*************************************************** RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 362 13 October 2011 Editor: Steve Rowland mailto: steverowland@ranelagh-harriers.com *************************************************** HEADLINE NEWS ************* * Ranelagh men finish 4th in Surrey League Div 1 race * Richard Gregory and Phil Killingley 5th and 9th * Ranelagh wins the unofficial B team match v Stragglers * Ranelagh women finish 12th in Surrey Ladies League Div 1 * Marie Synnott-Wells 19th * Paul Doyle and Sandra Prosser win the new League "Anchor" trophies * Gavin Jones runs 75.04 Half Marathon in Udine * Ranelagh Over 60s finish 4th in the South of England Road Relays * parkrun placings for Colin Brett, Kirsty Bangham and David Rowe * Surrey Vets Champs and Cabbage Patch 10 this weekend * Mob match at Orion Harriers next week (Saturday 22nd) * Club Christmas Party on Saturday December 10th at the Richmond Hill Hotel - reserve the date SEE HERE ******** ORION CENTENARY MOB MATCH Saturday 22nd October at 2.30pm. 7.5 miles in Epping Forest This is the first mob match of the season, and rather a special one. Our old rivals Orion Harriers are celebrating their centenary this year, and on top of that they have just moved into a brand new clubhouse. To mark the occasion they have invited South London Harriers, Blackheath Harriers and us to take part in a mass mob match on Saturday 22nd. It promises to be quite a bunfight and every finisher will receive a memento of the event. I don't want to tempt fate, but there may be something else unusual about this race. The Orion course has in the past been known to be a little muddy in places. But with the very dry autumn so far (and the forecast suggesting only a little rain towards the end of next week) I don't think even Epping Forest could contrive to be too muddy at the moment. They have a wonderfully varied multi-terrain course and this could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance of running it with the going officially good to firm. Don't miss it! Remember, everyone counts in a mob match, so we need every blue vest we can get on the start line. Kick-off is at 2.30pm. There will be minibus transport from our clubhouse, leaving at 12 noon. Here's the location of the new Orion headquarters. SURREY VETERANS CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS Saturday 15th October in Richmond Park The race HQ is our clubhouse. Entries will be accepted on the day at £5 but these will be eligible only for the individual competitions - they will not count in the team scoring. The women's 6km (open to all over 35s) starts at 2.30pm and the men's 10km (open to all over 40s) follows on at about 3pm. Details and a course map are on our website here:. CABBAGE PATCH 10 miles Sunday 16th October at Twickenham There are over 60 Ranelagh Harriers amongst the 2,000+ entries. The advertised limit has been reached but at the time of writing the on-line entry system still seems to be open for business: http://www.sportsystems.co.uk/ss/event/CabbagePatch10. RANELAGH CHRISTMAS PARTY Saturday 10th December 2011 from 7pm at the Richmond Hill Hotel. Cost: £42 for members, £44 for guests. These great prices are only available if reservations are made in advance of the night. Details: Contact Michele Gibson micheleagibson@hotmail.com for more details or to reserve your place. BUILDING FUND DRAW Mike White writes: "For the miserly sum of £10 you could be included in a prize draw that has the potential to embarrass the Euro Millions Draw. Half of your monies will go towards the upkeep of the clubhouse and grounds and the rest will go towards a bi-annual draw. If you would like to be included in this most historic of events you can either give to me or post £10. I am at the club most Tuesdays running with Vicki or slightly behind her. Michael White, 687 Hanworth Rd , Hounslow, Middx TW4 5PS". RUN WITH KAREN Karen Weir writes: "Following the success of the last Run with Karen Video Analysis workshop, I am pleased to be able to offer it again on Sunday 20th November. It will be held at the Ranelagh Harriers clubhouse from 9am until 12pm. The workshop will give you a chance to see slow motion footage of your running style and then you'll be shown techniques and drills that will help you to improve your running. So whether you are fed up with battling injury or are looking to get faster and generally improve your running this workshop will make a difference. For more details check out the link. Places are limited so please email Karen if you would like to join the workshop: karen@runwithkaren.com." NATIONAL LOTTERY OLYMPIC RUN This event, in case you haven't heard, is a 5 miles race in and around the Olympic Park finishing on the track inside the main stadium itself. It will take place on Saturday 31st March (the same day as our Baker Cup unfortunately). The race is restricted to 5,000 runners and those places will be allocated by a ballot. So if you lost out on the ballot for tickets, here's your chance at least to step inside the stadium...or alternatively to lose out on another ballot. If you want to enter the ballot you have until October 27th to do so. Go to http://nationallotteryrun.com. SWLAN NEWS Kate Brook sends details of two workshops for runners and coaches: Incorporating Strength and Conditioning into Your Training Programme Saturday 29th October 8-9am Start of Richmond Park parkrun (green Gazebo) Learn about: * Creating programmes, incorporating into an athlete's overall training programme * Periodisation - foundation, build, peak (should complement the running training) * Tabata Training - the ultimate protocol for aerobic and anaerobic conditioning * Core Training - suitable during any phase - strength, control and injury prevention * 3, 6, 12 - basic programme (getting started) no gym required! Athlete Musculo-Skeletal Screening Saturday 5th November 10am-4pm St Mary's University College TW1 4SX This is a workshop for athletes and coaches; that will take the athlete through a range of benchmarking tests to assess the physical movement, control and functional capacity for running. Format: there will be a combination of talks about the why of screening and its role in performance and injury risk management and practical sessions involving exercise and drills to maintain and improve as a robust runner. * Assessment of physical movement * Testing of control * Measurement of functional capacity * Results comparison with normative data * Feedback of results * Corrective conditioning exercises * Reduction of Injury risks * Learning more about factors influencing the ability to train to max Please book your space with kate.brook@swlan.org.uk CONGRATULATIONS... ...to Katherine Mercer and John Ricketts on the arrival of James on October 12th. John has wasted no time in applying to add James's name to the Ricketts family membership. WHAT'S COMING ************* More details of the following from Marc Snaith (07717 213035 / e-mail Marc ranelagh.men@gmail.com or Marie Synnott-Wells (07983 430264 (After 5pm Weekdays) / e-mail Marie and Heather ranelagh.women@gmail.com Saturday 15th October Surrey Veterans' Championships in Richmond Park. Women 6km at 2.30pm, men 10km at 3pm. See above. Sunday 16th October Cabbage Patch 10 miles at Twickenham. See above. Saturday 22nd October Orion Harriers Centenary mob match at Chingford. 7.5 miles. See above. Saturday 12th November Surrey League Division 1 (men) at Ham Lands parkruns every Saturday at 9am Bushy Park Diana Fountain car park Richmond Park Richmond Gate Wimbledon Common Windmill car park Banstead Woods Car park off B2219 Park Lane, Chipstead Bedfont Lakes Bedfont Lakes Country Park, Ashford, Middlesex Kingston The Hawker Centre Old Deer Park Pools in the Park on the A316 Other venues, more details and registration at www.parkrun.com The 2km junior parkrun for under 15s takes place at 11am on the first Sunday of each month from Bushy Park's Teddington Gate. WHAT'S HAPPENED *************** 2XU SURREY LEAGUE DIVISION 1 Saturday 8th October on Wimbledon Common "Sensational Surrey League start for Ranelagh" was the headline on the e-mails that flew around the ether following last Saturday's opening league fixture on Wimbledon Common. I think we can honestly say that we surpassed every target we had set for ourselves: we had thirty starters, more than any other club; we beat Stragglers in our unofficial B team competition; and most importantly we finished fourth on the day out of the nine Division 1 clubs. After suffering the disappointment of relegation from Division 1 at the end of the 2009/2010 season we took the opportunity to regroup last year and fairly dominated Division 2. Now we have successfully carried that confidence back into the top flight and we must try to keep the momentum going in the remaining three league fixtures. It's not going to be a pushover by any means. Dorking are already trailed off but fewer than a hundred points separate us in fourth place from Hercules Wimbledon in eighth. Some clubs were certainly below strength - Hercules, for example, fielded only one of the squad of six that won the Surrey Road Relay. We can't expect such an easy ride every time. We weren't quite at full strength ourselves, one notable absentee being the stalwart Peter Haarer who is having back trouble. We'll also hope to see potential top-ten finishers Ralph Street and Sam Perkins back in action before too long. But we welcomed the return of David Benton in his first league race for several years and also the debut of new member Jackson Creegan. The course was dry - in the starting charge the tail-enders were lost from sight in a dust cloud - and, as usual on Wimbledon Common courses, some of the paths were quite narrow. Phil Killingley and Richard Gregory were expected to provide the Ranelagh spearhead and so it proved - though few expected it to be Richard who would lead the way home. Still a relative novice at cross-country, Richard defeated Phil for the first time in finishing in a tremendous 5th place, less than a minute behind the winner. This was the highest Ranelagh finishing position in a Division 1 race since Hugh Jones's 3rd place in Brockwell Park in 1997. Phil was only some twenty seconds behind Richard in 9th place, as both Ranelagh men put in strong finishes. We were one of only three clubs to place runners in the top ten: Belgrave also had two and Herne Hill claimed all the rest on their way to an astonishingly low winning score of 99 points, fully 150 ahead of Thames in second place. David Benton ran well for 20th less than thirty seconds down on Phil, and next in was Jackson Creegan in an excellent 37th. Nathan Mills 65th was our fifth man home, then Chris Bundhun led the blue charge - Chris himself 79th, Al Morgan 81st, John Shaw 83rd, Trevor Maguire 86th, Paul Doyle 88th and Ted Mockett 93rd, all within half a minute. There was quite a tussle there to make the scoring team and Paul Doyle used all his experience to secure the tenth spot - and so became the first holder of the new "Anchor Man" trophy. Ted was therefore the first scorer for the unofficial 'B' team, which included all the finishers down to John Ricketts in 129th place. In the 'B' team competition against Stragglers we finished convincingly clear by 1147 points to 1363. Bill Neely and Aiah Songu-Mbriwa topped and tailed the 'C' team which can claim some kind of moral victory in being the only 'C' team to finish! Well done everyone, and make sure you're at the next league race just down the road from us on Ham Lands on November 12th. SURREY LADIES LEAGUE DIVISION 1 Saturday 8th October at Lightwater Country Park By contrast our women's team found the going tough at Lightwater Country Park. We were missing a lot of potential team scorers, but it was good to see new faces Kate Woodhouse and Lara Werrett running well in their first league races. Predictably it was Captain Marie who led our team all the way and she narrowly scraped into the top twenty. Daniela Mingham went out hard and was the second Ranelagh runner for most of the race before the more cautious Kate Woodhouse caught and passed her. Kate went on to make the top fifty while Daniela hung on well to finish only 100m behind. Lara Werrett followed on about half a minute back. There was a good struggle between Sandra Prosser, Louise Piears and Sonia Rowland for the fifth and final place in the scoring team and it was Sandra who was the strongest on the last lap. The official results give Sandra and Louise the same time, though in reality it wasn't quite as close as that. Sandra became the first recipient of the "Anchor Woman" trophy for the last team scorer. Heather Martingell and Tamsin Burland backed up but it would have been nice to see a few more Ranelagh vests in the field which numbered a total of some 300 runners in the two divisions. Of the fifteen clubs in Division 1 we finished 12th and we'll need some better results later in the season if we are to keep ourselves clear of the relegation zone. 1 F Clark Reigate) 23.06 19 Marie Synnott-Wells 25.50 46 Kate Woodhouse 27.26 54 Daniela Mingham 27.43 61 Lara Werrett 28.10 76 Sandra Prosser 28.56 78 Louise Piears 28.56 86 Sonia Rowland 29.16 139 Heather Martingell 33.10 158 Tamsin Burland 37.03 Teams (5 to score) 1 Hercules Wimbledon 101 2 Reigate Priory 108 3 Woking AC 115 12 Ranelagh H 256 GREAT NORTH RUN HALF MARATHON Sunday 18th September Newcastle - South Shields Tom Reay reports: "First of all I would like to dispel any doubts that Ranelagh members may have about this race. It is not just a dual carriageway dash from Newcastle to the coast. It is a great race, terrific atmosphere (even better than London Marathon), fantastic support and very good organization. Pre and post race facilities are excellent, with hospitality tents, changing marquees, fast food and good public transport. It does help to know the area, especially finding accommodation with 54,000 runners in town. My parents and grandparents were Geordies, and I studied at Newcastle, so I do know the area. I stayed in Alnmouth, a small fishing village near Alnwick which is famous for the castle used in the Harry Potter movies. On race day I drove to Morpeth, and picked up the Park and Ride bus. This costs extra, but drops you in good time near the start. I saw Jonathan Edwards doing his pre-race commentary, left my bag on the bus, and went to the start. The 'C' start gate was not too crowded and after warm up exercises to Lady Gaga, Taio Cruz etc we made an easy start with the Red Arrows roaring overhead. Through cavernous motorway underpasses we rolled, and then up and over the Tyne Bridge. From there to the finish the route was lined with enthusiastic fans. My first two miles were sub 8 minute milers, and I was pleased with that. The run, however, was more challenging than I thought, with one climb after another, which saps one's strength. I kept swapping from one carriageway to the other to shorten the curves in the road. At 8 miles I calculated that sub 1:50 might be on, but more hills and a very long climb between 10.5 and 12 miles put paid to my hopes. I popped a gel at 10.5 miles which helped me cope well with the climb and the finish. I came home in 1:51.00 and my last mile was 8 minutes flat, nearly the same time as miles 1 and 2, so I was happy. All in all, a fantastic day." Results were in e-news 360. UDINE HALF MARATHON Sunday 25th September Gavin Jones reports from Italy: "I did Udine Half Marathon on Sunday in 1:15.00. I hoped for a lot better but it was too warm. At least I shaved two seconds (not a lot I know!) off my best over-50 time (chip timing). The times were fast, but there were four in the field who'd run under an hour, and none of them got near that. By seven seconds I wasn't even first V50 (though would have been first V45 and first V40!). There's some tough old boys out there!" This run confirms Gavin at the top of the UK Over 50s Half Marathon rankings for 2011. 1 S Kosgei (Kenya) 1:00.20 (chip time 1:00.20) 34 Gavin Jones 1:15.04 (1:15.00) SOUTH OF ENGLAND ROAD RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS Sunday 25th September at Aldershot There wasn't a lot of support for the senior or M50 teams, and Captain Marc, Vice-Captain Chris and John Ricketts used the race as a good training session. The over 60s flew the flag, however, and though they weren't close to the medals they ran well for 4th place. Over 60s 1 Oxford City 1:35.34 4 Ranelagh H 1:46.00 Phil Jackson 5 25.49 Martin Wolfson 4 27.54 Steve Rowland 4 26.15 Mike Peace 4 26.02 Over 50s nf Ranelagh H John Ricketts 23.45 Seniors nf Ranelagh H Chris Bundhun 22.29 Marc Snaith 23.14 John Ricketts 24.22 Chris Bundhun 25.36 Marc Snaith 24.22 SWITCHBACK 5 miles Sunday 25th September at Lloyd Park, Croydon 1 M Cummings (HHH) 28.31 79 Alan Davidson 41.13 94 Lynne Barber 47.51 105 Christine Goodsell 53.02 ROYAL PARKS FOUNDATION HALF MARATHON Sunday 9th October Simon Martin writes: "Since it was first held in 2008, this race has quickly established itself as an extremely popular event in the half marathon race calendar for both first-timers and regular runners. The greatest appeal about the race is the route which goes past significant London landmarks, including Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and Marble Arch, as well as passing through some of the beautiful Royal Parks. The event is very well supported which contributes to a great race atmosphere. This year the event organisers surpassed themselves by arranging for the heavy rain from earlier in the day to abate shortly before the race started and make way for dry weather and a fair racing temperature! The 2008 event was the first race that I ran, and I have been lucky enough to run it each year. I enjoyed the 2011 race as always even though I found it fairly tough on this occasion with a fractured rib! For anyone that is interested, the ballot for the 2012 Royal Parks half opens on 18 January." The official results do not show clubs, so there may have been other Ranelagh Harriers in the race. 1 A Farah 1:08.39 (chip time 1:08.39) 532 Simon Martin 1:37.40 (1:37.28) 10321 David Rowntree 2:52.27 (2:41.06) SLOW TRAIL RUN 6km Sunday 9th October in Richmond Park 1 E McLarnon (NGOC) 31.11 13 David Meaden 53.33 RUN KINGSTON Sunday 9th October Martin Wolfson writes: "I ran in the Kingston 16 miles achieving 2:01.33 approx which was a PB but did not break the 2 hours I was hoping for. I was first in men over 65 but there were not many competitors. My half marathon time was 1.38.38 which was also a PB." 16 miles 1 N Smith (Anster) 1:33.38 (chip time 1:33.34) 80 Martin Wolfson 2:01.56 (2:01.33) 8.2 miles 1 J West (Strag) 44.34 (chip time 44.33) 201 Roger Wilson 69.31 (69.17) 317 Kirsty Ivison 76.14 (76.05) RICHMOND parkrun 5km Saturday 8th October Heather Martingell joined the parkrun 100 club today, adding her name to about 25 other Ranelagh Harriers who have completed at least one hundred parkruns. Top of the list is former Ranelagh man Darren Wood, who now represents Hart Road Runners. Darren has completed an astonishing 326 parkruns, 38 more than second-placed John Hanscomb. Only two others besides Darren and John have joined the exclusive 250 club but Roger and Gill Wilson and Kirsty Bangham all have that target in sight. 1 I Johnson (Strag) 17.01 15 Phil Jackson 21.04 30 Tomas Sterner 22.18 32 Karl Garvey 22.27 43 Andrew Brown 23.10 59 Clive Naish 24.52 61 Karen Weir 24.58 63 Louise Davies 25.01 66 Sue Camp 25.17 109 Michael Sikora 28.36 117 Heather Martingell 29.01 118 Mike White 29.03 123 Peter Lowman 29.24 124 Val Lowman 29.25 156 Pat Hewlett 32.47 BUSHY parkrun 5km Saturday 8th October 1 M Woods (Leeds) 16.01 55 David Ready 20.22 77 Rob Wise 21.12 136 Ian Grange 22.29 181 Jose Scheuer 23.24 400 Wally Garrod 27.34 431 Philippa Kitchen 28.16 442 Rob Kitchen 28.40 460 Alison Salmon 29.08 KINGSTON parkrun 5km Saturday 8th October 1 C Wagner (Strag) 18.59 4 Chris Camacho 20.29 19 Chris Hunton 24.15 20 Amelie Hunton 24.16 40 Martin Clark 29.19 OLD DEER PARK parkrun 5km Saturday 8th October Colin Brett was the winner and Kirsty Bangham was second woman home. 1 Colin Brett 19.04 13 Kirsty Bangham 23.48 17 Melanie Hunter 24.35 20 Lorna Smith 27.10 22 Deborah Blakemore 29.12 PYMMES parkrun 5km Saturday 8th October Pymmes Park is in Edmonton. David Rowe finished 2nd to Danny Norman. 1 D Norman (Strag) 17.07 2 David Rowe 18.44 WORMWOOD SCRUBS parkrun 5km Saturday 8th October 1 B Cope (Serp) 18.21 6 Chris Read 23.33 CAMBRIDGE parkrun 5km Saturday 8th October 1 S Robinson (Bedford) 16.04 23 Chris Spink 20.38 BEDFONT LAKES parkrun 5km Saturday 8th October 1 S Rai (unatt) 19.46 34 Gill Wilson 27.34 35 Roger Wilson 27.35 60 Cindy Croucher 32.43 FINALLY... From The Virginian-Pilot: Amber Miller felt contractions just minutes after crossing the finish line at the Chicago Marathon. A few hours later, the 27-year-old -- who slogged her way through 26.2 miles while nearly 39 weeks pregnant -- delivered a healthy baby girl. "For me, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. I was running up until that point anyway," Miller told The Associated Press. "I am crazy about running." Miller got clearance from her doctor to half run and half walk Sunday's race, drinking lots of fluids and eating a lot along the way. She finished in 6:25.50. "Lots of people were cheering me on: 'Go pregnant lady!'" she said. "I was expecting some negative comments. I don't remember anything." It was not Miller's first marathon while pregnant. In May, she ran the Wisconsin Marathon in 4:23:07 while 17 weeks pregnant with her daughter. In 2009, she ran the Indianapolis Marathon in 4:30:27 while she was 18 weeks pregnant with her son Caleb. Full-term is typically defined as 40 weeks. Medical guidelines generally say that if a woman was a runner and healthy before she got pregnant, running is fine. However, medical experts agree that pregnancy is not the time to begin any exercise endeavours, such as starting marathon training for the first time. For pregnant runners, close monitoring by a doctor is recommended. Miller said the only effects she felt from the marathon were blisters on her feet. She was just happy to see her daughter June, who was born at 10:29 p.m. at 7 pounds, 13 ounces with no complications.