NEWSLETTER OF LORDSHILL ROAD RUNNERS, AFFILIATED TO HAA, SEAA. AAAE AND AUK
www.lordshillroadrunners.org.uk
Newsletter Date July 2011 Issue 37
Road Runner 37 Inside this issue: Our 10k—thanks
2
AGM info
3
New competition
4
Our RR10—help!
5
Derek’s Nostalgia
6
Test Way Relay
8
Our 10k: Darren Foy, Race Director says thanks to you all for a fantastic event.
With
Special points of interest: Check out page 11 for a selection of pics of our 10k—taken by Tom Pappenbrock Don’t forget to read the RR 37 Supplement
278 finishers, around 70 children in the kids races and a sizeable donation being made to the Air Ambulance, the Lordshill 10k was clearly a great success. See page 2 for full article.
LRR Annual General Meeting of all
members. The AGM has been set for Monday 26 September 7.30pm at Tauntons College, Hill Lane (opposite Bellemoor pub) Please keep the date free. More important info on page 3
Page 2
Great 10k! th
Thanks for a Darren Foy
Sunday the 26 June saw the annual Lordshill 10k race run in glorious sunshine, whilst fantastic for the watching supporters and marshalls, made for a very warm race for all 278 finishers. As Race Director I would like to thank the members of the Race Committee for all of their efforts in organising an excellent event. Your Race Committee this year consisted of:– Jim Davies, Course Director; Di Mattingley, Chief Marshall (ably assisted by Jim Shepperd); Lynda Cox (Race Secretary) and Mike (I’m on holiday) Dukes. The aim this year was to put on an event that would showcase Lordshill Road Runners, Southampton’s friendliest running club. The plan was for the race to be the centre-point of a day out for the runners and their families and friends. Before the start of the 10k race saw a series of children’s races, which were very popular, more popular than we probably expected with over 70 joining in. Special thanks to Carol Bradwell, Jan Fordham, Sandra Keogh and Aurelio Bello for all their efforts. We had lots of good feedback about these races, including from parents who missed the races but would like to do them next year. A series of little touches added to the day, often at little or no expense, were very well received: The pre-race warm-up, led by Paul Laslett, director of BrightsidePT (mail@brightsidept.com), saw a large group of runners being put through their paces on the field. A stirring pre-race address from the Romsey Town Cryer, Terry Hamer, preceded the race start where Jim Shepperd sent the runners on their way. Di Mattingly found some able helpers from Upper Shirley High to assist with handing over mementoes, running race results and helping out. A post race massage service was provided by Alison Wilson (wilson_ali88@hotmail.com). Lots of great comments were received about the fruit (sourced by Pete Lewis) and the mementos (engraved whisky tumblers rather than the usual medals). Many thanks to Dan of Carillion who opened up their site toilets and saved us the expense of hiring portaloos. Race results service provided by Pam Bungay and Sue Tizard. So efficient were they with the results that we were able to email the results to all finishers with an email address that some afternoon. This is something that most other race organisers can only dream of. In addition to a great day, we also managed to raise nearly £400 for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, the Club’s chosen charity for 2011. Finally, my grateful thanks go to all of those involved in making the day happen – the race committee, race officials, marshalls, signage teams, lead and tail bikers, helpers and supporters. Without so much help freely given from so many, events like the Lordshill 10k race could not happen.
Page 3
Calling all Members—to the Club AGM
New members could be forgiven for thinking they joined LRR to run—not to go to bloody meetings! But the annual general meeting is different. It is where the big decisions about the shape and direction of the club are made. It is also where members get to decide which individuals they want to see leading and managing the club’s affairs for the next year. It is a time when ALL of the present committee finish their annual term of office—and ALL of the posts on the committee are up for election. All members are entitled to stand for any position on the committee and you are urged to do so, if you wish—it can be rewarding and interesting work. And all members are entitled to vote for the candidates of their choice for the posts of: chairperson, secretary, treasurer, club coach, men’s and women’s captains, membership secretary, events secretary, magazine editor and other committee members. The AGM has been set for Monday 26 September, 7.30pm at Taunton’s College, Hill Lane (Opposite Bellemoor pub). Please come along if you can. If you would like something discussed at the AGM you must send it in writing to Darren Foy, secretary by 11 September (there is no provision for members to raise un-announced items for discussion under ’any other business’) Darren will contact all members with details of the agenda before 19 September. The agenda will also appear on the club notice board at Oasis and on the club website. If you would like to stand for a committee position, please find two members who would support you and act as ’proposer and seconder’ and give this in writing to Darren Foy before the start of the meeting. See you there! And now for something to make you chuckle -
Lordshill Old Runners – the perils of the ageing process by veteran member Ivor Limp If my body were a car, this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model. I've got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job is getting a little dull... But that's not the worst of it. My headlights are out of focus and it's especially hard to see things up close. My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and skid and bump into things even in the best of weather. My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins. It takes me hours to reach my maximum speed. My fuel rate burns inefficiently. But here's the worst of it… Almost every time I sneeze, cough or splutter, either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires!
Page 4
Membership News
Our membership has now rocketed to 129—twice the number of a few years ago. Rob and Carol’s successful Monday sessions on The Common have been a great source of recruitment, along with individuals finding us on-line through our website. Below is the latest piece from membership secretary, Lynda Cox Hi Mike, Here’s my contribution: As Membership Secretary I love getting new members on board. Whether they’re seasoned runners trying for PBs, beginners finding their running feet or in-betweenies looking for a bit of camaraderie and competition, it’s great that we now have 129 members who liked the look of us enough to hand over their £15 in return for a membership card and the prestige of wearing a LRR vest. I asked one of our newest members for a few words on what drew him to us. He tells me it was a mid 30s crisis (huh! mid 30s does NOT count as a crisis in my book) and it was a choice between joining LRR and getting a Porsche Boxster. Apparently, our annual membership is 2666 x cheaper than a Porsche. So, if you have any friends who want to save money and get fit, bring them along! Lynda
Club Promotion Competition! Over the past few months Lordshill Road Runners has had a chance to raise its profile in the local area - with the success of our recent LRR 10k; monster cheque donation at the parkrun as well as multiple 'runner of the month' wins and ever increasing member turnout at these Saturday morning races (both in LRR vests & fancy dress!). This has rewardingly led to new recruits joining our club.
We think more can be done to spread the word about Lordshill Running Club to the wider community! If you have done or plan to do something to promote our club to non members, then please let us know about it! Please send your photos or stories to Kevin at manickev@hotmail.com. A selection of the best initiatives will be published in the next issue of Road Runner and the winner will be chosen by the Club Committee. The winner will be invited to choose a prize from a club vest, race entry or bottle of wine etc (up to the value of £12). Why not enter by putting up an LRR poster in your workplace, college or local supermarket etc. A copy of this poster is enclosed with this edition of Road Runner. Remember to ask permission first if you are putting up posters in a public place! Letters to the editor Why not say what you want from the Club and how we can get better by sending a letter to the Road Runner editor to mikedukes@ntlworld.com Road Runner wants to be more than just a list of race reports and events lists, as important as these are. There is scope for it to be a voice for members as well.
LRR’s ‘home’ RR10 – Itchen Valley Country Park—Ellie Coulthard
Page 5
Where: Allington Lane, West End, Soton, SO30 3HQ When: Wed 3rd Aug (Marshalls required from ~630pm) What: It is LRR’s turn to host the 9th RR10 of the series. We need your help! We must clearly mark out & ‘man’ the 4.4 mile course, supervise carparking, distribute finish-position -tickets, drinks etc. Why: To ensure that no runner goes astray from the course and the RR10 is a success, an enjoyable race for all and reflects well on our club. Go LRR Go! è PLUS: We hope you will all come to the pub afterwards for post-marshalling dinner/ drinks.
Park Running – Lakeside Country Park
A big welcome and well-done to Dan Campion who within 3 weeks of joining Lordshill Road Runners has achieved 18:40 at a July parkrun – almost a club record. Keep up the speedy running! It is great to see more and more LRR stripey vests appearing at these enjoyable Saturday morning runs – we recommend you give them a go! www.parkrun.org.uk
Page 6
What has your committee been doing? The last meeting of the committee was on 7 July. As you know, the full minutes of the meetings are now available to all members so you can have as much information as you would like. Below are a few highlights: Our 10k race was hailed a great success. Our annual 10k should be seen as an ‘event’ to advertise the club to potential members and to interest families Agreed that we enter teams in our own 10M race now that our membership has grown substantially The Copythorne 10k Club Championship results and prizes will be announced at the next skittles evening on 26 August at The Four Horse Shoes Improving training – agreed to train ten members to UKA Leadership in Running Fitness level, probably in September The club annual general meeting was agreed for Monday 26 September at 7.30 for 7.45pm Charity fund raising is progressing well with £350 being donated from our 10k entries. Proceeds of bucket collection not yet known The next meeting is on 11 August. Contact secy Darren Foy if you would like anything discussed darrenfoy1972@yahoo.co.uk Other routine matters were discussed which you can read in detail from the minutes
Website and Facebook Any ideas/corrections/likes/dislikes would be gratefully received by Jim D and Kevin. Please email either of us (jimdavies.com@gmail.com, manickev@hotmail.com) or speak to us in person. Our Facebook page continues to grow in popularity with over 60 members! The page is becoming exponentially more useful and dynamic as every new person joins. People are using the site to decide on races they will enter, arrange car-sharing to-and-from race meets, organise training runs, share photos, advise on training options, encourage members to commit to certain events, report on recent races/achievements, organise socials and generally keep their finger on the LRR pulse! There have been a number of occasions where people who previously didn‟t know each other have conversed on Facebook, and gone on to car share or run together- what a fantastic tool and asset to the club. Facebook is easy to use and intuitive but for anyone who is unsure please speak to Kevin Yates or myself (the site ad-mins) or any of the existing users! Just go to www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lordshill-Road-Runners/182721675095904 and click on „Like‟. NB- you‟ll have to set up a free Facebook account if you don‟t already have one. Happy networking! Jim D
NOSTALGIA AIN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE! Derek Goodchild
(Then, neither is road running) I don’t think that it is just an agerelated thing, with rose-tinted memories of my (relative) youth, but we seem to be missing out on something with our running these days. I started running at the end of 1981, before my 35 th birthday, with the aim of competing in the first Southampton Marathon in April 1982. I trained on my own, over approximately measured distances, and trying to follow a general training schedule of increased and varied mileage. Despite some problems of throwing up during and after the race (which followed me for a number of years), I finished in 3:32:40 and decided that I would continue my new running habit.
Page 7 After about 4 years of running solo, albeit as an AAA registered runner, which gave you a reduction in race entry fees and provided some assistance, I joined Lordshill Road Runners and the benefits of running with others were immediately apparent as my race times showed steady improvements. The club always seemed to have a membership of around 80 and Tuesday and Thursday training nights regularly attracted 20-30 people, with groups going out from Oaklands on fast, medium or slow pace runs of distances between 3 and 13 miles. I found myself hanging on with the fast group and many of the runs were covered at around 7 minute mile pace, with spells of slower and faster running to provide variety. Longer runs of up to 20 miles were a common feature of Sunday mornings, when there was not a race to enter, and when specific races such as the London Marathon were looming, groups of a dozen or more were regularly going out together.
The club’s fast group contained numbers of people who could regularly race at sub-6 minute miling. Older members will remember names such as Richard Goulding, Mike Norton, Ted Chivers, Ian Brace, Sue Collier (later Dilnot) and Ian Lawrence; their places were taken by Adrian Bone, Brian Fisher, Warren Shattock, Richard Baines, Ray Fitzhenry, Keith Langford and Sally Richardson; later still were Paul Phillips, Tim Howell, James Buis, etc. Always there in the sub-3 hour marathon lists was Arthur Toomer. Some of these illustrious names are still running, although age and injury have taken their toll. I managed to break the 6 minute barrier over 10k but could never quite sustain the pace over longer distances; there were, however, several other members who were running at my sort of pace and they are still out there – Patrick Joseph, Mike Letheren, Jim Shepperd, Jenny Brown (from Australia), etc. Looking at current race results, the proportion of veteran runners appears to be ever-increasing (many of us old gits, who started in the running boom years of the early ‘80s are still running) but the numbers of any age who can break a 6-minute mile pace, or even a sub-90 minutes half marathon, are diminishing. The national scene shows similarities – where are our top marathon runners in terms of world placings? Has something gone wrong? The training programmes led by a succession of unofficial and, latterly, official club coaches at Lordshill have all produced benefits, some greater than others, and have certainly helped with newer runners. The current coaching team, led by Rob Kelly, has introduced further variety in training and the success of the Monday sessions has swelled membership to record levels. However, we still don’t seem to be getting the improvements in performance that should be expected. Jim Davies and Mike Bisson can both run close to the elusive 6-minute mile pace (Mike has already been there in the past) but who else is going to be snapping at their heels? I am afraid that I don’t have the answer to this apparent problem. (Scientists will scoff at my theory that the expanding universe has made miles longer than they used to be so we appear to be running slower!) Does the answer lie in getting more miles under one’s belt, regardless of pace, and using short speed sessions to increase the pace? There was a time, some years ago, when my race times were peaking as a result of running twice a day on at least two days a week and running on at least three other days in the week. Are people no longer putting in this much effort? I personally do not propose returning to such an intensive training programme as I am no longer too concerned about race times. Age and a broken ankle have pushed me back down the field, where I am happy to plod along and enjoy the scenery with some of the other old gits. However, I would like to see some of our younger members achieving the same standards that were common in the past. Keep on running! Derek Goodchild Derek (right) snapped at choir practice in Italy singing ‘Il Cantata Sylvio Bunga Bunga’ (brings tears to the eyes) Ed
Page 8
Kit
Di Mattingly
Fresh deliveries of LRR race vests and Tshirts are in, with long sleeve shirts to follow, so please contact Lynda Cox if you don’t have one yet. LRR logo’d training shirts will be available soon, with other exciting garments/ accessories to follow. We are still awaiting delivery of Mike Dukes’ thong (size unknown).
Test Way Relay Saturday 10th September 2011 Jim Davies With Hardley Runners stepping down from the organisation of the Test Way Relay it seemed a shame to allow such a great event to fade away, so Totton Running Club have taken over the organisation of the race for 2011. We know all clubs get a lot of enjoyment out of following their team along the route, and hope that you will join us for this year’s race and make it another memorable day. As you may well know the Test Way was extended to Eling Quay at Totton (in 2006) making the route from Inkpen 49 miles (according to the sign at Inkpen).Over the past few years the route through Totton has been challenging with ever increasing traffic levels. This causes some concern for the runners and chaperones safety; so, we have decided that for this 26 th outing of the race, we will revert back to the pre2006 route with the final leg ending at the Salmon Leap. This revision to the earlier route means that the final leg will once again revert to the elongated 11.2k.Because of this change the mixed teams will go back to a 50/50 split for men/women so 4 of each will be needed for a team and they can be used in any order, so the need for a woman on the last leg is once again removed.. We plan to continue with the start times of 10.30am & 11.30am for this year, though we may review this in the future. The race will once again conveniently finish outside the "Salmon Leap" where the prize-giving will take place. There is limited parking at the Pub but public car parking is available in central Totton, or in side roads nearby. As a club we can enter two teams of 8, one male, one female/mixed. I have placed a list at Oasis for people to register their interest, so please add your name or email me directly at jimdavies.com@gmail.com Legs range from 7.1k to 11.2k. Certain people are already expressing an interest in running a certain leg and while I will do my best to accommodate theses wishes, obviously I can’t guarantee anyone a particular leg otherwise we may have 7 people running the same leg! More details available here; http://tottonrc.weebly.com/testway-relay.html NB there are no marshals or signage so learning your leg beforehand is essential!!
Road Runner Team
Page 9
The RR team wants your magazine to be more frequent and to develop a wider role in covering areas of interest. In particular we want RR to help members to be better informed and involved in their Club. We hope you enjoy this issue. You will notice that we have split the magazine into two. This is to make sure the files are not too big for some computers to open easily. So, please send in any comments, praise or articles about the work of the Club which could start a healthy discussion in the pages of RR. The magazine will regularly report on the work of the Club committee and committee members are encouraged to write additional pieces as well. This will hopefully lead to an exchange of new ideas which will take the Club forward into the future. Many thanks to everyone who sent articles and photographs this time. Please keep them coming. If you have never sent an item or photograph to Road Runner before, please consider it because it helps to add some variety for readers. The deadline for the next edition of Road Runner has been set for Sunday 11 September. Please remember, your photograph may appear in Road Runner or on our website unless you tell the Editor. Your Road Runner Team is: Mike Dukes, editor. Roger Bradley, assistant editor. Kevin Yates, events diary. Di Mattingly and Jim Davies, team captains’ news, Rob Kelly, training news and Alyce Bradley, graphics assistant. You can contact Road Runner on: mikedukes@ntlworld.com or tel 023 80576060
Promoting the club On the next page (p10) is a poster prepared by Ellie Coulthard to help promote the club. I am also sending it as a separate attachment with this issue of Road Runner so you can print it off and use it at your discretion.
Charity News Our work to support the air ambulance, our charity of the year is progressing well. A picture and brief report appeared in The Echo when we made an initial donation of over £700 at the airbase. A further £400 was raised at our 10k race and fund-raising will continue at various events uo to the end of the year. This is a very fitting tribute to the rescue of Derek Goodchild when he suffered a serious leg fracture while on a run in The Forest during last winter.
Page 10
A selection of pics from our 10k race taken by Tom Pappenbrock. Big thanks to Tom!
Make sure you read the Road Runner37 Supplement for race reports, up-coming runs, pics and much more. Happy reading!
Page 11