Hi there, Road Runners,

Well, that was a weekend of tough challenges; on Saturday we had the hardest of the Chingford League races on the fell run course at Chingford, and on Sunday some of us had the Benfleet 15. At least the weather warmed up a bit for the latter, and, hopefully, everyone was finished before the high winds got going. Next week’s challenge is the next race in the South Essex Cross Country League, on the brand new – and therefore unknown – Nuclear Races site at Parsonage Farm, Kelvedon Hatch. Methinks the Nuclear Races might have the home advantage. At least the next Chingford League race at Victoria Park is a known quantity!

BRR Grand Prix 2024

Each year the BRR Committee selects a series of races of varying lengths from 5 miles to half marathon to form the Club’s Grand Prix competition. This year, as agreed at the last Annual General meeting, the competition will consist of eight races. Points are allocated to the BRR members who participate in the races based on their finish position in relation to other BRR members i.e. the first man gets 100 points, the second 99 points and so on. Men and women are calculated separately, with the three of each scoring the most points across the best five of the eight races earning a trophy.

The first race in this year’s competition is the Brentwood Half Marathon on 24 March (see https://www.brentwoodhalf.org/). The Committee has decided the second race will be The Great Baddow 10 (miles) on 19 May (see https://baddowraces.co.uk/). Other races in the competition will be decided as more races are announced.

Maranoia

I laughed when Jess told me she might be suffering from maranoia, but it is a thing. Maranoia is used to describe the anxiety and paranoia that can arise during the preparation for a marathon. It’s a form of performance anxiety that can cause you to second-guess your training, your nutrition, and your overall preparedness for a race. And it’s not just marathon runners who suffer from it – it can happen to anyone preparing for a race with special significance for them.

Fears usually focus on three areas:

Injury/illness – picking up an injury or illness and being unable to train, or to compete on the big day. This can sometimes manifest itself as ‘phantom’ niggles (e.g. ‘does that old injury really hurt, or am I imagining it?’)

Fear of an accident or blowing up on race day – being unable to complete what you have set out to do and suffering the ignominy of having to drop out.
Under-achievement - not being able to deliver the target you have set for yourself.

All the fears boil down to the worry of not being able to finish the race in the way you planned and feeling like a failure as a result, especially if everyone’s eyes are on you and expectations are high.

Maranoia can also be caused simply by the intense physical demands of marathon training. Running long distances can take a toll on the body, and the fear of injury or illness can contribute to anxiety.

Overcoming maranoia

If you’re experiencing maranoia, the Virtual Runner website suggests several strategies you can use to overcome it:

Focus on the process, not the outcome

Shift your focus from the outcome of the race to the process of preparing for it. Focus on the things you can control and break it down into small steps. Look back at the progress you’ve made, rather than constantly focusing on what you still need to achieve and celebrate small victories along the way, such as running a new personal best, or completing a tough training session. It’s obvious, but practice with your race day kit and chosen race fuel, so you don’t have to worry about it on race day. And remember, your marathon performance isn’t made in one day or one week, but is the culmination of your individual weeks of consistent training.

Set realistic goals

You should set your goals based on your current level of fitness, not what you would like to achieve in an ideal world. If you are preparing for your first marathon, your main goal should be completing the race, which is an achievement in itself. It’s fine to have a time you would like to finish in and train towards that time, but make sure it is realistic.

Stay in the moment

This is now often referred to as mindfulness, but it’s really just a matter of focusing on the here and now and not what might happen later in your training plan or on race day. If you start worrying about the future, analyse those thoughts and feelings. If they centre on something you can influence, fine, do something to address them. But if they are unfounded worries, recognise them as that and put them back in the box.

Find a support system

Surround yourself with people who encourage and support you, and who understand the challenges of preparing for a marathon. Hopefully, this will be your family and friends, and running buddies in BRR. Just beware of well-intentioned and sometimes conflicting advice – what worked for someone else might not work for you. If in doubt, best to follow the guidance of professional trainers (in books or magazines etc).

Take care of your body

Taking care of your body is essential during marathon training. Proper nutrition, hydration, and rest can help prevent injury and illness, and increase your overall well-being. Make sure you’re fuelling your body with healthy, nutrient-dense foods, drinking plenty of water, and getting enough sleep – and cut back on the booze! If you feel a niggle, even if it might be imaginary, go and get it checked out – a trained sports massage therapist or physio can give you useful advice and maybe put your mind at rest.

Have a plan for the day

If you’re worried about the logistics of the day itself, make sure you have a thorough plan in place. Work out what time you will need to arrive at the race site, where you can leave bags, and where you will meet people when you finish.

Make sure you have prepared everything you need for race day a few days in advance, especially if your marathon is away from home. Don’t do what one of the Dagenham 88 ladies did at the Great South Run and get up on race day to discover you have left your running bra (gents can insert their preferred essential piece of kit) at home, it's Sunday morning and you can’t buy a replacement as the shops aren’t open yet!

Build in plenty of extra time for your journey to allow for any unforeseen events. Give yourself enough time to eat a proper breakfast (which you have already tried out on one of your long-run training days) without rushing, and make sure you factor in any toilet stops that might be needed!

Reminder: free London Marathon training sessions

Talking of a support system, don’t forget that Nehal’s friends at Tracksmith are offering free (or £5 if you want to take their bus to the start point) London Marathon training runs, if you don’t fancy doing your Sunday long runs by yourself. You don’t even need to be doing a marathon to take part! Check out the link for further details: https://ti.to/tracksmith/100-days-to-london-2024

Belated Congratulations

Well done to the wandering Isabel Pinedo Borobio who finally collected her trophy for coming second in the BRR women’s South Essex Cross Country League competition 2022-23.

Be afraid, be very afraid! SECCL Round 4

We’ve just had details of the South Essex Cross Country League race this Sunday (28 January). I’m not saying it’s going to be a tough course, but we are required to get all participants to sign a disclaimer before they can run; the form will be available on the day. Participants are also required to let the onsite medic know if they have any relevant medical conditions. On the plus side, although the race is organised by Nuclear Races, there will be no obstacles on the course. Well, other than the usual mud, tree roots hills etc etc.

Note the race venue is NOT at the Secret Nuclear Bunker or at the Nuclear Races event village. The full address and other details are available in the BRR diary, below. Refreshments will be on sale after the event. ‘Hot washdowns’ and changing rooms will be available.

Greg’s Race Report

After a couple of quiet weeks, it was the Chingford League round 05 this week for Barking Road Runners. The approximately 5-mile cross-country run hosted by Orion Harriers on a hilly part frozen, rutted, and muddy course at Epping Forest.

First finisher for BRR was Thomas Fahey 41:51 he was followed by Mark New 45:38, Jagbir Bassi 45:47, John George 46:18, Tom Brennan 47:22, Belinda Riches 48:10, Nehal Patel 51:50, James Hall 54:23, Lizzie-Beth Garraghan 56:49, Tom Shorey 57:42, Joyce Golder 58:01, Mick Davison 58:18, Jason Li 58:49, Alison Fryatt 1:10:19 and Les Jay 1:11:30.

Some of the BRR crew, friends and supporters at the Benfleet 15: Dawn, Rob, Lizzie-Beth, Colin, Cristina, supporter Joe and friend.

Several BRR members competed in the Benfleet 15-mile race. The tough, part tarmac, part trail, course with a nasty finishing hill is usually associated with bad weather too, although this time the runners only had the strong winds of Storm Isha to deal with. The first BRR finisher was Colin Jones 2:16:52 followed by Rory Burr 2:17:50, Cristina Cooper 2:39:29, Louise Chappell 2:53:35, Emma Paisley 3:00:15, Rob Courtier at 3:05:53, Lizzie-Beth Garraghan 3:07:50 and Dawn Curtis 3:21:07.

BRR parkrunners

Barking - Stephen Philcox 18:43, Mark Odeku 19:50, Joshua Ezissi 22:52, Ricky Narwal 24:56, Stephen Colloff 26:08, Rosie Fforde 26:14, Andrew Hiller 28:29, Ron Vialls 29:43, Martin Mason 31:07, Nikki Cranmer 32:18 and Micky Ball 50:36.

Bury St Edmunds - Jack Nixon 20:44.

Harrow Lodge - Rory Burr 23:14.

Lincoln - Dennis Spencer-Perkins 33.08.

Raphaels - Doug King 27:44 and Martin Brooks 29:04.

Rushmoor - Owen Wainhouse 20:46.

Southwark - Clodagh O’Callaghan 37:09.

Valentines - Andrew Gwilliam 57:29.

Highest BRR age gradings this week were Rosie Fforde 56.99% for the women and Stephen Philcox 84.24% for the men.

BRR Diary – January/February

Download the TeamUp app onto your phone, then enter the calendar key for Barking Road Runners when asked: ks67p21gt8p5gzdo66 to see all BRR’s agreed fixtures for the year. If you have trouble accessing the diary via the app, you can also find it under the ‘events’ tab on the Barking Road Runners website: https://www.barkingroadrunners.org.uk/calendar.

w/c 20 January - Virtual Handicap 02. Yes, it has already started. If you did parkrun on Saturday, that will count. Remember to post your time on the WhatsApp group before midnight this Friday for your run to count.

7.00pm, Tuesday 23 January - Speed development. Jim Peters Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. We have a mild evening with perhaps rain and gusty winds (thank you Storm Jocelyn) to look forward to. This week we have a Diminishing Recovery session:

· 4 x (2 mins run, 1 min recovery), 1 min extra recovery

· 4 x (2 mins run, 45 secs recovery), 1 min extra recovery

· 4 x (2 mins run, 30 secs recovery), 1 min extra recovery

7.00pm, Friday 26 January. Club Curry Night. Curry Mahal, 27 Goresbrook Road, Dagenham, RM9 6UX. You then have a day to recover before…

10.00am, Sunday 28 January – SECCL XC04. Wild Forest, Parsonage Farm, Ongar Road, Brentwood, Essex CM15 0LA. Come along to the first-ever SECCL race at this venue, on the Nuclear Races site. There will be a Nuclear Flag on the roadside. Download the what 3 words app and navigate to flames.land.lows . Normally £5 to enter but just £3 for BRR members, on the day in cash or directly into the BRR bank account.

w/c 2 February - Virtual Handicap 03.

11:00am, Saturday 3 February – Victoria Park 5 road race (Chingford League). Victoria Park and Tower Hamlets Ladies Club House, Cadogan Terrace, Hackney, E5 5EG. This will feel like a walk in the park (or a run in the park) after the Chingford League race at Chingford! Just remember to bring your number or, if you still haven’t participated in the League this year, let us know and we will get you a number.

12:30pm, Sunday 4 February – West Ham Ladies v Arsenal Ladies. Club outing to the football at the Chigwell Construction Stadium, Victoria Road, Dagenham.

10.00am, Sunday 18 February – SECCL XC05. Weald Park. The last race in this year’s cross-country competition, courtesy of Billericay Striders Running Club.

Cracker Corner

Did you hear the rumour that there is a shortage of butter? Don’t tell anyone, they may spread it.

I was watching an Australian cookery programme the other day and the audience cheered when the chef made meringue. I was shocked. Australians usually boo meringue.

I was going to accuse my neighbour of stealing my socks from the washing line, but I got cold feet.

Quote of the week:

“The best runs come on days when you didn’t feel like running”.

Anon

And finally…

If you have taken part in a SECCL race before the current season, you will know that we have previously had to wear a letter ‘B’ on our vests, to identify us as BRR members. Why was always a bit of a mystery, as we were also required to wear club colours. But it meant I had to spend some time at the start of each season making laminated Bs to ensure all our runners had one. So, it was with mixed feelings that I heard that the Bs were no longer needed this year.

Even so, I hung on to my box of Bs for old time's sake, until last Friday when I decided to be bold and throw them away; just one managed to escape the cull. Of course, it does mean that this might be my last chance to use my favourite photo by Jason. And I didn’t even realise he was taking a picture of me…

BRR Blog - 22 January 2024

Hi there, Road Runners,

BRR Grand Prix 2024