‘Catch a Coach’ - newsletter

Issue 16 May 2011

Catch a Coach newsletter

Welcome to the May edition of ‘Catch a Coach’, the publication from the coaching team for all members. It’s another bumper edition!!!

This month I have brought in a feature that I have been longing to introduce, spotlighting members of the coaching team in the club and asking them a few straight questions about why they do it! This will be a regular feature so that you can get to know the members of the team a little better and also put faces to names!

The coaching team have been busy putting together the training schedule for the coming three months and in this month’s edition of Catch a Coach I have provided some further details about the steps the team are taking to add progression within the track training sessions on Saturdays and the opportunities that can provide to all runners, of all abilities.

May is the month in which the midweek league kicks off in earnest – and at our own fixture in Stevenage. The Forum has all the details, including where you can add your name if you are or helping with marshalling. Included in this edition is a great article that Paul Holgate wrote explaining the ins and outs of the midweek league, how the scoring system works and why every runner counts!!! Please take a look.

It’s not all serious either! We have taken a rather light hearted look at a running phenomenon – backward running. For those that train on a Saturday morning at Ridlins this is not a new concept but we never do it to this level!! Have a look at the feature.

I hope you find the newsletter helpful. Remember if you have any questions about the material in it or on the ‘Catch a Coach’ section within the club’s website just CATCH A COACH or send an e-mail to the team at [email protected]

Cheers

Chris ‘Coach’ Leigh

PS A big congratulations to all those who completed the Brighton and Paris on the 10th April and the Virgin London on 17th April. A brilliant achievement. I hope that you found the support and advice you needed from the coaching team to help you achieve your goals. PPS Don’t forget to make sure you are properly hydrated before, during and after training. Please take a look at the article on hydration in this newsletter.

Contents

1. What’s coming up – 10 of the best for May 2. Midweek league dates 3. Coach development 4. Hot weather training – hydration 5. Richie recommends – meal and exercise of the month 6. Missed a copy of Catch a Coach? 7. Getting warm yet? 8. Core exercise of the month 9. The midweek league – what’s it all about? 10. Marathon training, the Fab Four – an update 11. Listening to your body 12. Meet the team 13. Saturday track training sessions 14. Having a right old LiRF – with Jo Laing 15. Underpass fartlek 16. Get out of the way!! 17. Video clip of the month 18. Running backwards!!! 19. Step by Step! 20. Change in venue for training 21. Feedback

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What’s coming up - 10 of the best for May Here’s our ten of the best for May!

1. May sees the start of the 10K midweek league series for 2011. The first race is on 5th May in Stevenage and is hosted by all of the club. All of the fixtures are free for club members to enter, you simply need to wear a club vest and have a number (the race numbers are allocated at the start of the series – hang on to them as you can use the same number for each race). Please check on all of the details on the Forum and please take a look at the article Paul Holgate has written below – all you need to know about how the league works and why you should turn up to run!. We are looking to try and increase our participation in each race beyond the record breaking levels in 2010!!!

2. The training schedule!!! The coaching team have been hard at it in putting together the training schedule for the period May to July inclusive. Please have a look at the details, including the way in which the Thursday and Saturday sessions have been planned to give progressive sessions on a cycle so that runners can build up their training loads and track their improvements.

3. The month of May sees the start of a new progression in the track training schedule for Saturdays at Ridlins. The coaching team have identified three core sessions (, and ) that they will be repeating on a 5 week cycle starting in May. This will give you all a chance to work through these sessions in May and then repeat them during mid June to July and chart your progress. The sessions will then be repeated again during the period mid July to early August with further opportunities to see your training improvements. There will also be the usual variety of Saturday track sessions in the schedule. A chance for everyone to take part in the sessions as all abilities are catered for. Running on a track is a great experience and develops your running form/style and pace. Remember, running faster is all about YOU running faster not necessarily faster than everyone else in the club!!!

4. On the 2nd May Ridlins Stadium is the venue for the Herts Veterans and open graded championships. This offers a large range of track events from 100m through to 5000m, including relay events as well. There will also be the full range of field events for those that want to jump and/or throw!!! Details can be found on the board of the Forum or by going to www.hertscaaa.org.uk/2011%20t&f%20prospectus.pdf

5. On the 4th May both the men and the women kick off their EVAC (Eastern Vets Athletics Club) league campaign at Bedford. A great chance for veteran Spartans to out run, out jump and out throw members from the other clubs in their league!!!

6. Fancy a steadier run on a Thursday morning and/or Saturday morning at 9:30am? Why not join up with the Angels running from Hitchin. The runs are largely off road and are great for building up your running stamina and strength (running the hills is not optional!). See all of the details on the Ossie’s Angels board on the Forum.

7. On the 26th May there will be our first visit of the year to Aston hills for our hill training session. This consists of running alternate sides of the hills adjacent to the Ford (River Beane) at Aston. Please come along to Aston Village Hall for a 7pm start.

8. For those of you who have run a marathon in the last 2 to 3 weeks then you will still be going through your recovery stages. Remember to take a look at all of the information on marathon race recovery in last month’s edition of Catch a Coach. Many Spartans will be taking part in the Edinburgh Festival of Running on 21st and 22nd May, including and full marathon distances.

9. As well as the first running of the Greenway challenge (half marathon) on the 1st May (to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the North Herts Road Runners) there is also the ever popular Hatfield Broad Oak 10K on the 30th May. Please continue to plan your race diary and get your entries in early – they fill up fast! 10. The focus for the training sessions on Tuesday and Thursdays is primarily in support of the Midweek League campaign (starts on 5th May – another plug!!). A great variety of training sessions during May, including the continuation of the Thursday ‘steady’ training group. Please take a look at the details on the training schedule and carefully consider which sessions you will be running and also, importantly, at what pace you will be running the sessions given your commitments to the Midweek League and other training/ during the period.

Midweek League dates

5th May – Stevenage

18th May – Bishops Stortford

7th June – Welwyn Garden City

30th June – St Albans

13th July – MOB match

Please make sure they are all in your diary!!! We really want to see over 200 Spartans out at each of these fixtures – that would be really something!!!

Full details are on the Forum.

Coach development

The main focus in May is on the Leadership in Running and Fitness course being held at Marriotts on Saturday 14th May. We have 10 Spartans attending and this will take the development of the coaching team a step further both in terms of its size and also the proportion that are insured (with coaching licences) to lead groups of runners.

The following will be attending:

Graham Blackburn Sean Thompson Andy Prior Nick Whitcombe Phil Rushton Beverley Harlow Dyfed Thompson-Smith Charlie Patterson Tessa Stephenson Steve Watkins

Please have a look at the feature below about Jo Laing’s recent experiences of completing the LiRF course.

Richie Bate, Steve Smithson & Jamie Drackford are continuing to make progress on the Coach in Running and Fitness course and building up their coaching logbook in the lead up to their assessment day in June. Please continue to provide your support to them during the sessions as in the end you are helping them to help you!

Hot weather training - hydration

With the weather unseasonably warm (at the time I wrote this!) it is a timely reminder about the importance of proper hydration. Being hydrated isn’t (just) about bringing a drink along with you to training to use during and after the training run. It is about ensuring that you are properly hydrated before you train as well. Remember that if you are feeling thirsty during a run then it is likely that you are already dehydrated – make sure you hydrate properly before you run.

Your muscles produce heat during exercise and sweating is your body’s way of removing this heat to manage your temperature. If you don’t replace the fluid lost during exercise you will become de-hydrated.

Drinking water is not enough to maintain adequate hydration as you need to replace the salts and minerals lost through sweating. An energy drink is one way of ensuring that you add fluids and essential minerals. A far cheaper and arguably just as effective means of doing this is to make a homemade equivalent.

- Take 500 ml of water in a bottle - Add a flavouring of your choice - Add a pinch of salt - Shake to mix.

Simples!!

How do you know whether you are properly hydrated before running? The simplest method is to monitor the colour of your urine Literally, I am not taking the P! The table below shows a range of urine colours. Before exercise/training your urine should be a light, straw colour. ( I would rather not find out if anyone in the club has number 8!!!!)

Urine colours of 1 to 3 are considered to be well hydrated.

Drinking 2 litres of fluid during the day is a good way of ensuring that you are well hydrated. Drinking about 350- 500 ml of those fluids 2 hours before exercise is ideal.

Drinking 150ml of fluid every 15-20 mins during exercise will keep your fluid levels topped up. Isotonic sports drinks are the preferred drinks for endurance-based exercise.

STOP PRESS!

Jamie Drackford has kindly arranged for water to be available after each of the Spartans main training sessions at Marriotts. Look out for the water just outside the sports centre when you get back from your run.

Chris ‘Coach’ Leigh

Richie recommends

Meal of the month

Butternut squash and sage is a marriage made in heaven as this simple yet flavour-packed risotto shows. Dawn made this for me recently and it went down a treat.

Ingredients

 1 large butternut squash  2 garlic cloves, peeled  2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling  About 15 sage leaves, chopped  flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper  3 large knobs of butter  1 large onion, chopped  400g/14oz arborio or other Italian risotto rice  2 glasses white wine  1 litre/1¾ pint hot chicken or vegetable stock  good handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve  75g/3oz pine nuts, to serve

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. 2. Cut the butternut squash into 6-8 wedges, remove the seeds and place in a roasting tray. Pound or chop the garlic and add a generous glug of olive oil, half the sage leaves, sea salt and pepper. Tip into the tray and rub over the butternut squash with your hands. Roast in the oven for 40-50 minutes until softened and becoming golden in colour. 3. Once the squash has cooked, cool slightly, then scrape the soft flesh away from the skin into a bowl. Lightly mash with a fork or potato masher until it is fairly chunky in texture. Scrape any sticky juices left in the roasting tray into the bowl and keep warm while making the risotto. 4. Heat the olive oil and a good knob of butter in a deep, heavy-based frying pan or saute pan. Gently fry the onion until softened. Add the rice and stir for about a minute until the grains are coated with the oil and butter. Pour in the wine and stir continuously until it has cooked into the rice. Add a good ladle of hot stock and the remaining sage and season well with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down so the stock is simmering gently. Keep adding ladles of stock as it cooks into the rice, stirring and moving the rice around in the pan. After about 15-20 minutes the rice should be soft but still have a bit of bite left in it. The texture of the risotto should be thick and creamy, but not too loose. Add extra stock if necessary. It may seem tedious standing and stirring but the end result will be worth it. 5. Remove the pan from the heat and gently stir the roasted butternut squash into the risotto with the parmesan, the remaining butter and seasoning to taste. Add any extra stock if the risotto seems particularly thick. Cover with a lid for a couple of minutes as this will give the risotto an even creamier texture. 6. During this time, place the pinenuts in a fairly hot frying pan and toss around until golden. Spoon the risotto into warmed bowls and scatter with the pinenuts and extra parmesan.

Exercise of The Month:

Hopscotch Drill

This exercise is great for conditioning or increasing performance for an athlete. This drill is also great for increasing balance, stability, and reaction. To perform this exercise correctly:

1. Begin with the feet shoulder width apart. 2. With every move, you are going to be hopping forward. 3. Start by hopping forward onto the right leg, then hop forward landing on both feet 4. Continue by hopping forward to the left leg, and then hop forward landing on both feet again. 5. Continue this pattern for 8 – 10 repetitions or a timed period, such as 20 seconds. Do 2 – 3 sets once per week. For progression you can increase reps in each set/time you are doing it for, such as 30 seconds.

More exercise tips and another great meal, tried and tested by Richie coming in next month’s edition. Richie Bate

Remember: if you are feeling unwell in any way during or after your run please make sure that you speak to a member of your groups coaching team. They need to be aware of this so that they can monitor the situation during training.

If you are feeling unwell before the training session then you are advised not to run.

Missed a copy of Catch a Coach?

If you have missed any editions of Catch a Coach or simply want to refer back to a previous copy please have a look at the Catch a Coach section of the website for copies of all previous editions. You can use this link http://www.fvspartans.org.uk/Catch-A-Coach/coachescornertopten.htm

Getting warm yet?

Would you regularly hop into your car, rev it up and then shoot off down the road accelerating to 40 miles an hour + whilst it is cold? What do you think would happen if you did do this on a regular basis?

Now I am not saying that my, or anyone elses, body in this club is like a well oiled engine but there are definitely parallels. If you carried on treating your car like the above then you will certainly end up needing a new one (or at least a new engine) before long. Our bodies are no different, they need looking after. Caring for them starts with an appropriate warm up.

Not only will an appropriate warm up improve your running performance, it will also accelerate the recovery process needed before and after training or races.

Muscle stiffness is thought to be directly related to muscle injury and therefore any warm up should be aimed at reducing muscle stiffness. Dynamic stretching exercises help to relieve muscle stiffness. So, what is the difference between dynamic stretching exercises and static (or isometric) stretching? Dynamic stretching involves moving parts of your body and gradually increasing reach, speed of movement, or both. For example, dynamic stretches for the shoulder and arms may include:

Shoulder Circles

 Stand tall, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent  Raise your right shoulder towards your right ear, take it backwards, down and then up again to the ear in a smooth action  6 to 10 repetitions  Repeat with the other shoulder

Arm Swings

 Stand tall, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent  Keep the back straight at all times  Overhead/Down and back - Swing both arms continuously to an overhead position and then forward, down, and backwards. 6 to 10 repetitions  Side/Front Crossover - Swing both arms out to your sides and then cross them in front of your chest  6 to 10 repetitions

There are a vast range of dynamic stretching exercises that cover all parts of the body. In selecting the exercises to perform, what is important is that they are appropriate to the movements you will experience in running. With practice as well, you will be able to perform an appropriate range of dynamic stretches that will not take you longer than 5 to 10 minutes to perform. Raise your body temperature before you perform the dynamic stretches with 5-10 minutes of jogging. The muscle movement that runners achieve during dynamic stretching is a positive enabler for the main training run ensuring that the greater range of movement that you will experience during the run has already been mimicked in the dynamic warm up. A short/light jog before the main run in itself will not be enough to do this and the greater range of movement you experience during the main run could then create injury problems for you further down the line.

Static stretches are more appropriate to the cool down as they help muscles to relax, realign muscle fibres and re- establish their normal range of movement. Static stretching involves gradually easing into the stretch position and holding the position. The amount of time a static stretch is held depends on your objectives. If it is part of your cool down then stretches should be held for 10-15 seconds, if it is to improve your range of mobility then hold the stretch for 30 seconds.

Most of you will have noticed that dynamic stretching has become a regular feature in our training sessions at the club. This has been a long standing feature of our track based training sessions at Ridlins on a Saturday morning but is now featuring in our Tuesday and Thursday training sessions with group/session leaders from the coaching team taking the runners through a short set of dynamic stretches before going into the main training run. The coaching team are aiming to ensure that all training sessions at the club have an appropriate warm up routine that includes some form of dynamic stretching within it, bringing the positive benefits described above to all runners. Further details of this will be in next month’s Catch ac Coach.

Chris ‘Coach’ Leigh

Core exercise of the month

Horizontal Balance

 Stand upright, spine in neutral position  Transfer your weight onto right leg and lean forward, bending at the hip, still keeping neutral spine as you lean.  Extend your left leg behind you and bring both arms out in front of you Keep alignment between upper body and extended leg.  Brace abs tight to keep alignment  Hold in a horizontal position and hold for 10 seconds Repeat on other side

Coaching points

 Avoid twisting the spine or tilting the pelvis as you continue the leaning action.  You may want to hold on to a wall or table to help you balance.

Jamie Drackford

The midweek league – what’s it all about?

First fixture

The 2011 MWL Series starts on the 5th May with our own 10k from Marriotts and we hope that all Spartans will come along if possible.

The event is suitable for all abilities and the club’s performance in the league is helped by as many members taking part as possible.

Fairlands Valley Spartans have taken part in the league every year since its beginning back in 1985 (as the Cheshunt Building Society (CBS) League). We have seen thousands of Spartans take part in the 130 races that have taken place so far, including 184 members last year alone.

Entry is completely free and includes refreshments and snacks at the end of each race, and this year we are hoping that we can maybe see more than 200 Spartans taking part so please do try and come along if you possibly can.

How does it work?

The league consists of 12 local teams in 2 divisions and Fairlands Valley Spartans compete in division 1 along with, this year, Barnet & District, Bishops Stortford, Garden City Runners, North Herts Road Runners and St Albans Striders.

For each fixture all clubs attempt to get as many of their members as possible to take part and points are awarded to all finishers equal to their finishing position with male and female positions calculated separately. Points are totalled for the first 12 male and 8 female finishers for each club and the male team with the lowest aggregate total finishes first for that race, next lowest 2nd, 3rd lowest finishes 3rd and so on to 6th. The winning team then scores 6 points, 2nd team 5, 3rd=4, 4th=3, 5th=2 and 6th=1 point.

Scoring is then repeated for the ladies with another set of 6,5,4,3,2 & 1 points being awarded, and then male and female points are added together to determine overall positions for the evening,

Where a team does not achieve the required numbers of finishers, missing runners score points of the final finisher +1 (hence why it is so critical that we field full teams!)

Separate leagues are also held for veteran men (40+) and veteran women (35+) with the first 6 men and 4 ladies determining team scores.

It does not matter if you do not finish in your teams first 12, 6 or 4 runners as your performance still helps your clubs result if other teams have not yet got all their runners home because their finishing position (and therefore points) will be higher the more runners that finish ahead of them.

Also you need to have taken part in a minimum of 2 MWL events to have a target calculated for the club’s Paul Maguire trophy later in the year (5th December) – that’s another reason to hopefully persuade you to join us for the fun and social interaction of this year’s MWL.

Furthermore, subsequent sets of 12 and 6 finishers for a club score as B, C, D, etc. teams so just crossing the finishing line will help the club irrespective of how long you think it might take you.

There are 4 scoring fixtures in the series and points are aggregated through the 4 events to determine final positions.

At the end of the series the bottom 2 teams in division 1 are relegated into division 2 and the top 2 teams in division 2 promoted into division 1.

Final division 1 scores and positions at the end of last year are shown below:

Pos MEN Score Points 1 St Albans Striders 1,027 22 2 Garden City Runners 1,119 22 3 North Herts Road Runners 1,683 16 4 Fairlands Valley Spartans 2,377 12 5 Royston Runners 2,783 7 6 Trent Park Running Club 3,282 5 7 St Albans 'B' 3,759

8 GCR 'B' 4,373 9 NHRR 'B' 4,529 10 FVS 'B' 5,081 11 St Albans 'C' 6,858

12 Trent Park 'B' 6,970 13 FVS 'C' 7,234 14 FVS 'D 9,053

Pos WOMEN Score Points 1 St Albans Striders 509 22 2 Garden City Runners 609 19 3 Fairlands Valley Spartans 702 18 4 Trent Park Running Club 1,162 10 5 North Herts Road Runners 1,089 9 6 Royston Runners 1,260 7 7 FVS 'B' 1,921 8 GCR 'B' 2,198 9 FVS 'C' 3,042

Pos OVERALL Score Points 1 St Albans Striders 1,536 44 2 Garden City Runners 1,728 41 3 Fairlands Valley Spartans 3,079 29.5 4 North Herts Road Runners 2,772 25 5 Trent Park Running Club 4,444 14.5 6 Royston Runners 4,043 14

Pos VET MEN Score Points 1 Garden City Runners 199 24 2 St Albans Striders 381 17.5 3 North Herts Road Runners 454 16 4 Royston Runners 462 14.5 5 Fairlands Valley Spartans 761 7 6 Trent Park Running Club 730 5 7 NHRR 'B' 952 8 St Albans 'B' 1,184

9 GCR 'B' 1,206 10 FVS 'B' 1,378 11 Trent Park 'B' 1,509 12 Royston 'B' 1,876

13 FVS 'C' 1,957 14 St Albans 'C' 2,117

15 Trent Park 'C' 2,128 16 GCR 'C' 2,318 17 FVS 'D' 2,509 18 FVS 'E' 3,020

Pos VET WOMEN Score Points 1 St Albans Striders 122 23 2 Fairlands Valley Spartans 174 17 3 Garden City Runners 194 16 4 Trent Park Running Club 232 14 5 North Herts Road Runners 329 8 6 Royston Runners 372 6 7 FVS 'B' 441 8 St Albans 'B' 475 9 GCR 'B' 525

10 NHRR 'B' 593 11 FVS 'C' 745 12 Royston 'B' 753 13 Trent Park 'B' 880 14 FVS 'D' 1,048 15 GCR 'C' 1,078

As well as team competitions there are also individual competitions in which your individual score competes against others individual scores, with male and female open competitions (all ages), vet men categories (40-49, 50-59, 60- 69 & 70+) and vet female categories (35-44,45-54, 55-64 & 65+). Winning teams and individuals then receive trophies at the presentation evening that follows the final ‘mob-match’ fixture in which all 12 teams of both divisions take part, in July. Last year Spartans collected trophies for 1st male vet 50, 2nd male vet 60, 1st & 3rd female vet 35 and 2nd female vet team.

Fixtures this year are: Thursday 5th May Stevenage 10k Wednesday 18th May Bishops Stortford 10k Tuesday 7th June Welwyn Garden City 10k Thursday 30th June St Albans 7m Wednesday 13th July Trent Park 9k All races start at 7:45pm.

Competitors do need to wear a club vest in these races and vests will be available to borrow and/or purchase at the club and at each event if required.

A running number is also required and will be available beforehand or at each event. Your number needs to be pinned to the front of your vest and is the same number for all races so don’t throw your number away until after the final race.

Please do come along and support your club. The sight of 200+ Spartans all massed together in their blue striped vests at the start of the race truly will be amazing!!!!!

Paul Holgate

Marathon training – the Fab Four, an update

Nick Andy Steve Jason

On Sunday 17th April the intrepid Fab 4 finally took to the streets of London for the Virgin London Marathon. 26.2 miles later they were all back in one piece, despite the heat of the day being a major additional challenge to them all. All finishers in their first marathon, with the medal to show for it!!!

Andy Prior said:

“At 9.45 on April 17th 2001 I moved toward the start line and 20 minutes later I began one of the biggest challenges of my life, a marathon. All the preparation helps, but nothing can prepare you for the feeling of crossing the start line, it’s special.

I went through 8 miles bang on plan, then the sun came out and the wheels wobbled. At halfway I was on track to hit all my goals, elated I pressed on (afterwards finding I’d forgotten to take my gels & drinks as planned), but at mile 17 the wheels fell off. A combination of the heat and discovering that I really should have respected the distance more led me to begin a run / walk strategy to finish.

I knew I had been in a bad way in Docklands as I totally missed 3 Spartan ladies shouting at me, I just thought Andy was a really popular name!

One huge thank you was to Hazey, Rich, Tracy and Andy for their support along the Embankment. Seeing the Spartan colours draped at 15ft and being relentlessly cheered on motivated me to the end.

I turned the corner of The Mall to see the finish line and managed to get across in 4.53.31, so I managed to hit goals 1, 2 and 3, just number 4 evaded me.

Then to find my bag and find the Spartans, another great reception and lots of friendly faces giving heaps of praise.

So many great memories, the booing at 3 miles when the starts merge, the ghost pub, so many different smells (not always legal), every pub you passed having a sound system, being offered a beer at every pub, the fancy dress runners including the ‘ginger bread man’ who I ran most of the way with, along with the sound of “run run as fast as you can can’t catch him he’s the gingerbread man!”

Jason Scales added:

“I learned a lot during Sunday’s race and it has opened my eyes in what I need to do next time. Firstly the heat was brutal and it made the whole race a struggle from 10 miles onwards. Secondly the support from the crowd which included my family and our fellow Spartans was mind blowing, even emotional at times when I needed a lift. Lastly was the team spirit and not leaving anyone behind. Nick and Karina were struggling when I caught up with them and I felt that I needed to stay and support then through to the finish line regardless of my own race plan. I even had to give Steve a lift over the last 800 meters when he had nothing left in the tank.

The whole experience was amazing and I do want to experience it again one day. I have some work to do to get to the level I want to be at, but I know that with the help & support of Fairlands Valley Spartans, I will get there.”

Nick Whitcombe said:

“My aim on race day was to follow a run/walk plan alongside Steve Watkins and Michelle Long, with the time estimated for around 5 hours 15 minutes, following a pacemaker around the course. Preparation for the 5 weeks up to race day had not been great for me due to a knee injury so I thought this would give me the best chance of reaching the finish.

All went well for until we met a fellow Spartan, Karina Ridgewell, who had picked up an injury to her knee. Following much persuasion and promises of support from us she joined us for the remainder of the race. However we had lost our pacemaker.

The next 16 miles were fantastic. The support en route from my family, fellow Spartans and the general public around the course was brilliant and running across Tower Bridge was just an awesome experience. However at mile 19, I believe I hit the dreaded wall. I knew it was bad as I was passed by a runner carrying a washing machine on his back. This may be down to a mixture of the heat, not enough hydration and the physical exertion of running a marathon. Fortunately as I was running as part of a team, which had now increased in size to 5 as Jason Scales had joined us, they managed to help me through this part of the race.

Once I reached the Embankment I felt great. My legs and feet felt a bit sore but physically I felt strong. We all decided to cross the finish line together and we did in a time of 6 hours 55 minutes. I wasn't concerned about the time, I just wanted the famous medal and the achievement of completing my first marathon. It was such a fantastic and memorable day and I will definitely be entering the ballot for VLM 2012

Steve Watkins has been busy adding some great material to the Fab Fours website. If you haven’t already seen it, the four guys (Jason, Andy, Nick and Steve) have their own blog that can be found at http://runningwiththefabfour.wordpress.com/

Chris ‘Coach’ Leigh

Listening to your body

Such an overused statement, and so hard to do for so many of us runners! What it means is that we have to recognise when enough is enough for each of us and when to back off and have a rest! (Yes, the R word that I am often reminded about that so many Spartans do not have in the vocabulary!) Running hard over a long or continuous cycle will result in a number of things including poor performance, declining performance or injuries (or all three in that order). Whilst we are not elite athletes, I would like to think that we are all trying to achieve a similar objective – getting the most from our running and enjoying it whilst we do that. For a lot of individuals at the club getting the most from their running is measured by their individual performance and you will not be able to achieve or sustain good performance without taking a rest or recovery on a regular basis during your training cycles.

Why all this spiel I hear you cry? Well we are moving into what I have often referred to as summer time racing madness. You only have to look at the week beginning 2nd May to see what I mean – a race every day if you want it (and unfortunately some Spartans will!!)

Run smarter

The smart way to run is to value the importance of recovery and rest within your schedule. If you have run hard on one day you do not want to be running hard the next day – simples!

Take a rest or recovery on Day 2. You may even need a further period of rest/recovery on Day 3 etc depending upon what you have been doing on Day 1 (for example, a marathon – take a look at last month’s edition for further details on recovery). Now recovery does not have to be entirely sedentary, based on the couch watching the TV! There is such a thing as active recovery where you exercise but at a far lower rate and resting the parts of your body that you have previously been working hard. For example, you may wish to take a short(ish) walk or a gentle bike ride or a swim.

For Spartans the coming few months are a riskier territory with our training schedule regularly punctuated with the midweek league races. This is before you factor in any additional racing that individuals are completing. It is vital, therefore, that you look at the training schedule and sensibly determine which training sessions you can run in around the races and, importantly, how you will be running in your training. This is likely to mean, for example, that you drop down at least one and maybe two groups on a Tuesday evening after a race. If you normally run in Group 4, for example, go out in Group 2 and get to know their coach(es) and runners. It is a great way to meet a wide range of individuals in the club and look after your body and recovery at the same time. Use a similar approach for your Thursday training session. If you normally run an intervals based session on a Thursday it does not necessarily mean you have to miss that after a race the previous week or weekend but it does mean you have to think carefully about the pace you run the session at. If, for example, the session is 6 x go into the session with a target of running it at 75% of your usual pace for that session. The session will still give you a good workout, help you run at a controlled pace and also reduce the risk of injury later in the year. As runners we must not undervalue training sessions where you are teaching your mind and your body to run at a particular pace, even if that pace is 75-80% of your target pace. Controlled running where you are focussing on form and technique leads to you becoming a quicker and better runner.

So please have a good look at the latest training schedule, the coaching team have put a lot of work into it. Then work out what sessions you will be running and how you will be running them in order to be in the best shape not just for MWL race 1 in Stevenage but the MOB match and beyond!

Chris ‘Coach’ Leigh

Meet the Team

Over the next few editions we will be meeting each member of the team to find out a little more about them and why they joined the coaching team. There will also be pictures so that you can put faces to names!!

Jo Laing

Q. When did you join the club? A. It was during 2007.

Q. Why did you join the club? A. At the time I was happy enough with my running, chipping away fractions on my race times and getting PBs but something was missing. Joining the club was the push that I needed and this was quite evident in the next marathon I ran after joining – I shed a full 20 minutes off!!! My training became more varied, less mileage and never alone!

Q. Why did you join the coaching team? A. I wanted to become a coach because I know from teaching that ‘to learn is to teach and to teach is to learn’.

Q. What are you hoping to do through your involvement in the coaching team? A. Share my enthusiasm for running and provide support for other runners in the club.

Q. When do we typically see you at training? A. I am a regular at the Tuesday sessions, usually running and now leading in Group 5.

Q. What are your aims in 2011 for your running and/or coaching? A. I rarely set targets as my overwhelming desire is to simply enjoy the privilege of being able to run. However, a carrot is currently dangling at me – a sub 3 hour marathon beckons!!

Q. Tell us something about you that other Spartans will not know! A. I trained as a professional musician and still perform the odd gig but never whilst running!!

Bev Harlow

Q. When did you join the club? A. About 20 years ago, in 1991.

Q. Why did you join the club? A. I was lucky enough to have received a ballot place in the London Marathon. I initially had planned to walk it but then thought I should get fitter and run it instead.

Q. Why did you join the coaching team? A. I was keen to join the team because over the last 20 years I have gained so much from the club that I wanted to give something back.

Q. What are you hoping to do through your involvement in the coaching team? A. I am hoping to retire in 2012 and so hope to have more time available from then. In the meantime I am helping Tony Osborne with Group 2 on a Tuesday.

Q. When do we typically see you at training? A. I am a regular in Group 2 on a Tuesday and also at the Angel’s sessions on a Saturday morning.

Q. What are your aims in 2011 for your running and/or coaching? A. As it is 20 years since I started running this year I have entered the Abingdon marathon which takes place on my birthday!! I will be moving up an age category and may even get myself an anniversary PB, who knows!

Q. Tell us something about you that other Spartans will not know! A. My niece is the Olympic javelin thrower Goldie Sayers and I can’t run much on Sunday mornings as I am a church organist.

Charlie Patterson

Q. When did you join the club? A. April 2010

Q. Why did you join the club? A. My running was not improving – I needed something better and with structure rather than just pounding away at the treadmill.

Q. Why did you join the coaching team? A. To improve my knowledge of the principles of running and to be able to help others with my confidence in my answers.

Q. What are you hoping to do through your involvement in the coaching team? A. I would like to be in a position to motivate other runners, help them reach their targets whilst reducing the incidence of running injuries.

Q. When do we typically see you at training? A. Tuesdays in Group 4, Thursday speed work sessions, Saturday mornings at the track and a long run on Sundays!

Q. What are your aims in 2011 for your running and/or coaching? A. During 2011 I would like to stay injury free and work towards my first marathon.

Q. Tell us something about you that other Spartans will not know! A. During every race I wonder why I started but by the end of every race I am glad that I did!

Paul Carter (also the men’s team captain)

Q. When did you join the club? A. Early 2009

Q. Why did you join the club? A. I had thought of joining the club a few times, but when I saw the starter group advertised I decided to take the plunge. This was one of the most positive decisions of my life!

Q. Why did you join the coaching team? A. I joined the coaching team because I wanted to give something back to the starter group, that provided me with my entry point to such a fantastic club. . Q. What are you hoping to do through your involvement in the coaching team? A. My main coaching aim is to help guide runners up from the starter group to main group sessions, and then onto racing. Not everyone can win races, but we can all celebrate crossing the finish line.

Q. When do we typically see you at training? A. You can find me at every session in the kit room! When fit I try o get out with the starters on Monday and group 5 on Tuesday.

Q. What are your aims in 2011 for your running and/or coaching? A. My main running aim for 2011 is to just run again, and I am hoping to be competitive for the cross country season. My big goal is the sub 3 hour marathon in 2012. I have just been awarded the post of men's team captain, and I am looking forwards to getting to grips with the role. My main points to promote are: 1. Performance- trying to move up the local league tables in , cross country and EVAC competition; 2. Participation- EVERYONE can be a part of the race 3. Community- Support the creation of social events where ALL club members can mix.

During 2011 I would like to stay injury free and work towards my first marathon.

Q. Tell us something about you that other Spartans will not know! A. I love cake!

Saturday track training sessions

The coaching team have always focussed on trying to strike that difficult balance between variety in training sessions and delivering sessions that will appeal to all. Sometimes we get it wrong but we hope that in the main we get it right!

With the focus on the forthcoming scheduling period of May to July inclusive, a small group from the team discussed how we could add a little more structure to the session scheduling. Rather than simply looking at delivering sessions that gave runners variety, we wanted to ensure that there was a logic to the timing of the sessions and that runners understood that. The general principle is one of increasing your training load in a controlled manner followed by a period of recovery so that your body adjusts (and benefits) from that training.

I have described below how we have set about the scheduling for the Saturday track based training and the benefits that could provide to runners going through the programme. I should add at this stage that runners do not have to complete all of the sessions listed, but there are certain sessions that are repeated on a cycle so that runners can see their training performances develop and measure what those developments are, should they wish.

The main thrust of the Saturday schedule for the next three months is based around three core sessions:

1. 5 x 600m

2. 2 sets of 4 x 400m, run in lanes 1,3,5 and 7 (we label this the 400m+ session!!) The objective of the session is to run each effort in a similar time despite the distance increasing as the runner moves from lanes 1 through to lane 7

3. 4 x 200m, with short recoveries between each 200m and then a longer recovery between each set of 4 efforts;

Let’s take a look at the training progressions.

For the 600m sessions, we start on the 14th May with a set of 5 x 600m, each having a 2 and half minute recovery between them. The session is then repeated 5 weeks later on the 18th June but this time the training load is increased slightly by reducing the recovery time to 2 minutes between each 600m effort. The aim is for runners to try and run at the same pace as in the session on the 14th May on less recovery. A further 5 weeks later we repeat the session with the same recovery of 2 minutes between each effort with runners aiming to run at a similar pace, consolidating the training they have completed.

Similar principles in increased training loads will be taken into the 400m session. The session will start on the 21st May with runners having a 90 second recovery between each 400m and a 5 minute recovery between each set of 4 efforts. 5 weeks later the training load will be increased by reducing the recovery between each set to 4 minutes. In the third session on the 30th July there is a further progression in the training load by reducing the recovery between each set to 3 minutes.

The 200m session is made up of groups of 4 200m efforts with short recoveries punctuated by longer recoveries in between each set of 4 efforts. Runners complete 2 or 3 sets of 4 200m efforts. The 200m is not to be run at ‘flat out’ ace at all but in a controlled manner where the runner is concentrating on their running form (a focus on all of the track training we complete). On the 21st May we start with a 30 second recovery between each 200m and 3 minutes between each set of 4 efforts. 5 weeks later the training load is increased slightly by reducing the recovery time between each set of 4 200m to 2 minutes 9the recovery time of 30 seconds is maintained between each 200m). A further 5 weeks later there is another step in the training load by further reducing the recovery between the set of efforts to 1 and a half minutes. During the sessions the runners will aim to maintain their 200m pace whilst the training load (through reduced recoveries) is increasing.

So, in summary, the key sessions are:

Session Session 1 Session 2 Session 3 Typical/Indicative increase in training load 5 x 600 metres 14th May 18th June 23rd July 20% over a 2:30minute recoveries2:00 recoveries 2:00 recoveries 10 week period 2 sets of 4 x 400 metres 21st May 25th June 30th July 15% over a (efforts run progressively 90 seconds 90 seconds 90 seconds 10 week period in lanes 1, 3, 5 and 7) between efforts between efforts between efforts and 5 minutes and 4 minutes and 3 minutes between each set between each set between each set 2 or 3 sets of 4 x 200 metres 28th May 2nd July 6th August 23%-25% over 30 seconds 30 seconds 30 seconds a 10 week period between efforts between efforts between efforts and and and 3 minutes 2 minutes 1:30 minutes between sets between sets between sets

How quickly should runners by running each effort? No quicker than they are able to is the short answer. None of the sessions above are designed to be run flat out. The training on the track is designed to give runners sessions where they can run faster than they would normally and concentrating on their technique. Better technique provides better running which in turn means that the runner can run faster and so on. Because the runner is trying to run faster than they would normally, all abilities can be catered for – it is not a race, it is training!!! Paul Holgate has kindly provided indicative training times for each of the core sessions described above in a look up table (below) based on the Tuesday training group you run in. Target training times are also provided in the training plans that Paul sends out to each runner every month so please take a look at those as well.

Group 200 metres 400 metres+ 600m Group 1 – Red 52 seconds + 1 minute 59 seconds + 2 minutes 54 seconds + Group 2 – Yellow 45 – 51 seconds 1:44 to 1:58 2:32 to 2:53 Group 3 – Blue 38 – 44 seconds 1:29 to 1:43 2:11 to 2:31 Group 4 – Green 32 - 37 seconds 1:17 to 1:28 1:53 to 2:10 Group 5 - Black <32 seconds <1:16 <1:52

Each of the track sessions are structured around a warm up, including mobilisations and dynamic stretching, technical training (drills), the main session and cool down (including static stretching). The sessions give runners a great opportunity, working with the coaches, to focus on how they run and trying to improve those areas that need focus. We would like to see more Spartans taking part in the Saturday track training and taking advantage of the way in which the structured sessions will improve their running technique. Good technique developed on the track can then be taken into running across a wide range of distances. For new runners I would recommend that they focus on being able to run at least two training runs per week of 30 minutes continuous running per session before they start attending track training sessions. Once they are running for that length of time twice a week for 4-6 weeks.....come on down!!!

If you have any questions about the structure of the sessions then please do not hesitate to speak to Paul Holgate, Steve Smithson, Tessa Stephenson, Richie Bate or myself at training. We all believe that these sessions provide a mixture of variety but also give all runners the opportunity to focus on improving their running through controlled increases in their training load on Saturdays. Track training is fun and can be completed by all so why not come along and join in and really give your 5K times a boost during the race series in August and September.

Chris ‘Coach’ Leigh

Having a right old LiRF – with Jo Laing

Our very own Jo Laing recently attended the Leadership in Running and Fitness (LiRF) course. The LiRF course is designed to develop individuals into being able to lead out groups of runners and to attract individuals to take part in running who would normally not be keen to join running clubs. Once qualified, an individual is able to deliver fun and safe sessions both to those that are new runners and to those who want to improve their running.

What do you learn in the Leadership in Running and Fitness course?

 Looking at barriers to running and how to overcome those barriers  How to develop a session & session components including risk assessment, safety, goals and reviewing practice  Managing your group to include all abilities  Session planning, different activities to include, importance of variety  Goal setting – How to set and use personal goals  Warming up and cooling down  Correct stretching for running  Common injuries and injury prevention  Footwear – the basics  Being a leader – what’s expected of you

Jo recently shared her experiences of the day’s training course with me.

“ After a Saturday 5am start, which I always relish (!), I arrived at Winchester having used the ONLY cabbie in the City who didn’t know where the Sports stadium was! A perfect venue for this intensive, hands on course. We started by discussing barriers to running – social, personal, cultural, geographical. It made me appreciate how lucky we at Fairlands Valley Spartans are.

The usual ‘on track’ cue cards appeared (beetle cards at the UKA Level 1 course). Through each session, led by two very amenable leaders, we went through warm ups, leading sessions, stretches for cool downs ...... and plenty more which I won’t mention as then I would have to charge you!!!!

The course is excellent. It has improved my knowledge and confidence far beyond the UKA Level 1 course, which is what I had hoped for.

The other delegates were from a surprisingly wide variety of backgrounds and experience. This was a great leveler as no one felt intimidated, inferior or supercilious. Some were slow, steady whilst others, like me, competitive and not one to do half measures! We were all there to learn, make mistakes and have a fun, satisfying day.

It was intense and tiring and I felt I had run a marathon the day after!!! However, it as thoroughly worthwhile, well structured and well paced .... like any future sessions led by me!!!! “

Thanks Jo, I am sure the 10 Spartans completing the course in May will have just as good a time.

Chris ‘Coach’ Leigh Underpass Fartlek!

What is a Fartlek I hear many of you cry! It sounds a little painful!!! The word Fartlek is actually from the Swedish and means ‘speed play’. It is a form of running where, after an appropriate warm up, you run a series of efforts over random periods with recovery times also at random intervals. Determining the length of the efforts and recoveries is where the play comes in! Fartlek is similar to interval training in that short fast runs alternate with slow running or jogging recovery intervals. However, in Fartlek there is no predetermined schedule to follow, but instead the athlete will set her/his own interval lengths and pace in response to their own feeling of the workload. An advantage of Fartlek is that the athlete can concentrate on feeling the pace and their physical response to it, thereby developing self awareness and pace judgement skills. Also the athlete is free to experiment with pace and endurance, and to experience changes of pace.

A more traditional Fartlek would see runners perhaps running their effort between some fixed points or landmarks such as lampposts or trees. Equally, the Fartlek could be run whereby the effort starts when you pass a red car and finishes when you pass the next red car. The next effort would start when you pass the next red car and so on.

In Stevenage we are blessed (whilst some may say cursed) with more than our fair share of roundabouts and underpasses. Given that this takes advantage of our great cycleway network this has led me into running a slightly different form of Fartlek that I wanted to share with you.

I warm up with a slow pace run and mobilisations, for approximately half a mile to a mile, making my way to an underpass. The run starts from there. From that first underpass I then follow the cycleway running an effort until the next underpass I come to. I then move into a recovery run/jog until I reach the next underpass. At this point I step up my pace again until I reach the next underpass, and so on. The distance between the underpasses is quite random and this means that I get a random set of efforts and recoveries. Given that the run around Stevenage is undulating, the efforts and recoveries will be on a mixture of uphill, downhill and flat surfaces, giving a good overall work out. I tend to run this over a circuit between 4 and 6 miles, giving a distance of between 3 and 4.5 miles of random efforts/recoveries after you allow for your warm up and warm down periods. By changing the starting underpass and also the direction I run the circuit in I can come up with a wide variety of runs. The run can, therefore, be adjusted to suit how hard (or not) you want to run on a particular session and how you are feeling during that session.

Chris ‘Coach’ Leigh

Get out of the way!

A cry from an indignant cyclist behind a group of Spartans? Well no, actually the title of this article is really Getting yourself out of the way but I wanted to grab your attention.

Putting your personal preferences aside allows things to happen as they should. When your ego gets in the way it stops you running naturally. Sometime doing things naturally is called “going with the flow”. In running terms I always say “relax and float”*.

As an example try to follow the terrain instead of fighting it. Stretch out your stride and float down the hills in a controlled but relaxed manner. Do not fight the slope. Then keep relaxed, shorten your stride, work your arms and tackle the corresponding hill without straining. It is like changing gear in your car. You do not try driving up a steep hill in top gear, you change down until you find the correct gear to stop the engine straining. Well I hope you do!!

When you put your ego aside and relax you will find how much easier you run. Easier means less effort for the same performance.

* Quote from the Olympic and World Champion heavyweight boxer Mohamed Ali “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”. Perfect for runners.

Tony Osborne

Video clip of the month

Each month I will highlight a video from the You Tube archives that you may find useful or just interesting in your training.

This month I have picked out a topical one on hydration.

Put this link in your browser. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVoKvoqAJRM and watch the 1 and a half minute video.

Chris ‘Coach’ Leigh

!!!!sdrawkcab gninnuR

Some may say it is hard enough keeping going forwards to think about running backwards! I recently received an e-mail from a club that exclusively run backwards and it made me think about the way we currently use backward running in our training and the benefits from it.

Any of you who attend the track training on a Saturday morning will know that we regularly include a stint of backward running within our drills before the main session. Many of the reasons for that are listed below. It does develop a lighter foot strike and is, quite frankly, fun!!!

On the same day as our very own Fairlands Valley Challenge, the backwards running community will be holding the first London backwards running championships. Sounds daft!! Well there are clear benefits in adding backwards running into your routine, obviously doing this in a safe environment (the track on a Saturday is perfect for this!).

1. Running backwards burns up to a third more calories than forward running.

2. Running backwards works the muscles forward running (excepting hill work) doesn’t touch such as the shins and muscles of the front thigh.

3. Running backwards is a gentler running style (forefoot hits ground first) with elimination of ‘heel to toe’ foot striking which means less pounding.

4. Running backwards reduces potential for future injury - reduces the lower leg muscle imbalances and strengthens muscles running alongside the knees.

Now for the astonishing but! Have a look at the following world records at distances that we recognise ....but run backwards. Quite remarkable!

100m 13.6 seconds 400m 69.56 seconds 1500m 5 min 1 second 5000m 19:31 minutes Half marathon 1:40:29 Marathon 3:42:41

If this has whet your appetite to find out more then why not go to www.reverserunning.com Remember, we have no running training activities on a Wednesday evening at the moment...... who knows!!!!

Chris ‘Coach’ Leigh

Step by Step

Gradual progress means letting things grow incrementally through their own development. Running from short distances to longer distances, from slow pace to faster pace.

Where improvement happens gradually each stage forms a stable foundation for the next step. This principle holds true for very stage of development and every distance. If you try to cheat and skip steps you will either get a negative effect i.e. slowing down the process or even running slower.

A big factor in improving your running is time, not the time you run in a race but time you are prepared to invest in your future performance. Runners often come to me and ask me to help them train for their first marathon. My initial question is always the same, how many years have you been have you been running? If the answer is less than 2 years I always suggest they run for at least another year before trying a marathon. A few listen, some go head anyway, I still try to help. I try to ensure that they train for at least 6 months and run some Half Marathons and a couple of 20 mile races. Their schedule will depend on mainly on the time they are willing to commit.

Some run well others struggle. Whatever happens I know it would have been much easier if they had allowed their body to develop over a longer period.

Tony Osborne

Change in venue for training

Marriotts School are due to have their building works start on the 22nd July so we have made arrangements to use the small pavilion across the playing fields in Priestley Road. As we will have limited facilities can I ask that we all leave our valuables at home and only bring what you need to running. The club kit will still be available but in limited numbers so please see Paul Carter for your kit needs. We will be moving to the new (temporary) location on the 4th July and remain there for the duration of the works. All groups will be running via this location so we will all know how to get there.

Ian Larman

Feedback

Members of the coaching team really value feedback from members of the club. Feedback enables us to adjust training sessions and also create brand new ones!

Whilst we think we are taking the correct steps in the design and delivery of the sessions, without your feedback we don’t entirely know! The way in which you give feedback doesn’t have to be particularly formal. Just a quick word with the coach after the session has finished is enough. If you would prefer to put it in writing after further thought then go ahead and drop the team a line at [email protected]

We listen to all comments and it is a real help when we look at the forthcoming training schedules and sessions.

Thank you