk
Mon 09 Apr	WEST WIGHT THREE HILLS 8, 12:00pm, Sports Ctre, Freshwater,	8 miles	http://www.rydeharriers.co.uk
Sun 15 Apr	THAMES TOWPATH TEN, 9:30am, Chiswick, TW8 9PT,	10 miles	http://www.west4harriers.org
Sun 22 Apr	THE LONDON MARATHON – 9:00 am Greenwich, London	26.2 miles	http://www.london-marathon.co.uk
Sun 29 Apr	BRACKNELL ½ MARATHON, 9:00am, South Hill Park ,	13.1 miles	http://www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk
Sun 13 May	BENSON 10K & BUN RUN 4, 10:30am, Benson Parish Hall	10k	Benson, Oxfordshire
Sun 20 May	THE WINDERMERE MARATHON 2007, Cumbria, Lake District	26.2 miles	http://www.brathay.org.uk
	COPENHAGEN MARATHON, 9:30am, Royal Library,	26.2 miles	http://www.copenhagenmarathon.com
Sun 03 Jun	NEEDLES XC ½ & FULL MARATHON,10am West Wight	26.2 miles	http://needlesxcmarathon.blogspot.com

 

(Mo – January 2007)