THE HARRIERS HERALD No. 249, November 2013 Editor: Sue Francis
Contents, features, reports, results Thursday night schedules for November and December Correspondence received Annual General Meeting – preliminary information about the Club’s AGM London Marathon Club entry – are you eligible? Christmas Meal – update West Berkshire Brewery Tour – potential Club social event GB Relay 2014 – Chance to take part in the UK’s longest ever continuous distance event Race results: Hanney 5 – Lucy and Martin complete local road race; Oxford Half – Terry accompanies wife Emma in her first Half; Abingdon Marathon – Excellent performances from six Harriers; Beachy Head Marathon – Second marathon in 6 days for Martin and Lucy; Oxford Mail x-country – Nine Harriers boost Kennet team Webmaster’s article – Mo features running technique and how you can improve it; and lists forthcoming races of interest Thanks to Mo for this month’s article and photos Copy date for next Harriers Herald – 30th November
Thursday night schedule for November Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs
7th 14th 21st 28th
Handicap Race Neil to lead Nicola to lead Jonathan to lead
Thursday night schedule for December Thurs Thurs Thurs Thurs
5th 12th 19th 26th
Handicap Race Short (4-5 mile) Compton run, followed by Club’s AGM Lucy to lead Boxing Day - No run scheduled
Sender White Horse Harriers race Director
Correspondence received Subject matter White Horse Half Marathon (06-04-13)
Action Events Diary & notice board
Compton Harriers AGM The AGM will take place on the evening of Thursday 12th December at 20:00 (after the Club run) at The Pickled Pig bar. All members are encouraged to attend. Further details and agenda will be circulated nearer the time.
London Marathon Club entry 2014 Sue Each year every England Athletics-affiliated running club is given a / some 'guaranteed' entries to the London Marathon. Based on the size of our Club, we get (1) club entry. Although a guaranteed entry, it is not free - the recipient still has to pay the race entry fee. As in previous years, the Club will have a draw to decide who receives this guaranteed place in the Marathon. Those eligible to be in the draw are any first claim members of Compton Harriers who had posted an entry for the Marathon but had that entry rejected. If this applies to you, and you would like your name to go in to the draw, please let me know by Monday 12th November.
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Christmas Meal Pete O has organised the Christmas Meal at The Fox at Peasemore (www.foxatpeasemore.co.uk ) for the evening of Saturday 21st December. A total of about 25 Harriers and partners will be attending.
West Berkshire Brewery Tour Richard D is looking to organise a tour of West Berkshire Brewery, near Yattendon. The tour costs £12.50 per person, which includes 3 pints of beer and a glass. Programmed tours take place on Saturdays and on Thursday evenings. Richard is looking at suitable dates.
GB Relay 2014 (‘The People’s Relay’) Nicola sent this link to me and wondered if it is something the Club might like to take part in. According to the website, http://gbrelay.com , the GB Relay 2014 (‘The People's Relay’) gives you the chance to join in a fantastic adventure and, alongside 2000+ other runners, break a Guinness World Record (the longest continuous distance event ever completed in the UK). From town to town, runner to runner, hand to hand, a specially designed GPS baton will be carried round the coastline of mainland Britain covering over 7000K in 594 stages showing just what the running community can achieve. The Relay begins on 1st June and ends on 2nd July. The stages nearest to us (South coast and South East coast) are from June 23rd – 28th. Most of the stages are about 10K in length and the only requirement is that you can run at an average pace of 10K per hour. At the above link, you can choose your stage (though note that ~50% of stages on the S. and S.E. coasts have already been taken). The cost is £30 per stage and includes a technical T-shirt which can be personalised. Nicola thought it would be nice to get a team of runners together. If you are keen, take a look at the website and we can discuss it on a Thursday evening.
Race results Hanney 5, 6th October Two Harriers completed the East Hanney 5M road race. Martin finished in 31:20 for 34th place, and Lucy 35:51 (76th, 1st FV50).
Oxford Half, 13th October Terry continued his return from foot injury by accompanying wife Emma in her first half marathon race. Despite Emma suffering knee pain from 6 miles onwards, they finished in an excellent 2:30:32. Emma is already planning her next half marathon.
Beachy Head Marathon, 26th October Just six days after the Abingdon Marathon, Lucy and Martin ran the Beachy Head Marathon, along with Nicola. Lucy and Martin ran together all the way and caught Nicola in the last mile to finish in 4:25:59 (311 th/312th), while Nicola was close behind in 4:27:26 (320th). There were over 1500 finishers. 1st home was Jeff Pyrah (Hastings AC) in 2:55:44, and 1st lady Andrea Green in 3:30:33.
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Abingdon Marathon, 20th October Six Harriers completed the Abingdon Marathon on a blowy day where sunshine was interspersed with occasional light rain showers. Mo and I cycled round to cheer them on at the 10, 17 and 21 mile points. Ryan had a strong and well-paced run and looked as though he was really enjoying himself. He caught Martin at around the 20-mile point and finished in his second fastest Marathon time (3:15:29, 170th). Martin was next home with a good 3:21:10 (209th). Rich had been 3rd placed Harrier for most of the race, but faded in the later stages. A strong finish from Lucy round Tilsley Park track saw her reel in Rich and shake his hand on the final straight! Lucy was 344th to Rich’s 345th but, on chip times, Rich just had the edge (3:41:46 to 3:41:48). In the days before the race Philomena had been worried about her marathon fitness, following a spell of injury. However, this did not show at all on the day, as Philomena tracked Lucy for much of the race and finished well in 3:45:21 (373rd). Jonathan ran a good first half, but his race preparation had also been hampered by injury and he was forced to slow considerably. However he battled on and did well to finish (4:31:55, 612th). Susanne also ran half of the route as a training run. The race was won by Ben Fish (Blackburn Harriers) in a fast 2:26:55, while first lady was Lucy Hodgson (Newquay RR) in 3:00:08.
Ryan happy at 17 miles
Rich going well at 21 miles (Sutton Courtenay)
Lucy with Rich in her sights at 21 miles
Philomena – 1st Kenyan!
Martin at 17 miles (Drayton)
(Visit www.facebook.com/ComptonHarriers/photos_albums for more of Mo’s photos) HH Nov 2013
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Oxford Mail x-country, Round 1 – Ascott-under-Wychwood, 3rd November Sue Once again, Compton Harriers have linked up with Team Kennet to compete in the Oxford Mail x-country series, under the ‘Team Kennet’ banner. The first race was, as usual, held on the horse cross-country course at Crown Farm near the Cotswold village of Ascott. But this year the weather was nice for a change – sunny, fairly mild, no rain, but just a bit windy. There wasn’t too much mud, and the water-splash was only ankle deep. The 2-lap 5.8K ladies race had a much larger entry than usual, with nearly 200 finishers. Race winner was Newbury’s Susie Bush (23:42). Susanne had an excellent race, working her way through the field to finish 9th as TK’s 1st scorer (26:16). She also beat perennial FV45 winner Ros Kelling (from Banbury) to be first home in her age category. I was quite pleased with my run, but was just passed on the final hill by TK’s Helen Preedy, so I finished as 3rd team scorer in 23rd (27:36). New recruit Charlotte (Rich B’s other half) was competing in her first xc race and did well to finish 148th (38:00), still smiling on the uphill run in to the finish. Mags, now in training for a spring marathon, ran well to complete the team in 180th (42:51). The good performances all round meant TK top Division 2 after this first race. The 3-lap men’s race was won by Oxford City’s David Bruce (29:54) and there were 260 finishers. TK’s 11strong team was led home by MV50 Tom Munt (32nd) and included 5 Compton Harriers. First Harrier home was Rich, who was 5th scorer (151st, 40:05). Neil was close behind, having had a good battle with Rich all the way (154th, 40:22). Jonathan and Dick changed places several times during the race, finishing 211th (43:38) and 212th (43:40) respectively. Jonathan says Dick would have beaten him if he hadn’t said ‘thank you’ to all the marshals! Team Manager Colin was not far behind (224th, 45:19). The team finished 4th in Division 3.
Susanne leads a group, with Sue at the back
Mags tackles the water splash
Neil well up in the field
Dick chases Jonathan on the final lap
(Visit www.facebook.com/ComptonHarriers/photos_albums for more of Mo’s photos) HH Nov 2013
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Website update… http://www.comptonharriers.org.uk Mo Links of interest this month: The music for this month’s ‘Keep on Running’ link has been suggested by Sue F. Photos for Oxford Mail X-C Round 1 at Ascott-under-Wychwood can be viewed on Compton Harriers Facebook page. Also a few photos from the Abingdon Marathon as well. (www.facebook.com/ComptonHarriers/photos_albums ). This month’s article: How is your running technique? Whether you run to keep fit or participate at any level in sport, your running technique can always be improved. Most joggers and runners are bio-mechanically inefficient because their running technique is poor. Inefficient use of the necessary body parts can lead to the suffering of pain when you are supposed to be enjoying yourself! Some of the most obvious outcomes shown by poor technique are: 1. Bouncing up and down 2. Over striding 3. Insufficient use of hamstrings 4. Landing too heavily 5. Breaking action on landing 6. Not using arms efficiently 7. Twisting midriff side to side whilst running 8. Leaning head and upper body too far forward. 9. Jogging slower than you can walk! Here are a few tips to help you to improve your technique: All accomplished and elite runners run on the balls of their feet. Your foot should strike the surface with the ball of the foot with toes pointing forward, not downwards, otherwise your running technique creates a" breaking" motion. Your heel should barely touch the ground. Foot strike on landing should be "light" not heavy, your motion aimed at ‘gripping and scraping’ the surface. Your knee needs to be slightly bent on contact with the surface with your foot landing below the centre of gravity - just below the hips. (Think of your leg working in a circular motion from the hip joint). This will bring the heel of your foot behind the body. The hamstrings and gluteus maximus will play a very big part in this movement. By moving your thighs forward and extending your leg to repeat the above action (without over-striding), you will be performing a ‘cycling’ motion of the leg. Your hips and waist should be steady with minimal side to side movement. Make sure your back is straight and relaxed, not bent at the waist. Your shoulders also need to be relaxed with arms bent at approximately 90 degrees and the motion should be from the shoulder not the forearms. As the arm moves back it should continue to stay in 90 degree flexion. Your hands should be held with the palm facing inwards not down or if you prefer to hold your hands in a fist, the thumb should rest on the forefinger. Keep your head up with eyes looking straight ahead, not down. Whilst running, try not to think about the movement too much, but try to feel the cycling motion and visualise it in your mind … you will be able to feel it when you’ve got it right! Are you jogging or running? Experts suggest that if you are moving along at less than 6 mph you are jogging rather than running and you may be better off walking! They also say that walking at 4-6 mph or faster is bio-mechanically more efficient and far more beneficial than "jogging" slowly!
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The reasoning is that when we walk fast we tend to use our legs and arms together and thus burn more calories than a slow jog. There is also less stress on the joints. This does tend to prove that walking up steep hills is more efficient than running … especially for the ‘steady’ one like me! Forthcoming Events of Interest – see Website Events Calendar for full details and listing: Friday, November 8 Saturday, November 9 Sunday, November 10 Saturday, November 16 Sunday, November 17
Sunday, November 24 Sunday, December 1
Sunday, December 8 Sunday, December 15 Saturday, December 21 Sunday, January 5, 2014 Sunday, January 12, 2014 Sunday, February 2, 2014 Sunday, February 9, 2014
Sunday, February 16, 2014 Sunday, March 2, 2014 Sunday, March 30, 2014 Sunday, April 6, 2014 Saturday, April 19, 2014 Sunday, April 27, 2014
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Ridgeway Ultra 82 Run2Remember 11k Grand Union Canal Half-Marathon BBO X-C Champs Avebury 8 AVR Wiltshire Half Marathon Herbert's Hole Challenge 10K Downton Half-Marathon Maylarch Eynsham 10K Oxford Mail - XC Round 2 Watlington XC XK 10K Winter 5.3 XC race - Tadley Andy Reading 10k Crazy Christmas Cracker - 10K Hooky Christmas Canter Christmas Meal Oxford Mail XC - Round 3 Woodcote 10k Rough 'n' Tumble 10 Long Mynd Valleys Race - 18.5k Fell Oxford Mail XC - Round 4 Dursley Dozen Meon Valley Plod (21miles, X-C) Wokingham ½ Mthn Bramley 20/10 Miles Mizuno Reading Half Marathon Oxford Mail XC - Round 5 Combe Gibbet to Overton 16 White Horse ½ Marathon 18th Compton Downland Challenge Treehouse School 10k
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