baRUNNER - a website for the British Airways Athletics Club

BA Athletics Club News Digest 20th March 2017

Events:

• Wednesday 29th March - Final Winter Handicap of the season - Heston Venue from 18:00*.
• Sunday 2nd April - Club Cross Country Championships in Cranford Park 10:30*
• Wednesday 5th April - "RunTogether"  Starter Session - Heston Venue at 18:30*

New members and potential members of all fitness levels and abilities are welcome at all of these events.  The full diary of club featured events is on the club website at: http://www.barunner.org.uk/Event Diary.shtml [Updated Feb 24th].

*Club Event Map: [Clickable link to Google Maps]

Not for you, no longer interested?  remove me please.

Difficulty viewing this email?  Read it off the website instead - http://www.barunner.org.uk/News Latest.shtml. 

Running related gossip and chat: Facebook Page "BARunner" https://www.facebook.com/BARunnerUK/

BAAC Cross Country championships 2nd April reminder

Club Events - Club In-house Event - Wednesday 15th April - Write-up

The format of this training CIE was based on Brian Forrester's "Stations" relays.

There were six participants so it was required to divide these into two roughly equal teams of three (teams "Blue" and "Orange"), and to rank the runners in each team ("1", "2" and "3").  This was done by getting all participants to race over half a lap of the field (about 500m).  Finishers were assigned to teams and positions in the following order:

Blue	1	Gary Rushmer
Orange	1	Graham Taylor
Blue	2	Steve Hillier
Orange	2	Trish McCabe
Orange	3	Tony Barnwell
Blue	3	Alan Anderson

Then the relay event started. The runners ranked "3" waited at the start near the pavilion. Those ranked "2" jogged straight across the field to the halfway station. Meanwhile the two "1" ranked runners set off on a 500m sprint round the field to the halfway station.  They then handed over to the "2"s who sprinted the second 500m round the field back to the start to hand over to the "3" ranked runners. So the relay continued with each runner having a 500m sprint followed by a recovery whilst their team mates ran the 1k lap of the field.  When the light levels started to make it difficult to see where runners were around the field the end play was initiated. This involved the "1" runners running on from the halfway station, sprinting to the start and then picking up the "2" runners and running together with them back to the halfway station where they then also picked up their remaining "3" team member and ran as a team back round to the start which was now the finish.

The Blue team completed the event first, getting to the finish in 28:56.  They had covered half the distance in 14:13 so slightly slowed in the second half to 14:43.  The total distance raced was 6 laps of the field so about 6k.

The Orange team finished second in 30:20.  They had reached halfway in 14:50 hence had also slowed in the second half to 15:30.
Ideally in such exercises runners wouldn't slow in the second half - but the changing light conditions probably contributed to the slowing of the pace.

Thanks to Steve Newell for helping at the start position including timing, and for Harry Wild for supporting the runners.

After the event we made our way (on foot due to the traffic) to the Queen's Head where the entertainment was laid on by four Ms - Timmy Mallett (in person, with his mallet), Manchester City, Monaco and our own Moans about what is becoming of BA Clubs.

Roderick Hoffman

BAAC Membership Renewal

British Airways AC membership expires on 31-Mar-17, and renewals are requested to be paid from 1-Apr-17.

The Membership Subscription remains at the princely sum of £9 (GBP) for the 2017-2018 year.

Members who also wish to affiliate to UK Athletics need to include an additional £14 for 2017-2018 (a £1 increase), making a total of £23. (ref: http://www.englandathletics.org/athletics-clubs/club-affiliation).

Ideally, please setup a standing order for 1-Apr yearly, or electronic payment, and advise the Treasurer/Membership Sec by email.
 
BAAC Account:    10096647

Sort Code:            60-02-60
 
Rgds,

 Chris Kelly {christkelly@yahoo.com} Treasurer

Roderick Hoffman adds: "As acting Chair for the club I'm asking BA Clubs to clarify what members can expect to receive in return for their BA Club's membership especially from 1st June onwards. An update will be provided when I have one."

February Five Mile Handicap Result

The fifth and penultimate 5M handicap took place before the awards evening, with a good turnout of 16 runners. This month saw a change in the points leader with Gary edging ahead of Trish, and with Roderick close behind.

We have now run five of the six events in the series so those having already run the first five may be looking drop their worst event, and those having run less than five will look to close the gap and overtake others.

What will the sixth event on March 29th produce? See you there. 

Paul Brandon

Green Belt Relay 20th/21st May

Club parkrun results for Saturday 18th March

Those parkrunners who are in training for the London Marathon and/or another longer run in the near future are clearly at the stage in their preparations where a really long run is the main focus for the weekend. however not everyone is looking for a 26 miler and there were some good age graded performances including a course pb for Jeremy Short (20:48) at Osterley, Alice Banks (26:24) at Maidenhead and John Coffey (26:21) at Bushy Park. That was John's 200th run at Bushy – his first was as long ago as Christmas Eve 2005.  Tony Barnwell (32:35) recorded his best time so far this year at Wycombe Rye.

We had a big turnout at Bedfont Lakes which was celebrating its 400th edition.  Some of our members were involved in various volunteering roles as well as running.  One of them, Neil Frediani, was the only club member present at the inaugural back in 2009 {Ed: Rubbing shoulders at the start with the likes of Danny Norman, Paul Sinton-Hewitt, Anita Afonso (parkrun Country Manager for France) and Chris Cowell (running just his twelfth different parkrun)}.  His time then was 27:55 (53.67%), this week 27:01 (59.35%).  Older and faster.  Another member, John Lennon (30:20) is now on 245 runs and closing in on his green "250" Tribesports T-shirt.

Another on 245 who has already opted to run the popular 2-lap course at Osterley on 22nd April is Roderick Hoffman,  This week Roderick was at the very flat and grassy Osset Heath in Thurrock running his 187th different parkrun and lowering the club record to 27:32.

Piers Keenleyside (23:47) continues to pop up in new places in between what seem to be fortnightly marathons.  This week he was at Glossop in Derbyshire.  He is aiming for the 251km (that is 50 parkruns) Marathon des Sables in the Sahara (Morocco) over six days in the first half of April.  No doubt we will hear a lot more about that very soon.

In the meantime Alan Anderson keeps jogging on and expects to reach 450 runs next Saturday at Gunnersbury. {Ed: but some bad news for Alan from Joe Nolan "Alan Anderson's MV80 parkrun course record at Black Park was beaten on Saturday by Tom Harrison who recorded 28m 11s ".}

Steve Newell

Updated club parkrun stats

250th parkrun Plan - Osterley Park April 22nd

I'm planning on undertaking my 250th parkrun at Osterley Park parkrun on Saturday 22nd April.  I hope that colleagues will be able to join me.  I will bring cake AND as most of you know Osterley has an excellent post parkrun cafe. The property is run by the National Trust but car parking is free for those with parkrun barcodes.  The current (temporary) course at Osterley is two laps round the back of the house (not the three laps with the gravel park and tree roots) - see course map below.  The event director (ex-BA employee Geoff Miles) assures me that the two lap course will still be operating on the 22nd.

If you don't want to run (for instance if you are saving yourself for the next day's London Marathon) then you are welcome to be a supporter OR a volunteer to help on the day - email osterleyoffice@parkrun.com to offer your services - mention my name and/or BA Athletics Club and Geoff will know you are friends.

The photograph to the right looks like a staged publicity shot but it was a genuinely taken action photograph during the inaugural Osterley parkrun on 31st August 2013.

Roderick Hoffman

Hampton Court Palace Half Marathon Result: March 19th

No submitted report but it is obvious from Facebook that club colleagues enjoyed this event:

Ed: It is probably time that we decided what the name of the club was - there are three variants here.

Finchley Twenty 12th March 2017 Result

It was a bit cool and damp on Sunday morning for the latest running of the longest running 20-miler in the country, and we had three hardy souls out to rinse their running stuff through.  Personally, I found it quite hard to keep my legs moving for the last five miles or so, and fell off the early pace a bit (allowing the winner to just lap me!), so am resolving to do a bit more core work before I do any more races - which had better be soon...

Special mention must go to the one Joe Nolan - for his cheery support on a hill halfway round the course, despite the inclement weather! 

Chris Kelly

And from our Rowling Reporter...

Running Shorts

• Street-O Bethnal Green 14th Mar '17: Having landed at 10:00 that morning after an 18 day layoff in the States and with a troublesome journey to the East End of London I was very pleased to both run and navigate well in the Street-O event achieving my second best score of the series. I finished in 37th place out of 93 finishers.  There are two more events in the series - 11th April at Tooting and 9th May at Wimbledon. Roderick Hoffman

Next Digest?

Is it your turn to send something in this week?

Results, news, pictures, feedback, jokes, stories - send it to us at news@barunner.org.uk.

Club website:

www.barunner.org.uk.