Hi there Road Runners

What a difference a day makes, twenty-four little hours. But they probably don’t seem like little hours to our runners who have taken on serious challenges over the weekend, like the Spitfire Scramble. In Owen Wainhouse’s case, I imagine he would have been pleased if the Hardrock 100 was just 24 little hours! There was plenty of other race action over the past week – see Greg’s race report for the details.

Now the European Football Championships are done and dusted (sigh) we can concentrate our sporting attention on the upcoming Paris Olympics; surely our athletes must do better there? Let’s keep believing!

Don’t forget we have Handicap 05 this Thursday – I am expecting more thrills but hopefully no spills.

2024-25 South Essex Cross Country League (SECCL) competition

BRR is part of the South Essex Cross Country League (SECCL), a winter competition for The SECCL Annual General Meeting took place on Monday 1 July, and there was bad news and good news.

The bad news is that there are big question marks around the two races that take place in Hadleigh Country Park (HCP). The Head Ranger has decided that the quad bike used by the first aid providers, EMS, is no longer allowed as their All-Terrain Vehicle licence is not to the required level. However, this seems a bit irrelevant as he has also decided that no vehicles other than those owned by HCP are allowed on site (other than the car park). As the events can’t get an England Athletics licence without first aid on site, that creates serious problems. Organisers from the affected races are due to speak to the ranger and hope to be able to reach a compromise.

The good news is that there is a new race on the calendar, organised by Rochford RC, at Hockley Woods. It is always good to run a new route, so that should be fun.

Fixtures agreed (all races start at 10.00am)

· 20th October 2024 – Hadleigh Country Park, hosted by Benfleet RC

· 8th December 2024 – One Tree Hill, hosted by Pitsea RC

· 29th December 2024 – Hadleigh Country Park, hosted by Leigh-on-Sea Striders

· 12th January 2025 – Wild Forest, hosted by Nuclear Races

· 2nd February 2025 – Hockley Woods, hosted by Rochford RC

· 16th February 2025 – Reserve date (in case one of the other races has to be cancelled)

Quiz Question

Which country’s flag is square rather than rectangular?

Answer at the end of the blog

Innovation of the Year

Sometimes someone just comes up with a brainwave. And that person most recently was Nabeel Akram. Nabeel noticed how we all leave our bags laying on the stairs next to the track start line, and installed some hooks. What a good idea - thanks Nabeel!

Nabeel’s hanging hooks. Alan is wondering why he didn’t think of it!

Athletics in the News

‘I don’t believe anyone’s good enough to beat me on 6 August.'

Brave words from Team GB runner Josh Kerr in the latest edition of Runner’s World magazine. Kerr was talking about the 1500m final at the Paris Olympics, where he is expected to slug it out with Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

Kerr has gone from strength to strength since in August 2023. It was there, at the World Championships in Budapest, that he trounced his Norwegian rival, kicking in the last 200m of the race to take the gold medal. Ingebrigtsen afterwards claimed he was suffering from a sore throat on the night and that was the only reason he was beaten. But Kerr’s performances since that night have shown that it wasn’t just a fluke: since then he has beaten the World 2-mile record, won 3000m gold in the World Indoor Championships in March in front of a Glasgow home crowd, and broken Steve Cram’s 39-year-old British mile record at the Diamond League meet in Oregon in May. He’s not just fast over the middle distances either; he managed a 61:51 half-marathon PB in San Diego just before Christmas, putting him in the top 25 quickest Britons of all time).

The 1500m final at the Paris Olympics will take place on Tuesday 6 August this year – one to watch.

Hydration

Homemade drinks - customise them as you wish!

A couple of blogs ago I talked about the importance of hydration while running. While you don’t need to overdo the liquids, especially on shorter runs, it is important that you are well-hydrated before you start. If you are running a longer distance, you will need to top up on the way, even in colder weather, to replace fluids that you have lost through sweat and respiration.

But lots of us can’t tolerate the off-the-shelf sports drinks, and they can work out expensive too. So it may be worth your while making your own sports drink. You should save some money, and there is the added benefit of being able to tailor the drink to your own specific needs, while avoiding lots of artificial flavours and colourings. Bespoke sports drinks – like the elite athletes!

How To Make A Homemade Sports Drink

There are three basic ingredients in a sports drink: water; sugar; and salt. To make them palatable, they will contain some sort of flavouring too.

The water provides the fluids to hydrate the body.

The sugar provides carbs to give you energy and also help with the absorption of the fluid and electrolytes. Studies suggest that sports drinks that combine fructose and glucose are more easily absorbed during exercise than glucose-only solutions. Isotonic sports drinks contain a carbohydrate concentration of about 6 to 8% by volume e.g. 60-80g carbs to every litre of liquid.

Finally, the salt helps replace sodium lost in sweat and through respiration. You need just ½ teaspoon per litre of water to replicate commercial sports drinks.

Below are a couple of recipes you can try.

Fruit Juice Sports Drink

Fruit juice is a good base for a sports drink as the carbs come from a mixture of fructose and glucose, plus it is already flavoured. Any fruit juice will do, but 100% natural juice is best without added sweeteners.

To make one litre of fruit juice drink, use 400 to 600 ml of fruit juice, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt or (1 to 2 electrolyte tablets for potassium and magnesium too), and then top it up to a litre with plain water.

Honey (or Maple Syrup) Sports Drink

Honey is naturally sweet and will give your sports drink a nice flavour. You can use maple or agave syrup as vegan alternatives.

To make one litre of honey sports drink, add 700 ml of water to a one-litre bottle, along with two tablespoons of honey, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 230 ml of orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, or pineapple juice (the juice is for flavour – you may not need it if you use maple syrup, as it naturally has a stronger flavour than honey).

The beauty of DIY sports drink recipes is that you can adjust them to your exact preferences and needs for different workouts e.g. if you are running a longer distance, you can add some extra sugar for energy. If you are a heavy sweater, you can add a pinch of extra salt to replace lost sodium.

Greg’s Race Report

East London fiVes Interclub Series race 4, hosted by Ilford AC, was the Newman Hilly 5-mile run at Hainault Country Park this week. With lots of injuries and the small matter of England playing in the European Championships semi-finals, BRR fielded a depleted squad for this one. First finisher for BRR was Tom Brennan (36:10) followed by Craig Chappell (39:14), James Sheridan (40:51), Joyce Golder (44:32), Jason Li (46:11), Stephen Colloff (46:20), Mick Davison (47:02), Louise Chappell (49:06), Martin Mason (52:48) and Les Jay (66:18).

Belinda Riches, Tom Brennan, and Paul Withyman took part in the Spitfire 24 hour run at Havering Country Park. Each lap of the course approximately 5 miles and each them covered between 40 and 50 miles. Also running a couple of laps as supporters were Colin Jones and Peter Jackson.

The three Scramblers (Paul W, Tom B, and Belinda) before the race start

Belinda and Tom after the Spitfire Scramble

Owen Wainhouse travelled to San Juan, Colorado, for the Hardrock 100, his latest ultra run. With bears, lightning and the about 32,000 feet of ascent on the course it certainly wouldn’t be Owen’s easiest 100-mile run. In an elite field, Owen finished in 121st place, completing 91.2 miles after running for almost 48 hours, in a race where the pre-race favourite dropped out midway through.

Derv Bartlett ran the Edenderry 10-mile race finishing in a great time of 1:06:09.

Sunny Bulchandani (51:28) and (Huseyin Dogan) 1:02:31 ran into the Saucony London 10k, getting great times and a deceptively warm day.

BRR parkrunners

Barking - Mark New 22:42, Rosie Fforde 24:35, James Hall 24:59, James Sheridan 26:02, Jason Li 26:36, Barry Rowell 28:08, George Hiller 28:09, Thomas Shorey 30:36, Cristina Cooper 31:08, Andrew Hiller 31:25, Joyce Golder 31:26, Clodagh O’Callaghan 31:42, Louise Chappell 32:10, Les Jay 35:55, Faye Spooner 39:35, Joe Stacey 40:47, Alan Murphy 48:28 and Rabea Begum 65:04.

Borrisokane town - Rob Courtier 35:35, Maria Bartlett 35:38 and Nikki Cranmer 35:40.

Nikki, Maria, and Rob at Borrisokane Town parkrun

Chelmsford Central - Gary Harford 28:28

Clacton Seafront - Rory Burr 23:49, Stuart Burr 28:45, and Stephen Colloff 28:46.

Steve, Stuart B, and Rory at Clacton Seafront parkrun, before they all went skinnydipping

Southend - Ron Vialls 26:41.

Valentines - Kevin Wotton 23:25 and Andrew Gwilliam 36:17.

Highest BRR Parkrun gradings this week were Rosie Fforde 60.81% for the women and Ron Vialls 67.77% for the men.

BRR Diary – July/August

7.00pm, Tuesday 16 July – Speed Development Session. Jim Peter’s Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. This week Jess should definitely be taking the session, which will be the Mona Fartlek:

· 1 x 3:30 minutes, 2:00 minutes recovery

· 2 x 3:00 minutes, 1:30 minutes recovery

· 3 x 2:00 minutes, 1:00 minute recovery

· 4 x 1:00 minute, 1:00 minute recovery

· 5 x 0:30 seconds, 0:30 seconds recovery.

7.00pm, Thursday 18 July – Summer Handicap 05. Barking Park. There is still time for the top three to change. Just £1 to enter, with the chance of winning a tenner. Don’t miss the excitement!

7.30pm, Wednesday 31 July – Harold Wood 5k (ELVIS 5). Harold Wood Park, Harold View, Harold Wood, RM3 0LX The race is run on a one-lap multi-terrain course (some grass, some gravel paths, some tarmac) in and around Harold Wood Park and Pages Wood, Harold Wood. If the weather is dry, you should be OK with road shoes. Not suitable for spikes. There is a clubhouse where we enjoyed a drink and chat afterwards last year. Enter at https://events.kronosports.uk/event/323

10.00am, Saturday 3 August - Orion Forest Five (ELVIS 06/GP05). Race HQ, Orion Harriers clubhouse at Jubilee Retreat, Bury Road, Chingford. Double bubble points for this race, if you are competing in the Club’s ELVIS and Grand Prix competitions. C’mon, give parkrun a miss for a week and do a real race instead! Enter at https://www.entrycentral.com/Orion_Forest_Five_Race_3_ELVIS.

Cracker Corner

Why does everyone love yoga teachers? Because they bend over backwards for you.

What’s a pirate’s least favourite yoga pose? The plank.

I didn’t believe yoga would fix my posture. But I stand corrected.

My yoga teacher was drunk yesterday. She put me in a really awkward position.

Boom! Boom!

Quote of the Week

“Running reminds you that even in your weakest moments, you are strong.”

Anon

And finally…

Ladies, if you are unhappy about your running performance, you can now blame your bra. Recent research by former steeplechaser and biomechanist Shalaya Kipp reported in Runner’s World looked at whether the tightness of a running bra had any impact on performance. She asked nine female runners to train with loose, self-selected and tight underbands on their running bras.

The results showed that, during maximal running, the women had to breather at a higher frequency when wearing a tight underband compared to when wearing a loose underband. Even in steady-state running, oxygen consumption was 1.4% higher with a tight versus a loose underband. This means that you need to breath harder for the same performance when wearing a tight running bra, potentially impacting negatively on performance.

Sorry guys, you will have to look for another excuse if you are not running as fast as you’d like. Too tight pants, perhaps…

Happy running!

Alison

Chair, Barking Road Runners

Quiz Answer: the country with the square flag is…Switzerland!

BRR Blog – 15 July 2024