Where have all the bloggers gone?

Has everyone stopped running for the summer or what?

The last few posts have all been about the club records I've been trying to collate, surely some of you have been doing some running? What about the Reindeer Romp #2? Let's hear about it!

There were at least 3 Spen members in action on 2 wheels at the weekend, tackling the various course options of the White Rose Challenge. I know some of you have done this before (Frank, Steve) and I've put a short(ish) entry about it on my blog if anyone is interested.

http://gonecycling.blogspot.com/2009/06/white-rose-challenge.html

Spen Road Records - Draft #9

Thanks once more go to John Henry for poring over the Athletics Weekly archives and both verifying and uncovering more top performances from Spen athletes past and present.

Spen road records - draft 9

We still need more records to be verified, so come on folks, we know you've got old news clippings, athletics weekly mags in your closets. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone! You can even send them to me anonymously if you like.

Anyone from other clubs who happen to be reading, and can verify some of these we'd be appreciative too.

Spen Road Records - Draft #8

Yet another update, and I'm starting to fade a bit! But here's the latest:-

• I've put in actual race dates, not just the year, where it's been possible. This is so we can resolve any age category disputes later
• I've also added the source of where the time was verified, or in the case of the "pending" records, who supplied the information
  
• Chris Drake has provided me with results from his archive, some of which I've been able to verify, and some not. I'm hoping we can verify more of them. If we can, then Kath will make a clean sweep of the Ladies open records.
• I've added a page for the Ladies records Pending Verification

I really need some help with both the mens and ladies results which are pending verification, so anyone with old copies of athletics weekly hidden under the stairs, it's time to dig them out.

Spen Road Records Draft 8

Spen Road Records - Draft #7

Hot on the heels of draft #6, we have the next instalment.

1997 Nottingham Marathon results courtesy of John Henry and Athletics Weekly means we have new mens marathon records for the Open and M40 categories, those now going to Darren Hanson and Dennis Hoey.

John has quite an archive of Athletics Weekly's so we might be able to verify some more results!

John - can you take a look at the last page and see if there is anything on there that you can confirm?

Draft #7 Results Here

Speed and Age

Whilst randomly searching the net for anything and everything, i came upon this article which might be of interest to some of you;

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/speed-age.html

Some worthy quotes...

'Weight training is crucial for mature sprinters determined to hang on to as much zip as possible, particularly after 50 when muscle mass begins to decline more steeply. Training with weights set around 75% of one rep maximum will offset fast- twitch fibre shrinkage quite significantly'

'stride length declines significantly with age, and plyometrics, like hill training, offers another significant training option for offsetting this decline. Bounding and hopping are two very effective exercises for enhancing stride length'

'Intense speed and power training can also combat the normal age-related decline in creatine phosphate. Research has shown that anaerobic (and aerobic) training increases the production of creatine phosphate. Research by Moller and co-workers showed that six weeks of cycle ergometer training increased the creatine phosphate levels of 61-80 year olds to levels similar to those of younger adults'

Also of interest is some of the masters 100m records...

specifically this one.. V50- 10.95s

Looks like i've got until i'm 50 to go below 11 seconds!

Joe Percy 10k

Monday nights race was the Joe Percy 10k.

A team of 10 Spen runners braved warm but damp conditions to do this hilly 10k. The race was run from a small cricket club in the village of Farnley Tyas. We only just managed to get the 10 runners needed to qualify for a team. At £3.00 entry fee one cannot grumble in these 'credit crunch times'

I really enjoyed the run as the last few weeks have been pretty laid back training wise. Even some top runners turned up on the night -namely Andrew Pearson(Longwood) and Matthew Pierson(Holmfirth). It was another case of man versus machine(kevin), and I lost out to the 'machine' once again. I did feel the strength returning and I was closing the gap on the second lap

I didn't stay to find out the results, but will probably find out in due course. My time was 36-06.

Thanks to those that helped - Jackie and others.

Spen Road Records - Draft #6

A few changes since last time, and a status update.

• Chris Drake is still looking into Kath's times
• Frank has a copy of draft #5 which he will analyse and compare to any results he has on record
• Graham Walsh takes the M50 records by storm

This begs a question...

At the moment we have a number of records which are "pending verification". What I mean by that is that, I have not been able to find an on-line result, or seen a paper copy of the official results. Graham's records are a case in point, as most of them are from his personal archive. However, I have no reason to doubt that they are correct. How should we handle these? Do we just accept them (some are a bit more vague than Graham's)? Or do we require hard-evidence? Perhaps we can accept them if they are "seconded" by another Spen athlete/official?

Thoughts everyone?

Road Records Draft #6

The Joe Percy 10k

The last time I ran this race was 2006 and my time was 51.25, this is a closed race which means clubs are invited to enter a team, this being a local race for us I felt we should support it and you know what I'm like (spen vests out in force) ,

I actually managed to get a team of ten together of which I'm chuffed about driving across we had some torrential rain and we were all thinking what on earth are we doing but fortunately it stopped before we set off and stayed dry for us.
You not only have competition from the other athletes, also there is competition from your other team mates even at my level its quite fierce.

Being team manager, it was my responsibility to enter everyone in duplicate (which somewhat stressed me out). Come the start of the race, I was wound up like a coiled spring. Edward, Karl, Emma and myself set off together. For the first 3k we managed to stay together.Edward and Emma started to pull away from us i got to the 5k mark in just outside 24mins at this point i saw James (my son) with words of encouragement and jogging along side me part way on the second lap i managed to gain a few places and leave Karl (i did encourage him to stay with me) playing cat and mouse with Geoff T(Meltham) and Geoff D(Penistone) i was determined they would not catch me as we got up the last climb Geoff D was not far behind me which made me dig deep and at this point i was on a roll i ran that fast down towards the finish i thought that i was going to fall over myself my time was a respectable 48.16 nearly 3minutes quicker , overall a good even paced run and the team finished 9Th place out of 14 thanks to to the team all had a good run maybe next year we will have two teams.

2009 Kintail - Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon

After last year's Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon, I vowed never to do the 'B' category ever again. We were last out of the teams who actually managed to complete the course and I was suffering from heat exhaustion. However, I found myself yet again driving up to Scotland to put myself through 45km of pain and midges and the forecast was not good with wintry showers and strong winds predicted. It was either that or more DIY at home so no contest really. The heavy showers soon cleared though on the Friday night and the wind kept the midges at bay so things were improving already.

The event this year was being held around the Kintail mountains on the Skye Road. Saturday morning was slightly overcast but OK. I was racing with my usual LAMM partner, Kev and we had late 9.30am start. I met Steve Moss at the event centre who was also running the 'B' course with Alan Greenwood.

At the appointed time, we collected our maps and then found that we would be taken by coach about 15km away to a start at Cluanie Inn. The first checkpoint was close but the next was some distance away with a Munro mountain in the way. Ascending the mountain, I noticed that there was a second Munro on the same ridge. This would mean that there would be a track along the ridge although nothing was shown on the map. Most teams were dropping straight down into the valley and contouring around the hill but we decided to use the track on the ridge and we made good time. There was however a bit of winter snow still left which made the traverse a bit chilly. We found the second checkpoint easily by descending onto it rather than contouring round to it.

Between the second and third checkpoints, we caught up with Steve and Alan and stayed with them for a few km before losing them when we decided to take a different route down to check point number four. Checkpoint 4 to 5 was a long way but easy to navigate and then there was only a few km left to the finish. Kev by this point had really started to struggle because of a knee injury from last year. We managed to keep a reasonable pace tho’ and finished Day 1 in 7 hrs 22 min. More importantly, the breeze was still keeping the midges away so the mid-camp was much better than expected.

Some quarrying was required to excavate boulders to create a flatish area to pitch the tent. A pot noodle then coos-cous then custard and cake with several brews along the way sorted the food issue. I was too tired to do much else so got into my sleeping bag about 9pm and slept right through until the traditional bagpiper alarm at 5.15 am. This is a truly horrible way to wake up. If he had come much closer to our tent I'd have done some mischief to his bagpipe with a tent peg.

Day 2 dawned bright with only a few clouds, ideal for running over the hills. The finish at the event centre was south of the mid-camp so the organisers sent us north to the first checkpoint. No chance of an easy day then. We found checkpoint 1 without difficulty and then a short climb took us up onto a ridge and on to checkpoint 2. Checkpoint 2 was located on a knoll at the base of a cliff which meant that we would have to scramble down the cliff, dip the dibber thing and then climb back up again before heading onward to checkpoint 3. On the way we found a load of rucksacks strewn all over the moor where competitors had abandoned their packs to head down the cliff and the back up again. I found running with my pack off for a while was as good as a rest.

Checkpoint 3 was a long way off but mainly downhill so not too tiring. I found a deer antler on the way and strapped it to my pack as a souvenir. The spikes sticking out behind me made it a bit dangerous for anyone to come too close but I now had an emergence brake if I slipped downhill on my back.

There was now only one long climb up to Checkpoint 4 and then another 5km back to the finish. Kev’s knee was now giving him serious gyp so the going was steady but a bit slow. The sun was also now beating down and a quick paddle in the odd stream to cool off tired feet was bliss. The finish line was a welcome sight and we were pleased to finish in a total time of 14 hrs 22 min in 65th place out of 113 teams. That’s our best placed finish on the ‘B’ course to date.

I really enjoyed this year’s LAMM and reckon that a top-half finish is feasible next year. Hang on, this is the first time I’ve finished one event and can’t wait until next one! It would seem I’ve finally lost my marbles.

Chris King

What do Linford Christie and Jackie Carter have in common?

Answer: me

Or at least it's easy to mistake one of us top athletes for another.

During the registration process on the UK Athletics Power of 10 web site, I entered my details as requested, and it came back with:-

"based on the details you have provided we think you might be one of those below."

This was followed by a list of 11 athletes including Jackie, Linford and myself. What more can I say?

Greenway 10k 2009

I thought about calling this blog "chasing the elusive sub-40 10k" but I think someone has copyrighted that one!

After doing the 3 Esholt 5ks I decided to have another go at the Greenway 10k. I ran 19-30 in the last Esholt and had a further couple of weeks of good training so wondered if I could break 40 mins. A bit of a tall order but you've got to have a goal.

Heavy rain was forecast but it was reasonably fine. Chris Drake gave the pre-race talk and 2 points stick in my mind:
1) Its downhill all the way back so you should manage the 2nd half a minute faster than the 1st.
2) A heavy downpour is forecast for 8-00 hrs so if you want to stay dry you need to run 30 mins.

The whistle went for the start (have start guns been banned?) and I managed the first k in 3-52 and was still on target at 2k. I try not to spend too much time looking at my watch but at halfway I was 20 seconds down at 20-20. Chris's words were ringing in my ears - I was on target for 39-40! There was a lady runner from Stainlands 10 yards in front. Took me 1.5k to catch her. The next target was an old guy who looked like he was in my age category - 30 yards in front. Could I catch him? At the bridge over the motorway I didn't seem to be making much progress but he kept looking nervously over his shoulder - surely a good sign he was struggling?

The problem was my splits so far were consistently about 4 mins. I still worked hard and at 9k was 10 yards off him but I had to run 3-40 to go under 40 mins. I caught him with 300 m to go and pushed on with some else breathing down my neck. I finished in 40-10.

So I only managed the second half 30 seconds quicker than the first. I overtook 2 runners on the second half so feel I paced it OK. The heavy rain didn't start until 8-15 hrs so Chris got that wrong as well!

All in all a race. I worked hard, thought I ran to my potential, met a few old mates from Spen and didn't get too wet.

Just another point, I was allocated race number 1 by Chris. Is it a bit sad but this made me feel a bit special? It brought a smile and an extra cheer from some of the younger spectators which gave me a bit of a lift. Thanks Chris.

West Yorkshire Track and Field League #4 - Wakefield

A very wet, miserable evening greeted us at Wakefield for the WYTFL meeting number 2.

This is essentially a league for the young athletes, and the turnout from Spen this year has been poor. This is a real pity, that so many of our young athletes seem to have abandoned the very league that gave them their first taste of track competition, I'm not sure of the motives for this, it's certainly shouldn't be lack of competition, because it's seems to be well supported by athletes from some of the other local clubs, and some of them are running good times. It would be a real shame if this league suffered because of lack of support, because it gives a unique opportunity for those starting in competition. So if any of the parents of the athletes who have been avoiding it this year are reading this, I'd ask you to have re-think.

Anyway, rant over. There were some good performances on the night, I didn't watch every race, but saw Steve McNamara comfortably win the 200m, Matthew Jones ran another PB in the U15 boys 800m and Sarah Peacock ran in a very impressive win in the Senior Ladies 800m.

Sheila and Amanda were as usual having a go at every possible event, and you can only applaud their enthusiasm and commitment for that. Well done ladies!

In the senior mens 800m, our combined age (John, Keith and me) of somewhere close to 140 meant that we were certainly giving a few years away to the rest of the field, but Keith and John aquitted themselves well with Keith just getting the better of John, and a sub-2:10 time to boot. I was left trailing in their wake, but happy that I achieved my goal for the evening which was to go under 2:25, which I managed with a couple of seconds to spare.

Halifax 5K & Fun Run Photos

Photos by (c) 2009 - Dave Woodhead
Click the photos for a bigger picture

Why can't I run faster?

Last night at the track, 4 of us did 8 x 300m reps, and I was at the back on each one. I wouldn't care about that if it wasn't for the fact that I was running pretty much flat out, and that made me question why I can't generate the same amount of speed (or even close) as some others.

I don't believe it's strength or fitness, but rather I'm convinced there is something inherently inefficient with my running technique. I've suspected this for ages, and when I first joined the club I did ask about running technique, but no-one seemed to have given it much thought, they just did what came naturally. I suppose that's all well-and-good when "what comes naturally" is a pretty good technique, but in my own case it seems I'm not that lucky.

Here are some of the things I suspect that I do wrong (speed-wise)

1. planting my foot too far in front of my body, and thereby causing a "braking" effect rather than forward propulsion
2. too long a stride length
   
3. too low cadence
4. "swinging" my leg forward in a kind of neutral manner rather than powering forward to create forward motion.

The first 3 are all directly related to each other.

The question is, whether it's possible for an old dog to learn new tricks, or whether I'm doomed to life in the slow-lane. I'd be interested to hear the thoughts of others on this subject.

Northern League Match 2, 7 June 2009

Sunday saw Skyrac host the second Northen League match on a cold and extremely windy day at Leeds Carnegie, Headingly. Despite fielding more athletes than the 1st match, Spen could not produce the same kind of results and ended up in 4th place (now 3rd overall). There were some good winners from Nick Crimmen, Richard Martin, Lewis Hamilton & Emma Rawnsley as well as good performances and therefore valuable points scored by Kevin Ogden, Steve MacNamara, Amy Sharrad & Jenny Walsh who put in a gutsy performance on her senior debut. Once again though that old chestnut of not filling enough races, throws and jumps was the deciding factor in the overall team performance. As athletes, we need to encourage as many people as possible to turn out, put on a vest and win the points. In some races, other teams too failed to produce athletes which would mean a 5th or even guaranteed 4th A string points in the bag. Nevertheless, well done to those who did turn up and compete and let's ensure that a full team sheet is completed for the next match in a months time.

Northern League Match 2, 7 June 2009 (Photos)

The full bronte 5mile road race

This race also incorporates the Yorkshire vet's 5mile champs. It is a two lap, undulating course around Penistone hill country park at Haworth. It is a race I like to do but hate it, if that makes any sense. The last twice I've been 2nd vet back in my age group for Yorkshire, but after seeing the list of pre-entries I was not hopeful of even being in the first four, or beating last years time of 37: 36.

The first mile is fairly flat and slightly up hill, and having set off too fast I was in oxygen debt already. The first mile marker was further on the road than last year, it was on the hilly road up to the car park , 8:12 I thought no way! I'd done a faster mile time. It was nice to see Steve Carter marshaling there giving encouragement. I knew Hazel was not far behind me (I could see her) and thought she was looking pretty good. The second mile is just as bad, up and down, 16:50 at mile two, and at this point I realised a 38min was out of the question unless I pulled my finger out. With a nice bit of down hill between two and three I picked up pace (or so I thought) 23:56 at mile three. As I turned the corner again feeling knackered I asked Steve if he could see Hazel, and he said no she wasn't in sight so what did I do? - stop and walk! until I heard him cheering her on that is. Mile four I clocked 33:02 and decided to leg it and set my sights on the Keighley & Craven lady just about 100mtrs ahead of me. I nearly had her too! I finished in 39:51. I was pleased with the run as the weather was cold and windy.