BA Athletics Club News Digest 17th December 2012
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Forthcoming Events
Don't forget the following priority club events:
- THIS WEDNESDAY 19th December - 'Parkway Mile' from 18:00 followed by the
Club Christmas Social (see below).
- Saturday 12th January 2013 - BA hosted Men's Surrey League Cross
Country at Cranford Park - revised start times below.
- Wednesday 30th January - 5 Mile Handicap Concorde Centre from 18:00
New members and non-members of all fitness levels and abilities are welcome
at all of these events.
The full events diary is on the club website at:
http://www.barunner.org.uk/Event Diary.shtml.
Your (cross) Country needs you...
Dear BAAC members,
The British Airways Athletics Club is hosting the next
Men's Surrey Cross Country League Divisions 3 & 4
on Saturday 12th January 2013 at Cranford Park. We need 10 to 12
volunteers to help us marshal the course and record the finishers. The first
race is the Youths and Boys which starts at
2.00pm and then the Seniors
and Juniors at 2.30pm.
It is important to the club that this event goes well so please spare us the
time if you can. We'd also like to be able to spare some of our better
runners to score in the event!
If you could help please contact
news@barunner.org.uk or myself
gary.rushmer@btinternet.com .
Gary Rushmer
Parkway Mile (Relay) Wednesday 19th December 2012 from 18:00 followed by club social
with Santa's Sack and Mince Pies
Parkway Mile
We get a much better event if runners enter in advance with an estimate
of their mile time. Teams can be chosen to make a close race more likely.
Please enter via email to
steve-newell@blueyonder.co.uk by midnight on Tuesday 18th
December.
Late entries will be accepted but those who leave it to the last minute
are more likely to have to run twice!
Steve Newell |
Christmas Social from 19:30
There will be mince pies and Santa's sack. Please bring a wrapped present to
the value of about £3 - if you put one in then you can take one out. Also
during the evening there is likely to be cake since there will be at least two
club member significant birthdays to celebrate!
Brian Forrester
Editors Note - the Parkway Mile is optional, the Santa's Sack is
optional, even the mince pies are optional* but to see you would make it a
wonderful Christmas Social.
* But Brian will be upset if any mince pies remain uneaten!
|
BAAC 5M handicap results 12 Dec 2012
For those running for the first time a brief explanation. There are a series
of 6 (October through March) 5 mile runs, usually (there are exceptions) the
last Wednesday of the month starting between 18;00 and 19:00, aiming to finish
at 19:00. Points are awarded depending upon how close to your handicap time you
get. The points are totalled up after 6 runs and the highest total gets a small
prize. (So far we do not ask runners not to wear watches etc). Handicap times
are set based upon previous handicap run time when available or an estimate from
the runner when not.
12 December 2012. On a cold December evening 16 runners, including three
5m HC first timers, gathered outside the pavilion at the Concorde centre for
the 3rd of this season's winter handicap series. Most runners wore a
combination of hats, gloves, and layers to keep out the cold, temperatures
just below freezing, though we did have 1 runner wearing shorts!
Typically
after the first run or two of the season most runners are not too far away
from their handicap time which makes recording finish times 'interesting'
when finishers turn up en masse, only 3 of the 16 were more than 1 minute
different from there handicap time. This month we had 2 'pairs' where the 2
runners started together and finished together, there was another instance
where 2 runners finished together and in all 3 cases the pair were awarded
the same finish time and handicap points even though there may have been
half a step between them.
Paul Brandon |
12-Dec-12 |
|
Handicap |
run time |
Time gap from handicap |
Points this month |
Total points |
Next Handicap |
Steve |
Hillier |
47:00 |
49:25 |
02:25 |
2 |
2 |
49:30 |
Steve |
Newell |
49:00 |
48:56 |
00:04 |
16 |
32 |
49:00 |
Roderick |
Hoffman |
45:00 |
46:08 |
01:08 |
3 |
11 |
46:00 |
Alan |
Anderson |
44:30 |
43:55 |
00:35 |
7 |
10 |
44:00 |
Joe |
Nolan |
43:00 |
43:31 |
00:31 |
10 |
10 |
43:30 |
Steve |
Waite |
43:00 |
43:31 |
00:31 |
10 |
10 |
43:30 |
Piers |
Keenleyside |
37:00 |
42:08 |
05:08 |
1 |
1 |
42:00 |
Eddie |
Giles |
38:00 |
38:05 |
00:05 |
14 |
30 |
38:00 |
Graham |
Taylor |
34:00 |
33:56 |
00:04 |
15 |
26 |
34:00 |
Matthew |
Stratful |
33:30 |
33:07 |
00:23 |
12 |
12 |
33:00 |
Richard |
Ruffell |
33:30 |
32:58 |
00:32 |
9 |
26 |
33:00 |
Simon |
Turton |
33:30 |
32:46 |
00:44 |
6 |
22 |
33:00 |
Gary |
Rushmer |
33:00 |
32:25 |
00:35 |
7 |
17 |
32:30 |
Barry |
Walters |
31:30 |
31:23 |
00:07 |
13 |
21 |
31:30 |
Chris |
Kelly |
31:30 |
30:40 |
00:50 |
4 |
15 |
30:30 |
Jeremy |
Short |
31:30 |
30:40 |
00:50 |
4 |
4 |
30:30 |
In addition to adding the December results, I've also created a summary
spreadsheet, which contains the run times for all of the 5M handicaps run so far
from Oct 2009. Times only.
full results
and history summary
Ed - I've added a Stats section to the summary which shows that, of the
runners who have done at least 5 runs over the years, the most consistent
has been Simon Turton with a Standard Deviation of just 22 seconds in 12
races (if you want an explanation of Standard Deviation then ask Trevor
Plows). Nick Edge is next best with 27 seconds. The least
consistent, with a standard deviation of 3 minutes and 26 seconds, is Alan
Anderson - I had been worried that it might have been me. Note that
this consistency analysis is NOT the mechanism by which the season series is
judged. |
See you in January for run number 4. (Wed 30th, same time, same place).
Paul Brandon
KLM Road Runners Club Championships Saturday 15th December - Result
The KLM Road Runners Club Championships are a regular event held every December with short
(6k) and long (10k) races at the beach near Amsterdam and a big party
afterwards. It is one of perhaps just two events over the year where the KLM
runners gather together and consequently the turn out is high with around one
hundred local runners. They also freely invite runners from other airlines
to join them. This year I participated for BA and turned up at Schiphol
airport at the designated hour. I may have been the only BA runner but I
was not alone since the foreign participants included sizable teams from
Lufthansa (including Paul and Ralph), Air France, El Al and Aeromexico and familiar faces from American
Airlines (Lisa) and Alaskan (Steve). Fortunately KLM Road Runners had laid on a coach for us
(entirely at their expense - the event was free to enter). We got to the
bar at the beach with enough time for a stiff whisky
to change and warm-up.
Despite being a "Road Runners" club the Championship races don't feature any
road surfaces. The "Outbound" section (0 to 3k and 6 to 8k) are on a rough
path over sand dunes - firm in places but soft sand in others and very
undulating and winding. The rest of the course is back along the beach -
long and straight but over slightly soft sand and, this year, with a gale force
North Sea wind into your face all the way! I started the 10k race but
quickly realised that I had taken on more than I could do so I ended up
finishing the 6k. That gave me a very good position in
the results - 49:57 for "10k" but I have suggested that they correct it.
After the races there were the presentations and a free raffle (how did they
know that my bottle of shower gel had just run out? I now have a "KLM Road
Runners" branded bottle).
There was then a buffet dinner but I ducked out at that point and got the
coach back to the airport. A busy day but a most enjoyable one despite the
course. I will be trying to get more of the airline employees in this club
out to the event next year.
Thank you to Frank Jegers, Kitty Meijburg, Chris Visscher, Peter van der
Veldt, Cornelis van der Pol, Wim Verhage, Peter Groot, Jolanda Lucassen, Klaas
Bruin and all the others at the KLM Road Runners.
Photos -
me, almost running, and a
WARR Friend's Reunion.
Roderick Hoffman
|
Parkrun Correction
The parkrun statistics are held
at this link - the one sent last week didn't
work from the email digest. Note that in future if such problems occur
then the
links will normally work correctly from the website version of the digest.
Don't be lonely this Christmas...run a Christmas period parkrun
This list
http://www.parkrun.com/crispy/christmascompendium shows Christmas period
parkruns including Saturday "Santa" Runs where you can expect lots of runners to be
dressed as Father Christmas and special runs on each of Christmas Day and New
Year Day. Although Bushy Park is not (yet) listed as having a Christmas
Day run it is expected that there will be one and all BAAC runners are invited
to turn up for it (but check this list before setting off - if only to get the
start time confirmed). Richmond could be a nearby alternative.
On
New Years Day at least two of us have resolved to be at Dulwich parkrun with a
10am start. If you think that that getting up on New Years Day will be too much of a challenge for you
then just consider that I'm planning to do this despite being in Sydney on New
Years Eve.
Then the following week please reserve January 5th for a big parkrun event -
to make up for not being able to do one on January 12th because of the BA Cross
Country event. Details to follow.
Roderick Hoffman
A Safety Tip to reflect on...
Make sure you're visible at night. You wouldn’t have realised how invisible
white can be. Fluorescent is almost as bad as white. Reflectives is where it's at -
reflectives are vital. See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOyZ98gdoQg
for a demonstration.
Joe Nolan
My 10k Adventures – Joe Nolan
Well, Rod has asked me to put together a few notes for the news digest
about my ‘10k achievements’, of my most memorable 10ks and maybe some
statistics from these runs.
I only started running in 2001 at the age of
46, as the result of having my name put down for the ‘British 10k’ race in
London by some friends(?) after too many beers at the local pub ! Prior to
that I neither had any interest or ability to run, and the subsequent
training for that first event involved more time at the physio with injuries
rather than running. I managed exactly 1 hour for that first race, and I
can’t explain it but I got the bug immediately and went forth looking for
more challenges, with a great sense of achievement in completing different
courses and trying to improve my times. Apart from ‘hearing about marathons’ I only really knew about 10k’s and it
wasn’t until I joined BAAC in about 2005 that I discovered there were other
distances !!! Nevertheless, I have continued to concentrate on the 10k’s and
have proudly been awarded the annual ‘Brian Forrester 10k Plate’ on 3
occasions since then. Of course, 2 years ago I suddenly had the ‘inner
calling’ to try a marathon and have now completed 4 of these with 2 more
planned for 2013 which is another story……. To date I have now completed approx 160 10k’s, with the most in any one year
being 24, and a busiest sequence of 6 in just 9 days ! My favourite ones each year are the Yateley series of three every summer, on
Wednesday evenings. These are so well organised and have up to 1000 runners
per event, with many club runners and a tremendous atmosphere. It’s a tough
undulating course but when you know it quick times can be achieved. I
remember one of my earlier ones that I tripped over after about 200m and was
‘trampled’ by most of the field before getting up rather bruised and cut,
and in the end managing a new PB by about 20s ! On another I arrived a bit
late and hearing the starting horn scaled two fences and ran about 500m
diagonally to intercept and join the charging pack. I got to know the
organisers and was given the running number ‘1’ for three years running
which became a bit embarrassing when you are trailing way back in the field,
but always ask for a high number now ! Another top one for me is the annual Silverstone 10k, which has special
meaning to me as I raced cars for many years back in my 20’s completing many
races alongside the likes of Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell around this
circuit. When I puff my way to the very first corner I reminisce the days
when I would have completed a whole lap by this time already ! Naturally I
‘ride the kerbs, cutting the corners’ as I run, and setting some of my PB’s
along the way there ! One of the most shambolic races I have done was one of the first organised
by ‘Human Race’ called the Richmond 10k a few years ago – a muddled start,
insufficient and inexperienced marshals who managed to direct traffic across
the runners at every junction, course direction confusion, inadequate water
stop manned by 1 elderly lady, and a finish with collecting pen behind that
became congested with only about a dozen runners resulting in a 50m walking
queue to get over the line, and to crown it all they hadn’t got the timing
working so there were no results either – hmmmm ! Last year I managed my PB to date with a 47m25s at Brighton, it’s a scenic
location but I have reservations about some of the chaotic event
organisation, but despite that it seems a quick course and attracts about
2500 runners every time. I haven’t counted up my tally of 2012 10k’s yet but am guessing these to
amount to only about twelve due to an injury riddled summer. It continues to
be my favourite distance but nowadays I seem to be also plodding plenty of
5k’s, 10 milers, half and full marathons ! Joe Nolan |
News for the next BAAC News Digest? Thank you to Joe
and the regulars for their input this time - next week could it be you?
Please let us have your ideas for how club
communications can be improved and please send us items for inclusion in the
next Digest. Results, news, feedback, jokes, stores - send it to us at
news@barunner.org,uk.
Club website:
www.barunner.org.uk.
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