The official magazine of Team Bath Athletic Club First published Tuesday 01 Dec 1987 The Bath Plug

Issue 1466 30 May 2019

Rory Howorth with a high scoring 6688 point tally in his first at the EA Combined Events Champs.

In the Plug this week: a report of more Team Avon success at YDL UAG Exeter, some top performances in Bedford, Simon Brace extols the benefits of cycling after his duathlon success in Marlow, Dave Coales hits 50 (....parkruns) ­ 13 years after his first, info on entries for upcoming open meets, and this week's results.

Also don't miss that Paul King has arranged for a combined S&C plus Oregon Circuits session, with Kriss Hendy from Strength for Endurance, on Sun 16th June at the STV ­ details below.

I've held back Edinburgh results to next week because I've not yet found club­ searchable results ­ but well done to everyone who ran!

Tom Davies (Plug Editor)

YDL UAG Exeter By Di Viles

Team Avon, the composite team for U/17 and U/20 athletes, which includes Team Bath AC, competed in the second SW Premier YDL UAG match at Exeter and again completely overwhelmed the other teams. TBAC athletes played a huge part in this success.

'A' winners on the track were Charlotte Longden in the U/17 w 100m in 12.85, Enya Maylor in the U/17 w 1500m s/c in 5.17.42, Femi Akinbobola, who goes from strength to strength with yet another PB in the U/20 400m in 49.27, Filip Oczko in the U/17 m 400m in 53.57, Eleanor Webster in the U/17 w 800m in 2.24.23, Alex Parsons in the U/17 m 3000m in 9.01.66, Ella Treby in the U/17 w 3000m in 11.02.7, and Harry Meredith in the U/17 m 400m hurdles in 58.21. Also winners were the 4 x 100m relay teams (U/20 m 44.56, U/17 m 45.70, U/17 w 52.17), 4 x 300m (U/17 w 3.00.79), and the 4 x 400m teams (U/20 m 3.31.01, U/20 w 4.17.20), all of which included TBAC athletes.

In the field, we had more success with A wins for Peter Adeosun in the U/17 m with 1m85 and Marcin Olech, making a welcome return to competition, with wins in the U/20 m with 6m64 and with 12m50.

On the track, there were B wins for James Lanfear in the U/20 m 100m in 11.56 and triple jump with 11m55, Imogen Leakey in the U/20 w 100m in 12.52. Ellie Mount in the U/17 w 100m in 12.67, Joe Carter in the U/17 m 200m in 23.37, Charlotte Longden in the U/17 w 200m in 26.30, Enya Maylor in the U/17 w 300m in 44.20, India Ibbotson in the U/20 400m in 63.37, In the field, B winner was Robyn Ellison in the U/20 w long jump with 5m44.

Second A places went to Luka Williams (U/17 m 100m in 11.26), Imogen Leakey (U/17 w 200m in 25.68), Justin Davies (U/17 m 1500m in 4.09.94), Ellie Mount (U/17 w 80mH in 12.08), Enya Maylor (U/20 400mH in 71.56), Ben Game (U/17 m triple jump with 11m31), Will Scammell (U/17 m 100mH in 14.96 and shot with 11m89), whilst second B places went to Joe Carter (U17 m 100m in 11.39), James Gordon (U/17 m 800m in 2.09.84), Abby Rucker (U/17 w 1500m in 5.35.81), Tabitha Gallen (U/17 w 80mH in 12.32), Ben Game (U/17 m long jump with 5m60), and Keelan Tucker (U/17 m javelin with 33m94).

There were some fantastic times in the sprints but sadly, many of them were wind assisted. Great performances all round and TeamAvon should be well on the way to the National Final again.

EA Combined Events (Decathlon) Champs By Caroline Howorth

Jonathan Evans and Rory Howorth competed in their first decathlon, having moved up to U20 age group and both excelled with Rory finishing 6th overall (6688 points) in the National championships and collecting a bronze medal in the Midlands championships and Jonathan finishing 16th overall (5153 points) and winning the Welsh title. There were 25 competitors in the competition, half of whom were more than two years older than Jonathan and Rory so this was an amazing result.

Over the course of two very long days both Jonathan and Rory set 5 PBs a piece. Full results in results section below.

At the same competition, Joel Mattacks was competing in a Disability open competition and set a PB in his first round of the 100m running an impressive time of 11.97 seconds (1st time sub­12), finishing second in his heat. In his second round heat, Joel finished in a time of 12.28 secs. Joel also competed in the long jump, clearing 5.08m and ran a time of 59.81 seconds for the 400m.

Marlow Classic Half Iron Duathlon By Simon Brace

As some of you know, since succumbing to various running related injuries over recent years, I have become a keen advocate of cycling to complement running. It started with spin classes (well, it actually started with my paper­rounds but we haven’t got time for that…), then three years ago I bought a road bike to train for City to Summit – run out of Edinburgh, 112 bike further north, then a marathon run to the summit of Ben Nevis and back down. The disgusting weather on race day could have put me off cycling for life; but instead, the whole experience (months of training included) reignited my love of cycling. The adventure of a 100 mile weekend bike ride through the glorious British countryside is unparalleled. And you get to eat cake. Lots!

I continued to cycle as part of my training and, for a time, I felt it kept me niggle­free. But my cycling was sporadic. Crucially, when my running fitness was peaking, all I wanted to do was run. Inevitably that was my downfall. When your running just flies and you’re training hard, you just want to train (run) harder. You think you’re invincible but it’s exactly then that you’re most likely to break. And so it happened. I got my first stress fracture a few weeks after my first Ultra last summer, too eager to get back to training and build on my Ultra running fitness. There’s a reason why professional athletes train in cycles. It’s simply not possible to sustain peak fitness and training levels without snapping.

So this January I decided to redefine my passion, my pursuit, myself… as a duathlete. No longer a runner that sometimes cycles (usually when injured), but someone who trains equally hard on the bike as well as pounding the track, pavements and trails. I joined up with coach Paul Ransome and his Bath based Zoot Athlos Racing Team – the only duathlete among a bunch of talented triathletes, but that’s cool with me. Already committed to Manchester Marathon, he trained me to a 2hr42 finish on just 4 runs/week, cycling the other 3 days. I never thought that marathon time would be possible on so little running, but it’s clear evidence that structured bike training can complement running perfectly. Since then, the training bias has reversed to favour cycling.

The goal is GB age­group qualification for long distance duathlon. POWERMAN is the IRONMAN equivalent in duathlon, with its World Championships taking you on a brutal , 150k bike, then 30k run, racing through the Swiss Alps by Zofingen. This felt like a realistic ambition; to race a long­distance UK qualifier in September to then compete in Zofingen next year. But this plan took an unexpected turn when just a few weeks ago I noticed a long­distance duathlon was being raced on Sunday as part of a triathlon event in Marlow. Long distance duathlons are quite rare, so my coach and I agreed this would be a great opportunity to get my first race experience.

My running fitness was ticking over nicely, and I had been hitting strong numbers in my bike training. But there’s a huge difference between training and racing. Converting hard training into equally impressive race times is a skill that demands experience and race­ intelligence. I had none of the former, and many would argue I have none of the latter! :) So I was, at best, cautiously optimistic. And whilst excited at what I could do, also quite anxious about what lie ahead. Cycling presents a whole new world of potential problems: punctures, mechanical failures, traffic incidents, etc. Put simply, I was also a bit scared.

And so race day came. Up at 3:45 for a 7:00 start – ouch! Four hours later, without too much drama, I was done. But this article isn’t about describing the race. Sure, it was up, down, flat, bumpy, pretty, well organised, and a great atmosphere – yes, I would recommend it. This article is moreover about the virtues of cycling to complement your running. You can run just as fast, if not faster, by substituting some of those easy (junk) mile runs for structured bike workouts. You’re able to integrate more quality workouts into your week because you’re mixing the muscles you’re pounding. Ironically, you will in fact end up running for longer (in your lifetime) because you’ll get injured less. But of equal importance is the variety you’re introducing with a second discipline. Variety keeps things interesting, it keeps you motivated, it keeps you fast… maybe faster!

And so it did… make me fast… in Marlow. I conquered the /86k bike/20k run in 4:07, winning by 5 minutes, 21 minutes quicker than the winning time last year, and a potential course record, TBC. I chatted afterwards with the chaps in 2nd and 4th – both are Team GB age­groupers off to Zofingen in September, encouraging me to go. It’s a whole year earlier than I intended but winning at Marlow has given me instant GB qualification if I want it. I’m undecided whether I should still wait, but that’s not important right now. I’m just buzzing for what might lie ahead in the coming years. So I hope my experience, my excitement, my motivation might inspire you to throw a bit of cycling into the mix. After all, what’s the worst that can happen? You won’t even fall off if you try spinning first!

Oh Brother, my 50th parkrun! By Dave Coales

June 10, 2006, England beat Paraguay 1­0 in their opening fixture of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the word "Brexit" didn't exist and I ran my first parkrun at Bushy Park. Nearly 13 years later I finally ran my 50th parkrun at the interesting, but tricky, Somerdale Pavilion Park Run, Keynsham.

I was joined by my sister Anna Keen on her parkrun debut and old friend and rival Craig Davey who has recently rejoined the club. Attached is a photo of the three of us after we had completed the most unusual course I have ever run. For the record I came 5th in 18.40, Craig ran 21 minutes and Anna 32 minutes. Anna who turned 40 last month has never been as keen a runner as her older brother!

Strength for Endurance for Runners By Paul King

On Sunday 16th June 10am­12pm there will be a S&C session featuring Kriss Hendy from Strength for Endurance. Open to all TBAC members. To be held at the STV (indoor and outdoor track). Will also include some running in the form of Oregon Circuits. Contact me for further info. Upcoming T&F Open Meets By Di Viles

TBAC Open TBAC will host our track & field open on 26th June. Information on the club website here. includes the Avon AA 1500m Championships. I will be looking for officials to help on that meeting (contact me: [email protected]). There will now be a 3000m race at 6.40pm before the main schedule.

Mendip AC Opens (Millfield) June 6th & June 27th (Glastonbury festival week).

B&W/Avon AA/Yate Open Meetings includes Avon AA Championships events, and entries are now open. July 17th meeting: Avon Championships entries close Jul 14th. August 14th meeting: Avon Championships entries close Aug 11th. September 4th meeting: Avon Championships entries close Sep 1st.

B&W's Night of Fast 5000s, Yate Saturday 27th July. Likely to sell out fairly early. Incl Avon AA 5000m champs.

Upcoming local races By Thomas Davies

Links to local races which have sent me info recently:

Chippenham Harriers River Run 5K 3rd Jul 2019 AVR Relay 6th Jul 2019 (teams of 4) Savernake 10K 13th Jul 2019 Keynsham 10K 6th Oct 2019

The Bath Plug is the weekly magazine of Team Bath AC. Copy and comment for publication, questions and corrections to the editor at [email protected]. Copy to the editor by Wednesday 18.00 for inclusion. Available online at teambathac.org.

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