BRR Blog – 29 July 2024

The Olympic Phryge, modelled on a traditional French hat.

Bonjour Road Runners!

The 2024 Paris Olympics have started (in case you hadn’t spotted it). I’ve already found myself watching sports that I’m not overly interested in (it was either that or Cliff Richard in Summer Holiday on Sunday afternoon). Watching the Team GB women against Ireland in the Rugby Sevens, I was struck by how much running was involved; It’s a name big pitch and you have to be able to sprint pretty fast to outwit your opponents and get a touchdown (apologies to our rugby fans if I am using the wrong terminology). There can’t be many sports where the strength and endurance you gain from running isn’t of benefit. Maybe darts, if you call that a sport, but it’s not in the Olympics - yet.

In the meantime, here is the blog to kill a few moments between street skateboarding and breakdancing.

Athletics in the News

A sport can’t be more in the news than the Olympic Games. I would include a picture of the Olympic rings, but they are copyrighted and I would probably be sued if someone spotted it! The athletics start on 1 August. Here are the dates of some of the key finals, that you won’t want to miss:

8.20pm, Friday 2 August – men’s 10,000m final

7.55pm, Saturday 3 August – 4 x 400m mixed relay final

8.20pm – Saturday 3 August women’s 100m final

8.55pm, Sunday 4 August – men’s 100m

6.00pm, Monday 5 August – men’s pole vault

8.10pm, Monday 5 August – women’s 5,000m final

8.45pm, Monday 5 August – women’s 800m final

7.50pm, Tuesday 6 August – men’s 1500m final

8.20pm, Wednesday 7 August – men’s 400m final

7.50pm, Thursday 8 August – men’s 200m final

6.30pm, Friday 9 August – women’s 4 x 100m relay final

6.45pm, Friday 9 August – men’s 4 x 100m relay final

7.00pm, Friday 9 August – women’s 400m final

7.55pm, Friday 9 August – women’s 10,000m final

7.00am, Saturday 10 August – men’s marathon

6.25pm, Saturday 10 August – men’s 800m final

7.00pm, Saturday 10 August – men’s 5,000m final

7.25pm, Saturday 10 August – women’s 1,500m final

8.12pm, Saturday 10 August – men’s 4 x 400m relay final

8.22pm, Saturday 10 August – women’s 4 x 400m relay final

7.00am, Sunday 11 August – women’s marathon

Linford Christie

Linford Christie. Photo courtesy of WikiCommons

If you missed it on Thursday evening, it’s well worth catching up with the BBC documentary ‘Linford’ on the iPlayer.

For those who don’t remember, Linford Christie was probably the best 100/200m runner that Great Britain ever had, winning 24 major championship medals and becoming the first European sprinter to break the 10-second barrier, with a time of 9.97 seconds when winning silver at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. However, his heyday coincided with the era when athletics was dogged by drug-taking, and his career in the media spotlight was ended by a failed drug test when he came out of retirement for a final race.

After watching the programme, I am still on the fence about whether or not the drug ban was fair or not - do have a look at the programme and see what you think. But there is little doubt that he was treated shockingly badly on several occasions, mainly due to his ethnicity.

Don’t let the sun go down on me 

Moles that turned out to be melanomas - sorry. Photos courtesy of Cancer Research UK.

At last, it seems like we have a prolonged period of sunny weather to look forward to. But those glorious sun rays have a downside, as they can seriously damage the skin and result in skin cancer. The stats are sobering: according to the British Skin Foundation, at least 100,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed and the disease kills more than 2,500 people annually. Since the 1990s, rates of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, have increased by 140% in the UK. It is important to check your moles and remember your A, B, C, D, E:

·         Is the mole Asymmetrical?

·         Are the Borders irregular rather than smooth?

·         Does the mole have more than one Colour?

·         Is the Diameter (width) over 6mm (about half an inch)?  

·         Is it Evolving or growing?

If any of these apply, see your doctor.

The good news is that most skin cancers are preventable if we avoid getting sunburnt. One of the key things you can do is wear sun protection, not just when you are on holiday but in Britain too, especially if you are fair-skinned. Top tips for protecting your skin are:

·         Wear sunscreen (factor 50 is best) with at least four-star UVA protection. You should use about a teaspoon per body part and reapply regularly.

·         Remember the oft-missed areas, like backs of legs, ears and the tops of feet. Women are most likely to develop melanomas on their legs and men on their backs.

·         Avoid direct sunlight, especially between 11.00am and 3.00pm.

·         Wear a broad-brimmed hat (perhaps Stephen Colloff has the right idea!) and clothes with a tight weave to block the sun’s rays.

·         Don’t be complacent; harmful UV rays can be present even when on overcast days between mid-March and mid-October. So keep using that sun cream when you get back from your summer hols – sunscreen starts deteriorating once it is penned so you are best to use it up rather than keep it for next year.

 All this being said, lots of us are lacking in vitamin D (needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy), and sunshine is a great way of topping up our levels, so – as the old campaign used to go ‘Slip, slop, slap’: Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat, and get out there and enjoy the sun while it lasts!

Greg’s Race Report

Ken Summerfield took part in the London Triathlon. The world’s biggest city centre triathlon event took place in the iconic Royal Victoria Docks. Ken participated in the sprint distance which consisted of a 750m swim, 20km cycle, and a 5k run. Ken finished his race in 2:31:41. 

Ken at the London Triathlon

 Barking parkrunners

Barking - Ayoyinka Obisesan 20:10, Adrian Davison 22:57,  Mark New 23:38, Rosie Fforde 24:02, Joe Stacey 24:06, Daniel Plawiak 24:13, Barry Rowell 28:03, Isabel Pinedo Borobio 28:23, Martin Mason 30:49, Belinda Riches 31:36, Cristina Cooper 31:36,Joyce Golder 31:37, Rob Courtier 33:05, Veronica Barikor 35:05, Nikki Cranmer 36:24, Les Jay 36:48, Micky Ball 50:07, Alan Murphy 51:22 and Rabea Begum 58:51.

Catton - Jason Li 28:59.

Jason at Catton parkrun

Chalkwell Beach - Ron Vialls 26:22.

Ron at Chalkwell Beach parkrun

Chelmsford - Gary Harford 29:04.

Gary at Chelmsford Central parkrun

Clacton Seafront - Peter Jackson 22:08.

Harrow Lodge - Robbie King 21:02, Rory Burr 26:15, Doug King 28:15, Stephen Colloff 28:45, Rachel Sharples 37:32, Lisa Cannings 37:34 and Louise Chappell 37:57.

Louise (right) and friend at Harrow Lodge parkrun

More Barking Road Runners at Harrow Lodge parkrun

Valentines - Kevin Wotton 23:20.

Highest BRR gradings this week were Rosie Fforde 62.21% for the women and Adrian Davison 71.10% for the men.

BRR Diary – July/August

7.00pm, Tuesday 30 July – Speed Development Session. Jim Peter’s Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. This week we have the Bekele session:

8 x (1 minute fast, 90 seconds recovery, 30 seconds fast, 90 seconds recovery)

This may sound like a lot of recovery, but it’s to allow you to run the fast bits fast enough; you should be faster than your 5k race pace.

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. SOLD OUT!!!

10.00am, Saturday 3 August - Orion Forest Five (ELVIS 06/GP05). Race HQ, Orion Harriers clubhouse at Jubilee Retreat, Bury Road, Chingford. If you are competing in the Club’s ELVIS and Grand Prix competitions, this race will earn you points for both. 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.

7.00pm, Thursday 8 August – Summer Handicap 06. Barking Park. It’s the penultimate race. Even if it is too late for you to be in the top three in the series, there is still the chance to win an individual race. Just £1 to enter, with the chance of winning a tenner.

11.00am, Sunday 18 August – Ingatestone 5 (GP06). Anglo-European School, Willow Green, Ingatestone, CM4 0DG. SOLD OUT, as this is now part of the Essex Championships, but worth checking quickly with Nikki and Isabel if their places are still available to transfer.

7.00pm, Thursday 22 August – Summer Handicap 07. Barking Park. Yes, it’s the last race, and the last chance to win the tenner.

Cracker Corner

Next week I plan to dress as a different type of bread every day. Roll on Monday.  

I said ‘yes’ to my imaginary boyfriend’s marriage proposal. He was made up.

I have some Sooty and Sweep glove puppets for sale. I am open to offers – I just want to get them off my hands.

Boom! Boom!

Quote of the Week

“When you’re at the back and people are moving away from you, you have a lot to think about”.

Linford Christie

And finally…

Strava activity for sale - I am open to offers.

Disappointed by your running performance that is showing on Strava? Crushed by the lack of kudos? You could try and up your training to improve your stats. Or you could do what some runners in Indonesia are doing, and ‘buy’ a better performance from a faster runner.

 It has emerged that some ‘runners’ in Indonesia are hiring ‘Strava Jockeys’ to do their runs for them, just passing on their Strava account login information so the Jockey can record the data directly to the client’s account. Strava Jockeys have simple rules: the faster the run, the higher their rate. One 17-year-old runner reportedly charges 50 cents per kilometre and an additional $1.75 for each kilometre at a pace of 4:00/k or faster. He appears to focus on shorter runs, referring would-be customers to another Jockey for distances over 10k.

The trend seems to have started as a joke on X, but has now become a real business, with one Jockey picking up eight clients within the first six days of offering his running services. Indonesia’s minimum monthly wage is equivalent to $129, so running for other people offers an easy way to earn some extra cash while getting their weekly mileage in.

Now, if only there was a market for the slowest segments on Strava, I might be able to make an extra bob or two…

Happy running!

Alison

 

Chair, Barking Road Runners