WFC Runners: August 2018

Thursday 30 August 2018

WFC Runners - 30th August Session

This week saw the return of Coach James from his extended holiday/paternity leave. We met at Abbey Gardens and with a dry sunny evening ahead of us we warmed up and headed out on our merry way.

There was an excellent turnout of 20 runners with 4 new faces. Welcome to the group Jenny, Emily, Caroline and Ben!

After the past two weeks being longer intervals and hills I thought some shorter intervals would be he order of the day. The intention was to head to Oram's Arbour and use the park there to do our session. We headed up the high street, past the courts and over the railway to the park.

Wikipedia says the following about Oram's Arbour:

Oram's Arbour was an enclosed settlement during the Iron Age, in what is now Winchester. Limited dating evidence suggests the enclosure was dug in the early-mid first century BC. The town wall of the Roman civitas capital of Venta Belgarum which succeeded the Iron Age settlement cut across its eastern end.

(look out for more Winchester facts in the coming weeks!)

Once in the park I realised we had a slight issue. The area I had hoped to do the session was being used for a footy match! I therefore had to improvise. Unfortunately this turned out session from a flat session to a hill session!

The plan was simple. Run 14 x 30 sec sprints with a short rest between each. One rep would be uphill and the next downhill. The sprints were targeted at working on the top end speed of the runners whilst at the same time building some endurance. Unfortunately we had a few injuries occur. Simon H had a reoccurrence of an ankle injury, Simon E tweaked his hamstring and Ben had some knee issues! Hopefully they all recover quickly.

Once finished we headed back down to Abbey Gardens for our cool down.

It was so nice to be back and seeing all the amazing runners once again. Thank you to everyone for their messages and support over the last few weeks.

Next Tuesday's blog will feature an article on why sleep is important to runners as well as the news and general announcements!

See you next week!

James

Monday 27 August 2018

WFC Runners - parkrun PBs, Wickham 10km, xcountry half

News

This week saw Winchester Fit Club runners at 5 locations across the UK and Poland. We had Alice running at Salisbury, Eric at Cwmbran parkrun, I was at Dinton Pastures (see write up below), Adam was once again representing us at Leszno and the rest of you were at Winchester.

Conditions were good for running in Winchester and this was reflected in the amazing performances. We had PBs for Charlotte W (22:44), Philippa G (24:27), Simon E (25:31) and Sarah P (27:19). In addition we had Mike, Anna, Sarah H and Simon H all volunteering

Adam had a great run to come in third place in a stonking 20:32 at Leszno parkrun. On finishing he received a text to advise him that the half marathon he thought was on Sunday was actually on Saturday afternoon! So in the afternoon Adam turned up at the X Forest Half in Osieczna where he ran an amazing 1:31:09. Wonderful achievement considering his efforts in the morning!! Magda and the kids also completed the 2k colour run at the same event. What a running family!!

Here is the consolidated club report: http://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=26888&eventdate=2018-08-25

In addition Tina, Alistair and Anna Jury ran the White Star Races East Farm Frolic, beer mile and Chaos race over the weekend. The Frolic was the main event; a 12 hour cross country loop of just over 5km. Alistair managed a stonking 6 laps and Tina one. The whole family then ran the Chaos race on the Sunday. The chaos race is fairly unique...there is a conga, they steal one of your trainers which you then have to find before you leg it up a hill. At the top of the hill you have to do a forfeit to get your medal before you run back down to the finish. It's mental, but fun! We should look to get a WFC team in for next year!

With Coach James still on paternity leave this week's Thursday running session was led by Mike, Anna, Sharon, Rachel and Anne. James had set a tough, but fun, hill session in the park at St Giles and 17 Fit Clubbers turned up and smashed out 8 brutal hill reps.

Read all about it here: http://wfcrunners.blogspot.com/2018/08/wfc-runners-august-23rd-session-st.html

Wickham 10km - 19th August - by Glenna Greenslade

It was with some trepidation that I walked to the start of the 10k as I realised this was going to be a much hillier route than first thought.

It started with a gentle incline and was up and down for the first 5k, on the downhill sections I felt I was running well and making up some time and the first 5k went by quite quickly. My overall pace was good at that point and, I was working out if I kept up this pace then I may get close to my time last year (56:48), that was before I saw Gravel Hill. I was hearing Coach James telling me to use my arms and take little steps, I tried that and it worked well to a point then I gave in and started to walk for a bit. Just around the corner there was a water stop so I took some water and carried on. I did struggle up most of the hills but made up some of the lost time going downhill.

There were just a few spectators as the course didn’t lend itself to spectators but Dave managed to get to 6km – just after the hill, on a flat part – and he thought I was looking strong (he hadn’t seen me walking). However, I was walking a little when he spotted me at about 7.5km!

It was a small friendly race, well marshalled and well arrowed on closed roads, although I did hear later that one irate driver refused to adhere to a Marshal to stop, the marshal had to jump out of the car’s way, as did some runners to avoid being knocked down!

It’s fair to say it was a tough 10k but I was pleased with my time of 1:00:26, although there was no chip timing, but a nice medal at the finish.

Many thanks to Phily for the photos and the support, it was very much appreciated and also the support of Winchester Fit Club runners.

Dinton Pastures parkrun by Coach James

This week Elsie and I headed up the A34 and along the M4 to the fairly new Dinton pastures parkrun to the east of Reading. It is set in a lovely country park with two main lakes. White Swan and Black Swan lake. The route starts at the bottom corner of White Swan and does and anti-clockwise loop of the lake, it then turns and runs along one side of Balck Swan before heading back to the finish.

The route is predominantly flat and on hard packed wide gravel path which made it perfect for buggy running. I ran the majority of the way with a fellow buggy runner and just chatted about running and various other stuff which made the time fly by.

After finishing Elsie and I hot the cafe for a very good breakfast and more parkrun chat with the other runners. All in all a very enjoyable morning!

General Announcements

WFC parkrun Club

Winchester Fit Club Runners is set-up as a club with parkrun. If you go into your profile (there is a link to it on the parkrun results email and newsletter email) you can select your club. Change yours to Winchester Fit Club Runners and you will appear in the consolidated club report that we get each week.

WFC Runners WhatsApp Group

There is a WFC Runners WhatsApp chat group where we generally just wang on about running, races and cake. If you are not already part of this then please get in contact with Coach James or Coach Mike who will add you.

WFC Runners Strava Club

If you are a Strava user there is a Winchester Fit Club Runners club page. This can be accessed here: https://www.strava.com/clubs/WFC-Runners. Request to join and we will approve!

Booking onto sessions

Booking onto our training sessions enables the coaches to plan the session accordingly. You can book on in the following location: https://winchesterfitclub.simplybook.it/v2/

Winchester Half Marathon - Volunteers needed!

Some of you may have seen the post by Lynn on the WhatsApp group about the Winchester Half Marathon needing volunteers for this year's race. The race is on Sunday 23rd September and needs over 300 volunteers to be successful.

By volunteering you get free entry into next year's race.

If you are interested please follow this link: http://winchesterhalf.co.uk/get-involved/win-city-marshal/

Race Calendar

Here is an updated race calendar. If you have any others that you wish to add, please let me know!

Overton 5 - 2nd September 2018

http://www.overtonharriers.org.uk/club-races/overton-5/

New Forest Half - 9th September

http://southernrunningguide.com/race/new-forest-half-marathon

Baccus Marathon and Half – 9^th September

https://www.209events.com/uk-running-events/surrey_bacchus_marathon_and_half_marathon

Meon Valley Express 5km, 10km and Half - 16th September
https://www.eventrac.co.uk/listed-races/meon-valley-express

Hursley 10km - 16th September
https://www.hursley10k.co.uk

The Lake Run, Andover 10km and 5km – 16^th Septembver

https://www.andover10klakerun.co.uk/

Winchester Half Marathon – 23^rd September

http://winchesterhalf.co.uk/

Solent Half - 23rd September 2018
http://www.hardleyrunners.co.uk/SolentHalf.html

Blenheim Palace Half - 30th September
https://www.bhf.org.uk/get-involved/events/runs/blenheim-palace-half-marathon-10k-and-family-fun-run

Ageas Bowl 10km - 30th September
https://www.fullonsport.com/event/the-ageas-bowl-10k/profile

Salisbury Half - 7th October
http://www.salisburyhalf.com

Clarendon Marathon, Half and relay – 7^th October

http://www.clarendon-marathon.co.uk/

Cardiff Half – 7^th October

http://www.cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk

Goodwood Running Festival 10km and Half - 14th October
http://www.ukrunevents.co.uk/the-running-festival-at-goodwood/

Greenham Common 10km, 5km and Mile - 14th October
http://www.stepup4good.co.uk/?page_id=42

Great South Run - 21st October

http://www.greatrun.org/great-south-run

Hayling 10- 4th November 2018

http://www.havantac.co.uk/hayling-10/

Gosport Half - 18th November

http://www.gosporthalf.org

Victory 5 - 2nd December 2018

http://www.athleticevents.co.uk/page2.html

Stubbington 10km - 13th January 2019

http://stubbingtongreenrunners.net/index.php/10k

Ryde 10 - 3rd February 2019

Fleet Half - 17th March 2019

Eastleigh 10K - 17th March 2019

London Landmarks - 24th March 2019

https://www.llhm.co.uk

Salisbury 10 - 14th April 2019 Alton 10 - 12th May 2019 Netley 10K - 19th May 2019 Hook 10K - 19th May 2019 Alresford 10K - 16th June 2019

Endure 24 - 14th-16th June 2019

http://www.endure24.co.uk

Lordshill 10K - 23rd or 30th June 2019

As ever, if you have any submissions for the next blog then please send them through to WFCrunners@gmail.com

Happy Running!

Coach James

***************
Kit pictures and prices

Thursday 23 August 2018

WFC Runners - August 23rd Session - St Giles Hill

With me taking one more week off with my family once again the dream team of Mike, Anna, Anne, Rachel and One R leading the session. I really can't thank these guys enough for what they have done to support the sessions whilst I have been off. We are an incredible team and I am so proud to be part of it.

Here is the write-up for today's session, kindly provided by Sharon "One R" Smith:

17 Fit clubbers met at Abbey Gardens for the last run of Coach James's paternity leave. We had two newbies join us this evening. Sheila and Carrie (Anna’s Sister) who have been to other fit club sessions but decided to come and give the running club a go.

After our usual warm up we jogged up to St Giles’ Hill taking special care when crossing the road ;-) As we tried to catch our breath at the top of the steps Mike broke the news that we hadn't actually started the hill session yet!

We completed 4 lots of sprints up the hill across the park before jogging back and having some time to recover. It was during this time that Simon B started poking fun at Philippa G for her rubbish 'nickname'. When she pointed out it was actually her surname he decided it was best to start his sprints early to try and get away from her! After our four reps we had a half time interval of a gentle jog around the park to enjoy the view and take the obligatory jumping pictures.

It was then another 4 hill sprints before heading back down the hill and to the gardens for our cool down. Everyone worked really hard and it was another great session. A special thanks to Mike H for leading the session and keeping us all on track!

Monday 20 August 2018

WFC Runners - Wickham 10km, parkrun and dealing with pre-race nerves

News

On Sunday we had Glenna racing at the Wickham 10km. It was an undulating road 10km with a big hill smack bang in the middle of the course. Storming round in just over an hour, it was another impressive run from the ever inspirational Glenna. Thank you also to Philippa G for her support and the photos!

This week saw more action at parkrun for the WFC Runners! There was a cracking turn out at Winchester with 11 WFC registered runners plus numerous other Fit Clubbers turning out for a 5km trot around the parkrun course.

I had a number of my family visiting to celebrate my sister Carly's 100th parkrun. Carly ran with her husband and 2 kids, my brother came over from Wales with his girlfriend and I was running with Elsie in the buggy. Carly had made loads of cake which made it easy to find the Fit Clubbers at the end of the run!!

There were some cracking performances with Tom getting an official PB of 20:52 having remembered his bar code this week! Sarah P also recorded a PB of 27:27. Well done both of you! Charlotte W matched her PB of 23:01 and Anna was only 1 second off of her PB with a great 24:41. Simon H and Rachel P were only 11 seconds off of their PBs. Glenna was once again over 75% age grading and Eric recorded his fastest time running with the buggy.

In addition we also had Lynn running at Oldbridge parkrun in Ireland. Lynn also ran a PB of 23:09 and was 3rd lady home. Superb running!

Fantastic running from everyone!

Here is the consolidated parkrun report for this week: http://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=26888&eventdate=2018-08-18

With myself still enjoying some family time the session was once again led by Mike and Anna H, this time supported by Rachel M. I set the session, which was held at the North Walls rec and consisted of a short set of sprints, followed by a couple of longer reps, finishing up with another set of short sprints.

20 Fit Clubbers turned out for a cracking session in the summer sunshine.

Read all about it here: http://wfcrunners.blogspot.com/2018/08/wfc-runners-16th-august-training-session.html

Pre-Race Nerves

Here is a great article I found online regarding pre-race nerves...thought it may help those of you coming up to Autumn races!

Pre-race nerves. They affect the best of us, from Olympians to first-time parkrunners...
To an extent pre-race nerves are part and parcel of taking on a challenge that represents a huge achievement, but there are ways to keep them in check and stop the fear completely ruining your race day.

Let’s have a look first at how pre-race jitters can manifest themselves. They can largely be split into two camps: physical and mental.

The physical symptoms, know as somatic anxiety, can appear as stomach aches, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, increased heart rate, rapid breathing/hyperventilation, sweating, shaking or nausea.

The mental manifestations – cognitive anxiety – can range from fear, unease and repetitive negative thoughts through to difficulty concentrating and confusion.

By now you will probably have recognised one or two of these in yourself if you’ve suffered from jangling nerves before that gun goes off – and they may well have scuppered your hopes for a fast time.

A 2015 study published by European Academic Research found a link between anxiety and a lowering of performance in runners, but the experts also found that those who use coping strategies are able to reduce the impact of those pre-run wobbles on their overall performance.

So what can be done to stop those worries derailing your quest for a PB? Try these tips to flush out the fear.

Positive self-talk
This is a common trick many top athletes use to keep their nerves in check. Lots of research has been done in a wide range of sports to ascertain the benefits of giving yourself the right kind of pep-talk and, invariably, they’ve all concluded that it works.

So, what kind of stuff should you be saying to yourself? If you’ve trained well and have banked some long runs at your target pace, you should remind yourself of that, e.g. 'I’ve done this in training, I’ll do it again today.

And studies also show that self-talk centred on the process and outcome of what you’re about to do can have a great impact on your performance. So, try talking yourself through your race: 'I will stay strong and steady, I’ll control my pace and speed up going down every hill' and 'I will run the second half of the race faster than my first.'

Relaxation techniques
The start area before a race is not exactly the most calm, relaxing environment to hang around in. So try to take yourself away from the hubbub and give yourself a couple of minutes of quiet time.

Close your eyes, take long deep breaths and feel your heart rate lower as you conserve energy and focus on how much you’ll enjoy this run once you get going. A few minutes regulating your breathing and deliberately emptying your head can work wonders.

Visualisation
By picturing yourself breezing down the home straight or running along with a big smile on your face, you can actually melt those race day fears away. According to studies, “Visualisation techniques can help you feel more confident as you have already accomplished your goal in your mind. You will be less likely to have negative thoughts while running and if they do arise, you can use your positive image to overcome them.

So if you’re worried about an uphill section of the course, or have concerns about running in a large crowd if it’s your first big race, picture yourself enjoying those challenges and overcoming them, so when they arise you will have seen yourself conquering them already.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation
So far we’ve focused on techniques to calm your mind down, but there are also physical tricks to lowering your stress levels. Progressive Muscle Relaxation is the process of tightening then relaxing your key muscle groups

Doing this for a few seconds in each area of your arms, legs and core will enable you to pinpoint areas of muscle tension.

Go through this routine a few times until you start to notice a reduction in the tension of any troublesome areas.

Pre-race prep
One of the biggest – and most unnecessary – causes of pre-race nerves is a lack of preparation for what lays ahead. This doesn’t mean training, but having a practical plan for race day itself

Know how you are getting there, have your kit laid out and ready the night before, build in plenty of time to avoid being late and go through any instructions given to you by the organisers so you know where you need to be, how to drop your bag off, where the loos are and any race day registration steps you need to go through. That way there will be no unexpected surprises on the morning that could spike anxiety levels.

Finally…
Remember why you’re here! We run because we love it! Whatever the reason you took this incredible sport up, you’ve come so far as to WANT to pin a number on and take part in a race. Everyone else is there – just like you – to be a better version of themselves. So, smile, chat to other runners and remember this is supposed to be fun!

General Announcements

WFC parkrun Club