THE HARRIERS HERALD No. 264, February 2015 Editor: Sue Francis Contents, features, reports, results Thursday night schedules for February and March Correspondence received Membership subscription renewal reminder Ridgeway Relay – Preliminary information on 2015 event Race results: Oxford Mail x-country Race 3 – Five Harriers race in fog and frost; Goring and Woodcote Lions 10K – Lucy scores a category win; Rough n Tumble – Three Harriers enjoy the Wiltshire hills; Oxford Mail x-country Race 4 – An arctic blast at Cirencester Park Handicap Race – A win and season’s best time for Martin Webmaster’s article – Mo features: Compton Harriers ‘new’ website; the benefits of beetroot; and lists forthcoming races of interest Thanks to Mo for this month’s contributions to articles and photos Copy date for next Harriers Herald – 28th February
Thursday night schedule for February Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs
5th 12th 19th 26th
Lucy to lead Susanne to lead Handicap Race George to lead
Thursday night schedule for March Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs
5th 12th 19th 26th
Tom to lead Mo to lead Philomena to lead Handicap Race
Sender ‘Zeon’ – The Future of Teamwear
Correspondence received Subject matter Flyer re high-quality athletics kits and training gear www.zeonsports.co.uk
Action File
Membership subscription reminder Fees for Club membership (£3), England Athletics competition registration (£12) and Institute Rec. Soc. membership (£24) are now due for 2015. Please send your completed forms and membership fees to Jonathan. Payments received after 31st March will incur a £2 penalty! Thanks to those who have already renewed. If you do not wish to renew your membership this year, please let Jonathan know so we can update our records accordingly.
Ridgeway Relay The 2015 Ridgeway Relay takes place on Sunday 5th July, and Richard D will be Compton Harriers Team Manager again. Richard says: “I hope we will be able to give at least as good a showing in 2015 as we did last year. Perhaps we could even enter two teams as we did in 2010! We have the reputation of being the best supported team (by a long way!) on the day, so everyone who runs will be sure to find it a rewarding experience. At this point in time I would just like an indication of those who would definitely like to run, those who are interested, and those who are definitely not interested or are not able to make the date, to get an idea of numbers. Please note that any positive response will not be taken as a firm commitment by you at this stage, as injuries, personal circumstances etc can make even the best intentioned plans be subject to change”.
HH Feb 2015
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For those who are not familiar with the event, the following is the description from the official site: The Ridgeway Relay is a team relay, organised by Marlborough Running Club. It is run over ten legs, the legs varying in length from 5.4 miles to 11.0 miles. At least two of the legs must be run by a female runner. The route is scenic, hilly and off-road. Teams are responsible for their own route planning & support on the day and we strongly advise that you recce your leg in advance! More details can be found at http://www.marlboroughrunningclub.co.uk/ridgewayrelay.shtm, and 2014 results can be viewed at http://www.marlboroughrunningclub.co.uk/RidgewayRelay2014Results.pdf
Race Results and Reports Oxford Mail x-country, Culham, 4th January Sue The third race in the Oxford Mail xc series also incorporated the Oxfordshire County Championships. Conditions were cold, frosty and foggy, and it was quite eerie watching the runners disappear into the fog, only to reappear 5 minutes later from a different direction. The ground was pretty firm for much of the course but, down on the floodplain by the Thames, there were some quite boggy sections. The ladies race was won by Melissa Hawtin (Oxford City, 25:48) and there were 157 finishers. Sue was first home for Team Kennet (22nd, 29:07), followed by Helen Preedy (30th, 29:47) and Lucy (52nd, 31:37). The team finished 2nd in Division 2. The men’s race was won by David Bruce (Oxford City, 30:29) and there were 255 finishers. Despite having a dodgy knee, Martin was the fourth scorer for Team Kennet (131st, 39:27), while Jonathan had his best xc race to date finishing 172nd (41:56), and Colin was 226th (48:30). Team Kennet A finished 7th in Division 2, and Team Kennet B 17th in Division 3.
Goring & Woodcote Lions 10K, 11th January Martin and Lucy were the sole Harriers representatives in this hilly road race, but both did the Club proud. In a field of 372 finishers, Martin finished 29th (41:22), while Lucy (47:49, 95th overall) was 1st in the FV50 category. Former Harrier Kevin Wilkinson, who has recently rekindled his interest in racing, was pleased to finish under the hour. Race winner Mark Harris (Team Trisports, 33:41) had nearly 3 minutes lead over his nearest rival. First lady was Claire Quinn (43:27).
Lucy at 1K, and Martin at 9K (photos courtesy of Barry Cornelius) HH Feb 2015
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Rough ‘n Tumble 10 M MT, 11th January On a dry and bright but chilly morning, Ryan, Jonathan and Sue returned to Milton Lilbourne to run a race which has become firmly established in our annual race calendars. As always, the Rough ‘n Tumble was a wellorganised, friendly and popular event. This year, there was less water to run though and less mud, but those huge hills were still there! The race was won by Hugh Mackenzie (U/A) in 1:08:27. Ryan was an excellent 27th in 1:18:35 (just beating the first lady, Fay Scripps of Chichester, who was 29th). Sue was 101st (1:30:30) 3 minutes quicker than in 2014, while Jonathan beat his 2014 time by a good 6 minutes (130th 1:33:42). There were 527 finishers.
Oxford Mail x-country, Cirencester Park, 1st February Sue We travelled to Cirencester Park for the penultimate race of this season’s Oxford mail xc series. The thermometer may have read 4oC, but a strong arctic wind made for bitter conditions on the exposed start / finish area next to the polo field. Fortunately, the woods provided a bit of a protection, the valley bottom was very sheltered, and the wind was behind us up the big hill. Although much of the ground was fairly firm underfoot, the valley bottom included a lot of heavy, sticky and slippery mud, as it had been churned up by forestry vehicles. Some skipped through it, some fell over in it, some lost a shoe in it (Martin) and some almost came to a standstill in it (me)! There were 135 finishers in the ladies race, which was won by Newbury’s Sophie Crumley (25:45) who is returning to her best form as she trains for the 2015 London Marathon. Sue was first home for Team Kennet (23rd, 29:05), followed by Helen Preedy (26th, 29:16) and Lucy (60th, 32:09). The team finished 4th in Division 2. The men’s race was won by David Bruce (Oxford City, 32:36) and there were 207 finishers. Martin was the fifth scorer for Team Kennet (94th, 42:04), with Jonathan 137th (45:22), and Colin 181st (51:27). Team Kennet finished 3rd in Division 2.
Cirencester Park cross-country Sue and Colin in the woods Jonathan tackles the hill Photos courtesy of Mo
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Handicap Race Sue The sub-zero temperatures meant that only the hardcore few turned up to run the first Handicap Race of 2015. It was bitterly cold on the lungs and legs but Nitish meant business, wearing only shorts and a lightweight top. There was some added ‘excitement’ as we raced past the old cricket field, when some teenage lads hanging out in the bus shelter started shouting 'encouragement’ such as “knees up” and “look at all those wobbly bums”. One of the youths decided to try to race me on the opposite side of the road. He was keeping up quite well while continuing to shout and, after about 50 metres of this, it was starting to irritate me. Then I heard a bang and a yell, followed by laughing from the other boys. Martin witnessed what happened: the youth had crashed into a wheelie bin and fallen over – the perfect outcome! Along School Road and up Shepherds Mount the handicaps had almost ‘unwound’ as the runners began to bunch up. Nitish was in the lead but Martin was determined not to be beaten by the ‘new boy’. He stormed down Shepherds Mount and along to the finish to win with a 9-seocond margin in an excellent sub-12 time, his fastest for some months. Nitish held second place, to knock 7 seconds off his previous best, while Jonathan continued his good form to take third. The other runners finished in close succession. Well done Martin, and thanks to Jan for timing, with help from Tom and Sus. The next Handicap Race is scheduled for Thursday 19th February, around the Village Lap route. Finish Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Position on handicap 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Name
Start time
Martin Nitish Jonathan Sue Lucy Colin Dick
Actual time 11:47 13:23 12:22 12:18 13:50 15:23 14:48
Finish time
2:57 1:30 2:36 2:52 1:28 0:30 1:43
14:44 14:53 14:58 15:10 15:18 15:53 16:31
Handicap Beaten? -0:16 -0:07 -0:02 +0:10 +0:18 +0:53 +1:31
Handicap Championship 2015 Pos.
Name Race 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
HH Feb 2015
Martin Nitish Jonathan Sue Lucy Colin Dick
12 10 9 8 7 6 5
Race 2
Race 3
Race 4
-
-
-
Race points Race Race 5 6 -
4
-
Race 7
Race 8
Race 9
-
-
-
Total of best 5 12 10 9 8 7 6 5
Website update… http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk Mo Well, I've been talking about it for a while now and finally, I have put the plan into action ... the website is undergoing its first major change for a few years! There is a temptation to add all sorts of 'dynamic' content such as slide shows, video etc... but this all takes time, so I am taking the 'gradual' approach to modernisation. The new layout is already live, with links maintained to some of the older pages still in need of a reformat to integrate fully. Although the 'old site' has worked well and is still perfectly functional, there are several reasons why now is a good time to update. First of all, this year is Compton Harriers 25th anniversary and what better way to celebrate (and it doesn't cost anything!), secondly I have more time to spare than I used to (ah, the joy of being retired!) and thirdly, the new layout is much quicker and easier to keep up-to-date. If anyone has any suggestions on what they would like to see included in the new layout and content, then I will happily oblige wherever possible. Links of interest this month Various studies on the levels of nitrates in your diet have indicated that nitrate supplements improve exercise efficiency at submaximal intensities. This essentially means that you can run harder over a longer distance with the same amount of effort that you would input over a much shorter distance without supplements. This is why it is becoming increasingly popular amongst endurance athletes. However, there is a natural way to increase the nitrates in your diet without taking supplements ... beetroot. For any potential benefits, a dose of 5-7mmol nitrate has been suggested and this should be taken around 3hrs before training or racing as it needs this time to take effect but can last for up to 6-8hrs. This equates to 250-300g nitrate rich vegetables per day, 500ml beetroot juice or 70ml 'Beet It' nitrate gel shot. 'Beet It' have also produced a beetroot flapjack type bar. Although there are no known major risks, there needs to be care in the amount taken at a time as excessive amounts can cause discomfort in the gut. The full article on this is called 'run to the beet' and can be accessed by following this link: http://goo.gl/RZqV4q . A ‘moderate’ amount of exercise has been shown to be protective against respiratory infections and other conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis however, as you increase your mileage, your risk of illness increases owing to the lowering of your immune system's response to viral attacks, especially at this time of year. Statistically, if you’re running more than 60 miles per week, you’re twice as likely to become unwell when compared with those who run less than 20 miles per week. A good balance of nutrients from your diet will keep your immune system up to scratch, so to check that you are maintaining your protection and energy follow this link http://goo.gl/IqUEpO to the full article on carbohydrate intake, vitamin C, zinc and probiotics. Events of Interest – see Website Training & Events Calendar for more details: F E B
Sun Sun Sun Sun
01 08 15 22
Oxford Mail XC Dursley Dozen Bramley 20/10 RR Terminator 11 miles
M A R C H
Sun Sun Sun
01 08 15
Oxford Mail XC City of Salisbury 10 Mile Cholsey Chase 9 MT
Sun Sun
22 29
Banbury 15 Combe Gibbet to Overton 16
A P R I L M A Y
Fri Sat Sun Sun Sun Sat Sun Mon Sat
03 04 12 19 26 02 03 04 09
Sun Sun
10 17
Maidenhead Easter 10m Downland Challenge 40/20 Brighton Marathon & 10k Danesfield Dash 10k MT London Marathon Hurstbourne 5 MT Three Forts Challenge MK Mthn & ½ Mthn Chieveley Chase 5.7 miles MT Woodley 10k Royal Berkshire 10K & 3K
HH Feb 2015
6th Reading 5M The Wiltshire 10 (miles) Bourton 10k
Wokingham ½ Mthn Lungbuster 9 mile XC
Goring 10K
The Grizzly 2015
Flying Monk 10 & Fearless 5 (miles) - Trail Fleet ½ Marathon White Horse ½ Marathon
Meon Valley Plod 20 miles Reading ½ Mthn
Bungay Half Marathon Southampton ½ thn&10k
Fairoaks 5 & 10mile
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Silverstone ½ Mthn Brooklands ½ Mthn