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 ****************************************************************************
 RANELAGH HARRIERS E-NEWS # 207                22 February 2006
 Editor: Steve Rowland
 mailto: steverowland@ranelagh-harriers.com  
 ****************************************************************************
 HEADLINE NEWS
 *********************
 *  B team breaks the Bank
 *  1-2-3 for Andy Bickerstaff, Marcus Gohar and Niall O'Connor
 *  Women's team win in the Valentines 10km
 *  Marie Synnott-Wells 2nd in Valentines 10km and 5th in Sussex Beacon Half
    Marathon
 *  Sam Perkins wins Middlesex Schools
 *  Liz Kipling 5th in National Tetrathlon
 *  Rob Pagnamenta 2nd in Battersea Park 10km
 *  National Championships this Saturday

 WELCOME...
 to the following new members:
 Liza Everett, Katie Bryant, Layla Smith, Sharon Laws, Charlie Pedlar, Rob
 Pagnamenta, Oliver Sutherland, Matthew Wilson, Steve Elswood and Michael
 Black.

 SEE HERE
 ************
 NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS  Saturday 25th February at Parliament
 Hill
 The timetable for the 'National' on Saturday is as follows:
 11.05  Boys Under 15
 11.30  Women Under 20 and Under 17
 12.00  Girls Under 13
 12.20  Men Under 17
 12.50  Girls Under 15
 1.15    Men Under 20
 2.00    Boys Under 13
 2.15    Senior Women
 3.00    Senior Men
 Parking near Hampstead Heath is limited, so the best means of travel is via
 the Silverlink rail service from Richmond to Gospel Oak, which is literally
 within sight of the start. You can also pick up this service at Kew Gardens
 or Gunnersbury, both of which have free on-street parking nearby. 

 Afterwards, our clubhouse will be available for showering and there will be
 a celebratory drink at the Roebuck on Richmond Hill from about 6.30pm. 

 JUNIOR POINTS PRIZE FINAL RACE  Saturday 4th March in Richmond Park
 Frances Ratchford writes:
 "4th March is the last Junior Points Prize race. The race starts at 2pm so
 either collect your numbers at the clubhouse before 1.45pm or up at the
 start by the woods.
 After the race there will be a tea for all competitors and their families
 and prize giving at the clubhouse. Remember that everyone who has run at
 least three races will receive a certificate".

 MABAC LEAGUE  Sunday 5th March in Richmond Park
 Most of the MABAC events are down in the Surrey Hills, but this one is on
 our doorstep in Richmond Park, based on the Isabella Plantation car park
 between Kingston and Robin Hood gates. It's 5 miles starting at 11am and any
 Ranelagh member is welcome to take part. It's free and numbers can be
 collected at the start. For more information see the MABAC web site at
 www.mabac.org.uk.

 BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL - every Saturday at 9am
 Bushy Park is due to be closed to traffic for the rest of this month, but
 this does not affect the BPTT. If you drive there you'll need to leave your
 car outside the park. There's a good car park just about 500 metres along
 the A308 towards Sunbury, which gives you a perfect short warm-up to the
 start. By the way, the Runner's World magazine ratings are overwhelmingly in
 praise of this event. Here's one: "Journey to race on bike: £0. Entry to
 Bushy Park: £0. Car Parking: £0. Race entry: £0. Scenery with deer: £0.
 Bushy Park Time Trial: Priceless". Good on yer, Paul! 

 JOHN ATKINSON...
 ...writes from Canada:
 "I'm going to be back in the UK for around eight weeks from March 22nd and
 am looking for some accommodation in the Richmond / Twickenham area for 6-7
 weeks of that period. So if anyone has a spare room, or knows someone that
 does, e-mail me at: jma17473@yahoo.co.uk. I'd be looking to pay around £100
 / week and would sort out my own food and washing etc.". 

 ROAD RACES
 Our club 20 miles road championship will be with the Finchley 20 at Ruislip
 on Sunday 12th March - an ideal build-up race for London marathoners? There
 are different opinions - see below! Details here:
 http://www.hillingdonac.co.uk/. 

 The popular MABAC League Cranleigh 21 miles road race (with a 15 miles
 alternative) on Sunday 26th March is filling up fast. Anyone thinking of
 running should get an entry in straight away. Details:
 http://www.mabac.org.uk/cran2006entryform.pdf.

 The ASICS Kingston Breakfast runs ( 8 or 16 miles) are on Sunday 2nd April:
 http://www.humanrace.co.uk/breakfast/index.html. On April 9th is the Reading
 Half Marathon, details here:
 http://racepayment.mirrorservers.co.uk/readinghalfmarathon/. 

 The Ranelagh Road Grand Prix will kick off with the Thames Towpath 10 miles
 which is also on Sunday 9th April. Details here:
 http://west4harriers.org/TTT.htm.

 THE 20 MILES DEBATE
 Gosh, didn't know what I had started when I innocently suggested that the
 Finchley 20 might be a good build up race for the London Marathon. Here are
 the latest comments, first from Mike McDowell:
 "Every person is different. I ran London in 1982, having previously run the
 Poly marathon 26 years before with a Finchley 20 a year later. Training was
 37 miles a week including racing, apart from a two week holiday when I did
 50 miles a week. The run-up was the Bath half marathon, two weeks later the
 Fleet half marathon, two weeks later the Finchley 20 and three weeks later
 London. The result, aged 54 I ran a blinder, under 3 1/2 hours, half an hour
 faster than Ken Powley expected. Do what you think is right for you".

 Clive Beauvais:
 "I believe that it depends entirely on the sort of training you have done in
 the preceding months. In my running heyday (yes it was a very long time
 ago!), a small group of us would target a spring marathon, and plan our
 training throughout the winter with this April race in mind. Our training
 would include a Sunday morning run, every week, of at least 20 miles, as
 part of a 75-85 miles per week schedule. Fitting in such a long run was far
 easier in those days when all races were on Saturdays (I believe the advent
 of Sunday races has been one of the major contributory factors in the
 decline of distance running standards in Britain, as it effectively denies
 the majority of runners from having the time / opportunity to regularly
 tackle a long - 20 miles plus - training run).

 In January / February / March I would 'up the distance' of the long run and
 would aim to do a minimum of six runs over a favourite 27 mile course. About
 4-5 weeks before the big race, I would race a '20' (usually Finchley) and
 would use the time recorded as a guide to my forthcoming marathon. With four
 or five weeks of the right training and with health & injuries permitting, I
 would aim to pass 20 miles in my marathon in the same time that I had
 covered the distance in the 20 mile race. This always worked very well for
 me. On one occasion I ran the Finchley 20 in 1.53.15 and, 4 weeks later,
 went through 20 in the Westland marathon (Holland) in 1.53.15!! I certainly
 never felt any 'hang over' whatsoever from the 20 a month earlier.

 About the only contentious thing I did in my marathon preparation was to
 finish training the previous weekend, and not run a step in the last 7 days
 before the big race. We are all different and I am not suggesting that this
 would suit everyone. It is, however, a pretty well established fact (and one
 regularly espoused by Arthur Lydiard - the greatest distance running coach
 of all time) that there is nothing you can do by way of training in the last
 seven days before a marathon which will improve your performance on the day.
 Conversely, training on these days has a habit of throwing up niggling
 injuries which help to destroy your confidence on race day.

 No matter how you have prepared, I wish all of you doing the London or any
 other spring marathon the very best of luck".

 But David Wright says:
 "I come down very firmly on the Barnard-Auerback axis re 20 mile races as
 part of marathon build-ups.  I used to do a lot of marathons and a lot of 20
 mile races, the latter being a much more sensible distance to race.
 However, I never raced a 20 miler as part of my marathon preparation.  I
 even remember missing the London Marathon in 1985 to concentrate on racing
 the Finchley 20 a few weeks beforehand. The whole point of an 8-12 week
 marathon build-up is consistency of training.  The day after doing a 20-22
 mile training run in Richmond Park I would be doing my normal Monday
 training.  The day after a 20 mile race I would struggle to get down the
 stairs in the morning!  And yes, Margaret, being an 'older member of
 Ranelagh', I remember the old Bels 20 races extremely well - it was always
 30ºC!  Try telling that to the young of today - they won't believe you!"

 Mike Rowland pursues the Belgrave 20 sidetrack:
 "Perhaps worth mentioning my Belgrave 20 'mirage'. Must have been about 20
 years ago and it was certainly an extremely hot day. In those days, the
 Belgrave 20 incorporated the club 20 mile champs. I think there were only
 five Ranelagh started and I was soon a distant 5th. But, as I reached the
 end of lap one, I saw two of the blue and golds standing at the side of the
 road. The heat was too much for them. So I started to get big ideas. What if
 the other two give up as well! A club champion - what a result for an old
 tortoise like me. Now I knew John Hanscomb was wearing a white vest and
 yellow shorts. And, as I was running along by Wimbledon Common before the
 descent down the A3, I saw John up ahead.... and I was gaining fast.
 Ridiculously fast. Surely John hadn't stopped as well. Not John. But, as I
 closed in on him, I saw who, or rather what I was chasing. It was a Keep
 Left sign in the middle of the road (white top, yellow bottom). Needless to
 say, I gave up as well soon after. I feared the sun was boiling my brain!!"

 Last word (so far) to Pete Mulholland:
 "To think: all these years, I believed that John Barnard's London Marathon
 preparations were always geared to ensuring that he matched the pace of the
 first female to finish thus ensuring he got on the telly!"

 LAUREN SHELLEY
 More news of Commonwealth Games-bound Lauren Shelley, courtesy of Ian Dent:
 http://esperance.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=sport&subclass=local&stor
 y_id=457798&category=General%20Sport&m=2&y=2006.

 MOB MATCHERS
 Jim Forrest writes:
 "As a cricket and athletics fan, I note with interest that John Hanscomb has
 decided to hang up his mob match boots after 117 races, because a comparison
 with cricketers who have notched up a hundred hundreds or more is quite
 revealing. John has decided to coincide his score with that of the great Don
 Bradman who scored 117 centuries. What a good place for him to stop. Dave
 Wright, at 123, is on a par with Denis Compton at present and will reach
 W.G. Grace's 126 some time next winter, all being well.  He has a few other
 scalps to take over the next years but he will have to keep going for
 another 20 odd years to catch Jack Hobbs on 197".

 *********************
  WHAT'S COMING...
 *********************
 More details of the following from
 Andy Bickerstaff (07966 552302 / mailto: andy@norris-hobs.co.uk ) or 
 Phil Aiken (07739 035189 / mailto: phil.aiken@rnid.org.uk ) or 
 Anna McLaughlin (07971 606521 / mailto: anna.mclaughlin@itv.com ).

 Saturday 25th February   National Cross-Country Championships at Parliament
 Hill, Hampstead Heath.
                                     Bushy Park Time Trial  5km. 9am start.

 Saturday 4th March       Hec Petersen Trophy inter-club 6km race in Richmond
 Park. 3pm start.
                                    Junior Points Prize final race in
 Richmond Park.  2pm start. Followed by prize presentations.
                                     Bushy Park Time Trial  5km. 9am start.

 Sunday 5th March         MABAC League 5 miles in Richmond Park (Isabella
 Plantation car park). All Ranelagh welcome. 11am start. 

 Saturday 11th March     Clutton Cup 10 miles handicap in Richmond Park.
 2.30pm start.
                                     Bushy Park Time Trial  5km. 9am start.

 Sunday 12th March       Finchley 20 miles road race at Ruislip, including
 Spendlove Cup club championship. 

 Saturday 18th March     Ranelagh Cup Schools Race in Richmond Park. 2.30pm
 start.

 WHAT'S HAPPENED...
 ***************************
 'B' TEAM v BANK OF ENGLAND   Saturday 18th February  5.5 miles in Richmond
 Park
 Our annual visit to the other side of the Park is always a fairly low key
 affair, and this year even more so than usual. With negligible opposition
 from the other clubs Cap'n Bicks took the opportunity to register a win and
 Marcus Gohar and Niall O'Connor made it a 1-2-3 for Ranelagh.

 Andy comments on his victory:
 "Most enjoyable, I'd forgotten what it was like. I've never run that race
 before but after this winter considered myself sufficiently 'B' team to have
 a run round. The course is so much 'nicer' than our own what with a climb at
 the start and three more on each lap including a long drag 'backwards' up
 Queen's Ride. Niall had a stormer until right at the end of the first lap
 Ken said 'Well done Niall' so that pretty much sealed his fate and he let me
 take over the lead at that point. Marcus has been second on numerous
 occasions in this race but never won it. No change there then!"

 After the first three we graciously allowed a couple of Milocarians to come
 in before Clare Gutch led home a group of four to give us seven of the first
 nine. With six to score, that pretty much wrapped up the team race for us.
 Chris Read and debutant Lobsang Tenpa headed up the C team which finished
 third.

 BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL 5km  Saturday 11th February
 Conditions were perfect - firm going, very cold but still. In the overall
 points tables Darren Wood maintains a narrow overall lead in the men's
 competition but in the women's Gill Wilson remains a fairly distant 2nd in
 her bid to retain her title.

 1 R Ward (Belgrave) 15.13
 16 Stewart Ward 18.34
 20 Steve Rowland 18.51
 26 Chris Read 19.42
 27 Darren Wood 19.45
 43 Chris Wright 20.55
 44 Roger Wilson 20.56
 66 Sonia Rowland 22.23
 72 Evelyn Joslin 22.54
 90 Gill Wilson 24.54

 BUSHY PARK TIME TRIAL 5km  Saturday 18th February
 Bristol's Tom Kingsnorth became the 14th man to run inside 16 minutes in the
 75 BPTTs to date.

 1 T Kingsnorth (Bristol) 15.57
 5 Michael Black 16.47
 51 Adam Wright 22.10
 55 Jim Forrest 22.21
 60 Chris Wright 22.51
 75 George Inman 24.06
 84 Luke Wilson 25.06
 85 Gill Wilson 25.07
 92 Julie Naismith 26.24
 96 John Hanscomb 26.35
 103 Janet Turnes 27.59 

 VALENTINES 10km  Sunday 12th February at Chessington
 Marie Synnott-Wells reports:
 "You may have remembered that cold, grey, windy and wet day. In fact the
 first bit of rain I have encountered this year. Ranelagh ladies won the team
 prize again, with myself second lady overall. Not a PB, but respectable time
 for a wet Sunday am. If I had known that another woman was in front of me I
 would have run faster. It is very interesting when people shout out at you,
 'First lady home!' - I wonder how they missed the other woman going around
 the road! It was three to a team which included myself, Fari Shams (5th) and
 Rachel Rowan (7th). A prize of a bottle of vino each to take the sting away
 from the sultry day". 

 1 P Wicks (Belgrave) 30.51
 42 Marie Synnott-Wells 38.56
 58 Chris Brook 39.58
 64 Jonny Rowan 40.15
 68 Fari Shams 40.20
 81 Rachel Rowan 40.58
 104 Clive Naish 41.56
 479 Janet Turnes 55.49
 491 Juliette Chan 56.34
 493 Alan Meaden 56.46
 551 Lorna Smith 58.56
 566 David Meaden 59.51
 630 Deborah Blakemore 65.56
 651 Cindy Croucher 70.41 

 WOKINGHAM HALF MARATHON  Sunday 12th February
 Noel Stoddart reports:
 "The weather was fairly miserable with fine rain falling throughout the race
 but luckily it wasn't as cold as it has been of late. Running as part of his
 Paris Marathon preparations Nathan set off a shade faster than intended,
 passing two miles in 11:15, but hung on well to knock 4 minutes off his
 previous best time. At the front end, Commonwealth bound Huw Lobb dug deep
 to catch John McFarlane within sight of the finishing line (he had been some
 150m back at the 12 mile mark). Surrey Champ McFarlane had passed 10 miles
 in under 50 minutes before running a 5:20 mile and tiring further in the
 last mile. Both produced quality 66 minute efforts".

 1 H Lobb (Bedford) 66.07
 33 Nathan Mills 77.49
 46 Steve Whitehead 79.32
 609 Stephen Roberts 101.28
 709 Pete Warren 103.43
 844 Tony Appleby 107.35

 SUSSEX BEACON HALF MARATHON  Sunday 19th February at Brighton
 The untireable Marie Synnott-Wells was out again, 5th woman and first over
 40. Fari Shams was 15th.
 1 R James (Lewes) 1.12.27  (chip time 1.12.26)
 71 Marie Synnott-Wells 1.26.16  (1.26.12)
 184 Fari Shams 1.31.53  (1.31.08)
 2169 John Hanscomb 2.09.27  (2.08.25)
 2889 Ann Murray 2.30.17  (2.23.53) 

 BRAMLEY 20 MILES  Sunday 19th February
 1 J McFarlane (TH&H) 1.46.16  (chip time 1.46.14)
 76 Colin Frew 2.13.37  (2.13.32)
 420 Tom Reay 2.51.44  (2.50.28)

 BRAMLEY 10 MILES  Sunday 19th February
 1 O Jones (Southampton) 51.40  (chip time 51.39)
 143 Evelyn Joslin 75.12  (74.51)

 WOBURN 10km  Sunday 19th February
 1 N Shasha (Walth) 33.11  (chip time 33.10)
 346 Alison Cullen 49.20  (48.36)

 MIDDLESEX SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIP  Thursday 9th February
 Sam Perkins won the Middlesex cross-country schools champs, so he has
 qualified for the English Schools in March.

 PARENT PROJECT VALENTINES LOVE RUN 10km  Saturday 11th February in Battersea
 Park
 Rob Pagnamenta was runner-up in a field of over 700 in this charity
 fund-raiser.
 1 P Mainwaring 33.05
 2 Rob Pagnamenta 35.49

 NATIONAL TETRATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS  Saturday 18th / Sunday 19th February at
 Bath
 Liz Kipling finished 5th in this event, which is Modern Pentathlon minus the
 horse riding phase. She scored a total of 4172 points, to winner Katy
 Livingston's 4476.

 REALLY CHILLY 10km  Sunday 19th February in London, Ontario
 John Atkinson reports on his first race in Canada:
 "I ran 39:28 on Sunday and was 17th out of 172 runners. The race was won by
 Chris Nagle (London) in 33:44. Considering my training's been a little
 inconsistent over the last month and a half (due to tonsilitis, ankle
 problems and the slightly nippy climate), I was quite pleased with that! To
 justify the race name it was 'really chilly' (-25c factoring in the
 windchill) - in fact, when the gun went and we started off directly into the
 wind I was sure I was going to get frostbite on my face! However,
 fortunately we changed direction quickly and my body warmed up, so I was
 able to retain some feeling in my face and still roll out my token
 smile/grimace to the crowd at regular intervals. I'll look to build on that
 now and get some solid training in - so I'm in decent shape to make my mark
 on my UK return in the Baker Cup!" 

 TRINIDAD INTERNATIONAL 5km  Sunday 29th January
 Andy Hayward writes:
 "After 13 months of frustration I was given the 'all clear' by the heart
 surgeon and told that I could resume full marathon training, the day before
 Michele Gibson and I flew out for a two week holiday in the Caribbean.
 Yippee!!! Upon arrival in Trinidad, I was reading the local paper and saw an
 advert for the Trinidad International Marathon which was on the following
 Sunday (our middle weekend). This seemed at the time like it was 'meant to
 be', so I entered the race. I was convinced that even though I hadn't
 trained for it, I would be able to run at least 16-20 miles, and then I
 could struggle, jog or walk the rest. However, Michele managed to persuade
 me at (almost) the last minute that it may not be the most sensible thing I
 had ever done in my life (and as you know, I have done some pretty silly
 things in my time) so we both ended up watching the marathon, and running
 the 5k. I ran it in 21:49 by my watch, and Michele about 23:30. Now to gear
 up for a serious attempt at a marathon pb!"

 MABAC LEAGUE 5 miles  Sunday 5th February at Farley Heath
 1 C Folan (Blackwater V) 34.30
 113 Bev Ali 72.53
 114 Pat Hewlett 72.53 

 REGENTS PARK 10km  Sunday 5th February
 1 S Barrett (Serpentine) 33.12
 35 Steve Rowland 40.11
 117 Sonia Rowland 45.50

 FINALLY...
 Ethiopia beats Kenya Olympic shock!
 Yes, Ethiopia's sole winter Olympics representative, Robel Teklemariam,
 comfortably defeated Kenya's sole representative, Philip Boit,  in the 15km
 cross-country event. Ski-ing, that is. Teklemariam finished 84th out of 97
 finishers in 47.53. while Boit was 92nd in 53.32. It must be admitted that
 they did not overly trouble the winner, Andrus Veerpalu of Estonia, who
 recorded 38.01...