baRUNNER - a website for the British Airways Athletics Club

BA Athletics Club News Digest 19th August 2019

Events:

• Wednesday 21st August - CIE Orienteering Event at the Bedfont Club from 18:00 # (see below)
• Tuesday 3rd September - ROM Round-the-Park on Harmondsworth Moor at 12:30 #
• Wednesday 11th September - NOW Runnymede, Egham from 12:00

We meet at 18:00 at the Bedfont Club on most Wednesdays throughout the year including this Wednesday - but over the summer numbers will be low so let me know to expect you.

New members and potential members of all fitness levels and abilities are welcome at most of our events. The full diary of club featured events is on the club website at: http://www.barunner.org.uk/Event Diary.shtml. Last updated: 29th July.

* Club Event Map: [Clickable link to Google Maps] (parkrun details updated 12 August 2019) / # Club Points event.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BARunnerUK/ (formal "front window" club page), BA Runner Facebook Group (informal "back office" - ask to join).

Inclusions, with photos, please to Roderick Hoffman at news@barunner.org.uk.

Club Inhouse Event – Wednesday 21st August – Street Orienteering - Final Reminder

August’s CIE will be ‘Street Orienteering’ around Bedfont and Feltham. This will be a fun way to explore our new training ground. No experience is necessary.

• Remember to bring a watch and pen,
• You’ll have 60 minutes to visit as many of the 38 controls as you can, each control will be worth between ten and fifty points and 1 point will be deducted for every 3 seconds you are late back (20 points per minute),
•  The controls will be post-boxes, lampposts, fire hydrant signs etc. and you’ll be required to copy down a piece of information to prove you’ve visited the control. This sheet shows examples of controls and the information required. There will be copies of this at the start on Wednesday,
•  You’ll be given a colour map (scale 1:10000) with the controls marked on and an answer sheet,
•  The ‘start / finish’ will be near the river footbridge 800m from the Club (turn left out of the Bedfont Club down Hatton Rd. After approx. 300m turn left along the footpath by the school. At the end of the footpath cross over the Duke of Northumberland’s river bridge to the ‘start / finish’),
•  You can start anytime between 18:15 and 18:45, so everyone should be back by 19:45,
•  The event is suitable for all abilities so don’t be shy, you don't even need to run!,
•  You can compete individually or in pairs, you will be crossing busy roads so children should be accompanied.

The event will be followed by a Club Social at the Bedfont Club. Please let us know to expect you at the event and/or Social either by contacting Roderick Hoffman {roderick@rhoff.org.uk} or by responding to the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1066304540231100/ 

Roderick Hoffman / Simon Turton

Club parkrun results for Saturday 17th August 2019

Volunteers include...

We were well represented this week at Higginson Park (Marlow) where the parkrun celebrated its first anniversary.  Alice Banks acted as Run Director, a role difficult to escape when your husband is permanent Volunteer Coordinator!  Bob Bannister (25:48) was our first member to finish but Anne Bannister (27:42) could claim better age grade score (71.06%).  Roderick Hoffman (28:30), Trish McCabe (28:43) and Zoe Ostley (34:13) followed them home.

Their recent Track and Field exploits are reported elsewhere but Julie Barclay (22:12, 81:53%) returned to parkrun action at Eastbourne to set a new club record there.  Paul Watt (22:46) is consolidating his return to fitness.

There was a gala atmosphere and a record attendance of 687 at Gunnersbury to celebrate the 400th edition of parkrun there.  A special one-off course was designed for the occasion featuring a good wide start on grass with a finish at the same altitude, a descent and an ascent of the Lionel Road** Hill and a rare run along a shaded muddy path through the trees.  Rather enjoyable and loads of cake afterwards.  Piers Keenleyside acted as tailwalker while his wife Katherine completed her 100th (black vest) run supported other relatives including two daughters and his mother-in-law who holds the VW85 record at Gunnersbury (along with the VW80 record at Stevenage).

Maarten Stenham (24:34) set a new male club record at Lymington Woodside pacing his son Jakob (JM10).  How long before we are reporting “trying to keep up with”.  The first run after his 11th birthday perhaps!  Maria Jovani has run Lymington in 21:27 so there is a little more to do yet.

** The road is named after Lionel Baron Rothschild who at one time was the owner of Gunnersbury Mansion and Park which was donated to become a public park about 100 years ago.  At the other end of Lionel Road, the new stadium for Brentford FC is being built on flatter ground south of the M4 near Kew Bridge and will be ready for the start of next season.

Steve's parkrun stats - club parkrun stats - UPDATED

Full club parkrun database - {read access to new club parkrun database} - UP TO DATE - Download and explore.

Steve Newell / Roderick Hoffman

Closest parkruns

My item for this week about parkruns with Weatherspoons has been trumped by the start of a new parkrun "Leazes" whose start is under 900 meters away from the start point of Newcastle parkrun. That is about 900meters nearer than is the case for Hanworth and Crane Park parkruns. There are no stats for Bedfont Lakes and Feltham since the courses used by restricted access parkruns isn't publically available. The starts for Burswood Peninsula and Claisebrook Cove in Perth, Australia are under 600m apart BUT you would have to swim across from one to get to the other.

Roderick Hoffman

"Bull's-eye!" - Ironman Sweden Kalmar Race Report

In summary it was good. It was the usual early rise for breakfast at 5am, but I was lucky that my hotel was the main race hotel, situated 3 mins walk to transition in one direction, and 3 mins walk to the swim start in the other. So with bike sorted I went back to my room and chilled till it was time to don the wet suit and head to the start. The weather was good, a breeze and about 15 degrees. The swim start was the rolling start as you self seed into your predicted swim time and then once the gun goes you just walk forward till you reach the ramp, swallow hard, head down the ramp and you are off on your adventure. I was in about 7 minutes after the gun, with the 80 minute pack. The rolling start does work well, so much better than a mass start, but as we approached each buoy, even those just in the straight line the pack seemed to close in and it got a bit rough. Once out into the harbour it was a little choppy but nothing to worry about. I just got into an easy steady rhythm. So all was going well until at about 3k I got bashed and knocked which caused me to kick my legs a lot more violently and then the most almighty cramp hit my left calf. Nothing I could do, so I just gritted my teeth and kept swimming. It lasted about 45 seconds and left my calf feeling sore. I was worried what effect this would have later down the line. Still out the water in 79 mins, which I was happy with especially as the course is measured at 60m long. But best of all I was not feeling tired at all, all those lengths of the pool had counted for something. So into T1. I would say my transitions were steady as I took my time to ensure I did everything I needed to and repacked my transition bags and re-racked them as you have to.

The bike course was one large 120k loop, you go over a 3k long bridge onto an island, before back over the bridge, through Kalmar and off on a shorter 60k loop. While the rain stayed away the wind did not. The first 60k was hard work, and when I saw the 60k marker I was thinking this is going to be a very long hard ride. But for the second 60k the wind was much more with us and this 60k flew by and we were soon back in town. My first sighting of Natalie my support crew was great, followed quickly by a stop at "Special Needs" to pick up my second lot of nutrition and drinks, plus a pit stop for me. The field had thinned out by this stage so for parts of the second loop I could have been out on a training ride on my own. The wind was still blowing making it hard work at times and it started to rain just a little over the last 10 miles. Eventually with the bike clock showing 5hrs 37mins I was back at T2. I was very grateful to the biking gods not to have had any mechanical issues and while tired I was now ready to get off the bike and run.

T2 was again steady. A pit stop was required, bike racked, transition bags unpacked and repacked and off I went. I felt quite good at the start and the first mile or two were quicker than planned, so I pulled that back in to try to run closer to plan. That was easier than I thought as the initial adrenaline pump of starting the run had soon worn off and now it was feeling harder, with a long way to go. The run course was a lot more undulating than I expected, a 3 lap course through several different areas and over different terrain. I then saw Natalie again which gave me a boost and we quickly worked out where she would meet me at different parts of the course. The run was no longer 26 miles, but several 20-25 minute runs to the next meeting point {ED: Sounds like "parkrun" lengths}. At about 10k my stomach was not feeling too good and an emergency stop was required. My pace had been slowing as my stomach got worse, but after the stop things felt a lot better and I was able to hold a steady pace. This was a lesson I learnt many years ago when running the London Marathon, in the end you have to give in to your stomach and stop, so do it sooner rather than later, and actually the time stopped can be regained when you feel better. So the meetings with my support crew came and went and the miles passed. I went past 17 miles, the longest long run I had done, and thought it was time to just dig in and keep going, one more lap and it would be time to celebrate. I could feel the soreness in my calf from the cramp during the swim, which had been there from the start of the run, but it had not got any worse and was not hindering me, so I put that out my mind and was sure it would last till the end. I was now passing many more people than any passing me which felt good, and then it was 5k to go, just a parkrun. The support around the course is fantastic, and it gets especially noisy in town, So as I entered town with just 1k to go the noise was massive and you could hear the finisher shouting "YOU ARE AN IRONMAN" as those just ahead of me where finishing. My time was approaching.

A high 5 with the announcer, a big smile on my face and finished, the run was 4 hours 11 mins, and overall it was 11 hours 19 mins. Job done.

It was a great experience. Once finished with my hotel 20m from the finish line I was back in my room and in the shower 5 minutes after finishing, then able to watch others finish from my bedroom window. They have quite a party down the finish line all night!

So a few of the basic stats:

• Swim 79 mins, 37th out of 89 in my age, and 1270th out of 2169 overall.
• Bike 5hrs 37mins, 23rd age, 936th overall
• Run 4hrs 11mins, 11th age, 682nd overall
• Overall: 14th age of 89, 789th overall of 2169

Richard Ruffell

Ed: Club Ironman records (which may not be complete) suggest this is an MV45 record - the previous record being 12:07:27 by George Smith in August 1995.

Thank You from White Lodge

We recently sent £682.50 as proceeds from events like Round-The-Park and Round-The-Block races, the annual Quiz, and other ad hoc collections and sales to the White Lodge Centre. This has been gratefully received.

Click on the White Lodge logo for their website to see what they do and how our donation will help.

British Masters 10th/11th August

Last weekend, 10/11Aug, Julie Barclay and I went to Birmingham for the British Masters track and field championships. We went with two expectations which were that the weather was better than last year and that we would do ourselves justice. The weather made it a weekend of all seasons with rain, sun, and a wind that seemed to be against us in every direction of the compass!

The weekend was very good and well organised with the usual events from MW35 up to M90 in some. After being injured and just a spectator last year, I came away feeling good with my personal targets achieved and a relief that I did not come last in both of my races.....1500m 7th in 5:45.68 and 800m 5th in 2:43.00. Not pbs but good enough to build on and really boost confidence. Julie did well in the same two events coming 5th in 5:50.24 and winning an 800m bronze medal in 2:52.07.

Another medallist was Jacqui Musselwhite who also won an 800m bronze in 2:43.46 but did even better in the 400m by winning a silver medal in 73.37....well done. Adrian Haines made up the track team by finishing 5th in the 400m in 60.62 but called it a day afterwards as his calf decided to flare-up again prompting him to declare himself as resting for 4-6 weeks before building up again for the European Championships in March. Janet Smith was our sole member in the field and again, did very well. She won three medals....shot put bronze 8.15m, weight throw gold 13.42m. and another gold in the hammer with 38.97m....another well done. {Ed: There is a great photo of Janet in the Hammer available here but the digest's petty cash budget doesn't cover its inclusion in this digest}

To compete you do need to be a member of a Vets team with Southern Counties Vets AC covering our area. You do need to compete in your club, Vets or national colours and follow a rigid signing-in and declaration process. Once the red tape is overcome, it is well worth considering. The standard is high but like Parkrun, nobody judges you or really cares how you do; apart from yourself.

Only two of us ran in BA vests so it would be nice to see more. The judges need to see more BA vests too as they queried the Club. Julie was told that she had to wear a club vest to which she replied that she was and a senior official confirmed that Julie was correct....I had already run without question but it was a strange situation for Julie to find herself in! {Ed: Although our colours look like blatant advertising for an International Airline they are fully and correctly registered for our club - but this is not the first time, nor the last, members have been challenged on this}.

We are now looking forward to a good strength building winter with more track next summer.

Paul Watt and Julie Barclay

 Next Digest - Results, news, pictures, feedback, jokes, stories - send them to the editor, Roderick Hoffman, at news@barunner.org.uk.

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