THE HARRIERS HERALD No. 281, July 2016 Editor: Sue Francis
Contents, features, reports, results
Thursday night schedules for July and August Downlands Sports Centre closure for renovation Compton Annual Relay – update Race results: Chiltern Chase – Sue enjoys a scenic local race; Ollie Johnson race – Three Harriers run well in Kintbury 5-miler; Downlands Dash – George and Sue race on familiar terrain; Ridgeway Relay – Team Manager Richard D reports on an enjoyable and successful team race Webmaster’s article – Mo features: strength-training exercises for runners; and races of interest for the coming months Thanks to Richard D and Mo for contributions to this month’s articles and photos
Thursday night schedule for July Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs
7th 14th 21st 28th
Run with Didcot Runners from Wittenham Clumps Sue to lead Compton Annual Relay – see more info. below Richard D to lead
Thursday night schedule for August Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs
4th 11th 18th 25th
Aaron to lead Colin to lead Jonathan to lead Handicap Race
Downlands Sports Centre closure for refurbishment I have been informed that the Downlands Sports Centre, our base for Thursday runs, will be undergoing renovation work over the school summer holiday. With major works happening to the roof, the Centre will be closed, probably for 4 weeks, from Friday 22nd July so we will not be able to use the facilities for changing, showers or toilets. The car park will also not be available as, with the Centre being closed, there will be no Centre staff on site in the evenings. The Sports Centre Manager assures me that Compton Harriers will be refunded for the fee we have paid for the period during which the Centre is closed. We will still be able to park in the area outside the school gates if we wish, but those scheduled to lead runs between 22nd July and 18th August may wish to consider alternative meeting places.
Compton Annual Relay, Thursday 21st July Sue The annual Relay will take place on the evening of Thursday 21st July starting at 5:30 pm from the Downlands Sports Centre, and there will be no ‘normal’ Club run scheduled for that day. I have now e-mailed round the new Relay route, which will be will be a 2.53 Km (1.6 miles) multi-terrain loop. As in previous years, each runner in the 4-person team will complete 1 lap starting and finishing in the school field. The start will be handicapped so all teams should have a similar chance of winning, and there will be a trophy for the winning team. All competitors and their supporters will be welcome at East Ilsley Swan pub for a barbecue in the pub garden (from 19:30). The trophy will be presented to the winning team at the barbecue. Please let me know if you’d like to form a team or would like more information. Also, if you don’t wish to run but would be prepared to assist Jan with the time-keeping, or to help as a marshal or first-aider.
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Race Reports and Results Chiltern Chase 5.4K, MT, 5th June Sue I last ran the Chiltern Chase 5 years ago, and returned again this year on a lovely sunny Sunday morning. The race is based in the picturesque village of Ewelme, with race HQ being on Cow Common recreation ground. There was a choice of three race distances this year: 10K (the main event), 5.4K (which I was doing), and 15.4K (which was 1 lap of the 5.4K route followed by 1 lap of the 10K route). All routes were very scenic and took in the Chiltern Way, bridleways, fields, woods and quiet lanes. Mo cycled the 8 miles from home to cheer me on. After a mass warm-up to music, led by a local fitness guru, the three races started at 5-minute intervals. The 5.4K runners had the 15.4K runners to chase and catch, which made for a more interesting and sociable race, though there were a few bottlenecks on narrow paths. At the finish, we were able to enjoy some delicious cakes while cheering in the finishers of the longer races. Each race had a good number of finishers. The 5.4K had 108 finishers and was won by Paul Hughes (Abingdon AC) in 19:54, and I was 1st lady (9th overall) in 23:11. There were 299 finishers in the 10K, (winner Mark Baker, Eynsham RR, 36:49), and 117 finishers in the 15.4K (winner Nick Jones, Oxford City, 59:50). The whole event was very enjoyable and well organised. The only slightly odd part was the prize-giving, which was done in a very random order and involved lots of individual and team prizes for all 3 races……..but nothing for the lady winners of the 5.4K or 15.4K. I wasn’t too fussed by this, but Mo was less than impressed and, to top it off, he got an irreparable puncture from a big screw when he was cycling home!
Ollie Johnson Kintbury 5M, 5th June Martin finished 64th (36:06), Lucy 116th (40:26) and Colin 134th (42:29). There were 215 finishers, and the race winners were Matthew King (26:52) and Sophie Crumly (30:24).
Downlands Dash 10K, Compton, 12th June Sue The ‘Friends of Compton Primary School’ organised their second annual Downlands Dash, with a little help from Compton Harriers. Dick gave them a lot of lot of pre-race advice and help, including with setting up the course; Martin and Lucy were race marshals, Richard D was chief timekeeper, and Mo took races photos. George and I represented the Harriers in the race, and joined 129 others on the start line. Just as the pre-race announcements got underway, the rain began and we were glad to start running. After two laps of the Downs School playing field, the route headed down Newbury Lane, then up Churn Road and the concrete road, before turning down to Churn Bridge. The rain got lighter and was quite refreshing, but some of the chalky sections of track were slippery underfoot. Continuing on the Ridgeway up to Browns Firs (where marshals Martin and Lucy were cheering us on), we followed Wallingford Road track back into Compton before the ‘sting in the tail’ – up ‘Tom’s Lane’ then via the woods to finish in the school playing field. It was certainly useful to be familiar with the route and to know that there were four tough hills. I paced myself well and really enjoyed the run, gradually gaining places all the way to finish as 1st lady (14th) in 45:12. George also had a good run gaining a place in the final sprint as he finished 25th in 49:05. The race was won by Jack Shayler (Eastfield Eagles) in 38:22.
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Ridgeway Relay, 19th June Richard D Sunday June 19th dawned dry and bright for the running of the 2016 edition of the Ridgeway Relay. Indeed, conditions during the day were good for the race, with only a sharp rain shower, which arrived just in time for the mass start at the beginning of stage 10 and lasted to the finish, marring the running conditions on the day. However, the very wet spring and early summer did mean that running conditions were the heaviest for some years. In addition, the heavy growth resulting from this meant that certain signs and turn-offs from the race route were harder than usual to identify, making the pre-race route test run of each runner’s stage more critical than ever this year. Forty-four runners, representing some 25 clubs, together with a small contingent of Compton Harrier supporters, arrived at Ivinghoe Beacon for the start of the relay at 7:30 in the morning. Ryan Morris, first leg runner again this year, set off near the head of the field. Despite a leg niggle Ryan ran a steady leg, running in a small group not far behind the leading runners, and finished the tough first leg in Wendover strongly in 12tth place. Ryan handed over to Sue Francis, running her customary second leg. Sue ran her usual steady leg and cheered on by Compton Harrier supporters at various places during it, saw her finish in 11th place. Sue handed over to Chris Leeman at Whiteleaf just outside Princes Risborough. Chris, having recovered from the injury that had affected his performance last year, and running the 3rd leg for the first time, ran very well over the undulating terrain of his leg, and handed over in 12th place to Ricky Bickerton at Lewknor for the relatively short but tough leg up to Swyncombe Church. Ricky, running strongly over the first part of the stage, quickly gained on the blond lady runner from White Horse Harriers running ahead of him but, both being a bit unsure of the route, they decided to run on together. However, it clearly being a case of two heads being less good than one, both managed to miss the crucial left-hand turn off the broad Ridgeway uphill to Swyncombe Church. After some imaginative navigation Ricky and his lady companion managed to regain the race route, but unfortunately lost about 20 minutes and 6 places in the process, arriving at Swyncombe in 18th place. Here Ricky handed over to Martin Fray for the long leg down Grim’s Ditch and along the Thames to South Stoke. Despite suffering from the heat during his leg, Martin gained two places and handed over to recentlyjoined club member Giles Humphrey-Evans in 16th place outside South Stoke School. The handover being at 13:04 it was just outside the 13:00 cut-off time for the mass start at the beginning of the 7th leg. Using his local knowledge Giles ran the long 6th leg, which passes through Goring and up onto the Downs, very strongly gaining three places for the Harriers and finishing in 13th position. Terry Bartholomew running the 7th leg started his run before Giles arrived, being one of the runners in the first mass start at 14:00 on Bury Down. This gave Terry the benefit of being in a competitive environment for much of his leg. Terry did well to finish ahead of most of his fellow mass start runners and completed his leg in an overall position of 14th place, passing over to Lucy Gettins at Sparsholt Firs. Lucy ran a steady race along what is a familiar route to her, past White Horse Hill and on to Charlbury Hill, where she handed over to Sus Enhard in 15th place. Sus, running the 9th leg for the first time, set out on this tough and long leg up to Barbury Castle displaying her recent strong form. She maintained her race position on the leg finishing in 15th place to hand over to Meena Mburu at 17:43.
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Meena, starting just ahead of the second mass start of the day at 17:45, and running in steady rain, ran a consistent leg and was encouraged by supporters both at the start and outside Manton Stables. She brought the team home just after 19:00 in the evening in a very creditable 15th place in an overall time of 11:47:30, only just slower than last year’s time of 11:46:19. The supporters and eight members of the team who made it to the finish line duly celebrated afterwards with a well-earned meal in the Swan pub in Great Shefford. I would like to thank everyone who took part in the relay, Sus for ferrying half the team around the course, Jonathan and Sue for ferrying Ryan’s and Meena’s cars from the start to the end of their legs, Mo for taking photos, and also to the many supporters of this event. Let’s look forward to another enjoyable event in 2017.
Chris – Leg 3
Ryan, Leg 1
Sue, Leg 2, heading for Chequers
Martin at Littlestoke, Leg 5
Ricky, Leg 4 (before he got lost!)
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Terry, Leg 7, near the monument
Giles sets off on Leg 6 (South Stoke) Lucy, Leg 8, Wayland’s Smithy
Susanne, Leg 9, Ogborne
Richard D oversees ‘team talk’ as Giles gets his breath back
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Meena rehydrates on Leg 10
Ricky and Jonathan (injured supporter) enjoy ice cream
Handicap Race Sue There was a large turnout of 13 runners for the second summer Handicap Race on a cool and blowy evening. The course was a little overgrown in places, and a few runners finished with nettle-stung legs. Richard D showed he is returning to good fitness, as he won the race with a much improved time and an 11-second winning margin. George took 2nd place, while Susanne and Aaron battled for 3rd place having had a close race all the way. Susanne took 3rd and set a very good time in her first handicap race for several years. Sue was 5th behind Aaron, and set the evening’s fastest time. Well done Richard D, and thanks to Jan for managing to accurately record everyone’s times. The next race is scheduled for 25th August (by which time, hopefully, the Sports Centre should be back in action). Finish Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Position on handicap 1 2 New Runner 3 4 5 6 New Runner 7 8 9 10 11
Name
Start time
Richard D George Susanne Aaron Sue Philomena Colin Terry Mo Lucy Helen Richard T Martin
Finish time
4:26 5:25 6:00 6:08 6:29 4:52 4:09 5:40 0:31 5:01 1:44 5:40 6:55
15:29 15:40 15:42 15:48 15:56 15:59 16:03 16:05 16:07 16:09 16:20 17:02 18:42
Actual time 11:03 10:15 9:42 9:40 9:27 11:07 11:54 10:25 15:36 11:08 14:36 11:22 11:47
Handicap Beaten? -0:31 -0:20 New Runner -0:12 -0:04 -0:01 +0:03 New Runner +0:07 +0:09 +0:20 +1:02 +2:42
Handicap Championship 2016 After five races, Sue is in the lead ahead of Colin, Aaron and Mo, who all also have high scores. However, since the final Championship scores are based on an individual’s best five performances, there’s still all to run for. Pos.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7= 7= 9 10 11 12 13 14= 14=
Name
Sue Colin Aaron Mo George Richard D John Jonathan Philomena Martin Lucy Helen Richard T Susanne Terry
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Race 1 10 12 8 9 7 5 6 -
Race 2 10 8 12 8 9 6 5 -
Race 3 8 10 12 10 6 7 5 -
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Race 4 10 7 8 12 6 9 -
Race points Race Race 5 6 8 6 9 5 10 12 7 1 4 3 2 1 1 -
Race 7 -
Race 8 -
Race 9 -
Total of best 5 46 43 41 40 28 19 18 18 13 12 9 3 2 1 1
Website update‌ http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk Mo This month the annual Relay will be over a new route starting and finishing at the Downs School, so I will be adding a link to the new route map within the next day or two. Links of interest this month: Further to last month's mention of the Grand Union Canal, details are now available of the GUCR 2017 at https://twitter.com/GUCR145 If you are interested in entering next year's event (Sat 27th May 2017) then you need to email keith.godden@canalrace.org.uk by 31st October, to express your interest. Four Strength-Training Exercises for Runners: If you are finding it difficult to fit in core strength exercises within your training, you can carry out these simple routines any time of day and at any level of fitness: Chair dips, Press-ups, Squats & Planks The following four strength-training exercises, using your body weight for resistance, will help you to build muscle and burn calories at the same time; try three 5-minute mini workouts with one of these exercises every day. That's only 15 minutes a day! Chair Dips (for triceps and core) Sit on the edge of a sturdy, stable chair with legs together, knees bent and feet flat on floor a few feet in front of the chair. Place your hands about six inches apart, and firmly grip the edges of the chair. Slide forward off the front so that your upper body is pointing straight down. Keep your abdominals pulled in and your head centred between your shoulders. Bend your elbows and lower your body in a straight line. When your upper arms are parallel to the floor, push yourself back up, being careful not to lock elbows. Repeat 3 sets of 10 to 15 dips which you can increase as you get stronger. Press-ups (for shoulders, triceps, back, hips, and abs) Start in a basic press-up position with hands directly beneath shoulders and body in a straight line. Bend elbows out to sides and lower body almost to floor (or as far as you can). Keep abs tight and body in a line. Hold for 1 second, then push back up. Repeat 10 times initially, then increase as you get stronger.
Squats (for glutes, hamstrings and quads) Stand with feet parallel and hip-width apart. Bend your knees and lower your body into a squat position, as if you are sitting back into an imaginary chair, keeping knees behind toes. Stop when your knees are at 90 degrees. Slowly press through your heels and squeeze your glutes as you return to standing. For a more challenging workout, add weights, do a single-legged squat, or perform squats on an unstable surface, like a balance disc. To incorporate cardio, do squat jumps.
Plank (for abs, back, chest, forearms and shoulders) Start by holding a press-up position, weight on balls of feet and hands, wrists directly below shoulders, arms straight, and body in line from head to heels. Hold for as long as you can, working up to 1 minute. That’s 1 rep. Do 2 or 3 reps. For a more challenging exercise, raise one leg off the floor and hold for 30 seconds, then change legs and hold for another 30 seconds to complete 1 rep. For variation, try side plank: Lie on your right side with your legs straight, and feet stacked, right hand directly under right shoulder. Lift hips off floor and raise left arm to sky, keeping left hand directly over left shoulder. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Switch sides and repeat to complete 1 rep. HH July 2016
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Events of Interest – see Website Training & Events Calendar for more details Sun, 10 Jul: Wed, 13 Jul: Sat, 16 Jul: Sun, 17 Jul: Sat, 23 Jul: Sun, 24 Jul: Sun, 31 Jul: Sun, 07 Aug: Sat, 13 Aug: Sun, 14 Aug: Sat, 27 Aug: Sun, 28 Aug: Mon, 29 Aug: Sun, 04 Sept: Sun, 11 Sept: Sun, 18 Sept: Sat, 24 Sept: Sun, 25 Sept: Sun, 02 Oct: Sun, 09 Oct: Sun, 23 Oct: Sun, 13 Nov: Sun, 11 Dec:
09:30 Wycombe 10K & ½ Mthn • 10:15 New Forest 10 (Miles) 19:00 Thames 10K 09:20 FixAddiction 5k & 10k • Race to the stones 100k • Silva Endure Sports Festival Silva Endure Sports Festival • Kingsclere Twist 10k & 5k (Multi Terrain) 09:30 Windsor Gt Park Dash 10k 10:00 Bath Running Festival • Down-tow-up-flow ½ Mthn Ride London 100 • 10:00 Barbury Castle Trail ½ Mthn Hooky 6 10:30 Thames Meander ½ & Full Mthn 9:30am Burnham Beeches ½ Mthn • 9:30am Bearbrook 10K 9:30am Salisbury 54321 50k, 42k, 33k, 21k Ridgeway Challenge 86 miles 9:30am Headington 5 • 11:00am Englefield 10k 10:00am Harwell ½ Mthn 9:30am Northampton ½ Mthn • Maidenhead ½ Mthn 10:00am Henley 10k • 2 Arms on 2 Legs ½ Mthn & 10k • Pangbourne 10k Multi-terrain Earth Trust 10k • 10:00am Tadley 10mile Road Race • 10:30am Cotswold Classic 10M Road Race 10:30am Swallowfield 10+3 Fun Run & Duathlon IOW Fell Race Series IOW Fell Race Series • 10:00 Windsor ½ Mthn 09:00 Reading O2O 10k 09:30 Oxford ½ Mthn • 10:00am Muddy Mayhem 5k Obstacle Fun Run 09:00 Abingdon Marathon • 10:00 Water-of-life 10k & ½ Mthn 10:00 Grand-union-canal ½ Mthn 11:00am Tadley 5.2M X-country
... remember, if you want to search for more events, just follow our page link for other sources: http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk/linkindex.htm#Event Finder:
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