NEW MEMBERS: Dave Steele Lisa Steele Liam Steele Jamie Steele
Newsletter 239
NEW MEMBERS: Dave Steele Lisa Steele Liam Steele Jamie Steele Debbie Streeton TUESDAY INTERVAL SESSION 4 March
I off coming! Another huge turn out again this week. Following the now regular warm up of jog, sprint line, drills and strides we all started off as one group (juniors included) the seniors completed 4 X 1m with 2-3 minute recoveries in two groups. The juniors completed the first mile as a TT and then contin A seniors had a feedback email later in the week with averages/comparisons and lap averages for future pace judgement.
T big thank you to you all, Helen Barr particularly this week for scribbling all the times down quickly! Helen Towers treated us to a big tin of chocolates in celebration of passing her Level 1 Coaching Certificate - we shared the choccies with enthusiasm and finished them off with a hot drink in the club house.
CONGRATULATIONS to HELEN TOWERS on passing her Level 1 Triathlon Coaching Certificate. Helen regularly leads the development group rides on Saturdays and the Tuesday/Friday steady runs. We welcome Helen to the coaching team and look forward to her passing on her knowledge and expertise in the friendly manner that is typical of her!
WEDNESDAY WATT BIKE 5 March
Due to parents evening at the school this week our session took place in the lecture theat I to listen to the choir that usually rehearses in there on a Wednesday night but unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) they were moved to another room to accommodate us. We had a mixture of Watt Bikes and turbos but were without the overhead for K was a case of verbal instruction only this week. The main part of our session (following warm up etc) consisted of 4 sets of 6 minutes doing continuous efforts of 30 seconds very hard/30 seconds hard with 5 mins recovery in between each 6 minute block. Now that was tough! No run off the bike this week we would have been dodging parents all the way down the corridors. Next week back to the short run of 200m off the bike
My First Ultra (report by Jane Holt) The Millennium Way Ultramarathon 38 miles across Staffordshire in a day! My alarm went off at 5am. As you know I don't do 5am starts being a complete night owl, but I had to bite the bullet on this one. The early start was probably harder than the actual run! I had to drive down to Shobnall Leisure Centre in Burton on Trent for 6.30am to sign in and be issued with my timing chip. So, got up, had porridge and a cup of tea and did a last minute check of everything before heading off for Burton on Trent. Two coaches arrived at 7am to transport us to the start of the race in Newport, Shropshire. The Millennium Way starts at Newport and finishes at Burton on Trent. It goes through Gnosall, Haughton, Stafford, Great Haywood, Rugeley, Yoxall and several other towns and villages. It is a flat route, popular with walkers, runners and cyclists and consists of disused railway line, fields and canal towpaths. I had recced the course beforehand - had done most of my weekend long runs on it so had a good idea what to expect. I knew there would be lots of mud due to the amount of rain we have had but the fields weren’t as bad on the day as they had been several weeks ago when I was out training. There were 3 checkpoints on the route at 9 miles (Stafford), 18 miles (Wolseley Bridge) and 28 miles (Yoxall) where your timing chip is scanned. You can fill up on food and/or have your water bottles topped up. Lots of yummy food such as biscuits, cakes, chocolate - but sadly, no mini rolls! However, custard creams and bourbon creams taste lovely especially after 18 miles! The coaches dropped us off at 8.15am. We walked a few hundred yards to the start, the organiser did a last minute briefing, sounded the horn at 8.30am and off we went!
The first 9 miles up to checkpoint 1 went very quickly. We had all started as one large group but this started to thin out along the first section. I kept to a steady pace which felt very comfortable although I did realise I was going a bit too quickly and slowed down a bit. It’s easy to get caught up with everyone else but I had to remind myself that this was not a 10K and there were lots of miles to do. So, I eased back and maintained the pace I had been doing in training. My plan was to follow a run/walk strategy that involved running for 25 minutes then walking for 5 minutes (having something to eat during those 5 minutes) and repeating throughout the race. I had spoken to experienced ultra-runners beforehand to ask about pacing and they suggested this strategy. I did change this in the last 5 miles when I used a 2:1 strategy - run for 2 minutes, walk for 1 minute and repeat – that kept my little legs moving. I had also practiced how to eat and drink whilst running during my training and this also paid off. The 'fun' started in Stafford. A lovely, muddy field on the outskirts that reminded me of the ‘joys’ of cross-country at Stafford Common. Lots of mud and something the organisers called the ‘infamous bog monster’ that claimed a few people's running shoes. It nearly got me but I think my strength training came in handy and I managed to haul myself out and without losing a shoe. Unfortunately, this is was not the case for one poor runner who lost his shoe in the mud and had to retire. We continued across this field and joined the towpath along the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal. This takes you past Shugborough, Tixall, Great Haywood and Little Haywood until you turn right and continue alongside the Trent and Mersey Canal. I followed this until I came to checkpoint 2 at Wolseley Bridge. A few more custard creams and water bottles topped up before carrying on until just after Rugeley. You leave the canal shortly after passing through Armitage and follow the footpath to the beginning of the 9-mile section across fields. At this point I had joined a small group of runners who were doing the same pace as me. So, we decided to run together plus I think the fact I was from the area and had recced the course meant I could act as an unofficial 'guide'. The course is waymarked with red 'Millennium Way' arrows and is easy to navigate although you are advised to carry a map/GPS. If you are like me who can get lost in the house then it does help to have familiarised yourself with the route beforehand. We had to run across muddy fields, climb over stiles and wade through tractor ruts filled with water (and I suspect slurry) for 9 miles, managing not to fall over until we came to Yoxall and checkpoint 3.
Checkpoint 3 was at the pub (no, I didn't pop in for a pint!) where our timing chips were scanned for the last time. A couple more custard creams and bit of chocolate this time and more water before heading off on the last section. This was the only section with a couple of small hills that led towards Wychnor Golf and Country Club. We followed this path around the edge of the golf course, through some woods and across fields until we joined the Trent and Mersey canal again. This was the start of the last 6 miles along the towpath back to the leisure centre. This is where, experienced ultra-runners tell me, the mental approach comes in. A case of grinding out the miles and keep moving forward even if you are shuffling, staggering or crawling by then. Surprisingly enough, I didn't feel like that but my quads started to ache and tightened up at 34 miles so ended up doing a 2:1 run/walk strategy. At this point, I was running alongside an experienced trail/ultra-runner from Wellingborough & District A.C. who suggested this and his encouragement helped to keep me going. We reached Shobnall Marina, left the towpath and crossed over the road to run the last few hundred yards to the leisure centre and the finish line. I managed to hold my running form throughout and even until the end so think the Tuesday night running drills helped. We ran inside the centre to a round of applause from the other runners who had already finished and the organisers. All finishers were given a certificate followed by tea/coffee and more food. Quite a few of us were walking like robots by now, doing the stiff legged ‘ultra-walk’ including myself and I was wondering how I would manage to drive home. Thank God I have an automatic car! The winning times were 5:12:54 (1st male) and 5:22:37 (1st female). I did 8:10:42 and was 63rd out of 92 runners. It was a fantastic experience; I really enjoyed it (mad but true) and want to do more of these events so can safely say I have been bitten by the ultra bug! I also realised that consistent training and solid preparation pays off. A 50-mile ultra is my next target…
FRIDAY SWIM SESSION 7 March
SATURDAY GROUP RIDE 8 March
A smaller turnout this week due to the various races going ahead the following day. Tim stepped in for Kevin Glover who is still not well (get better soon Kev we miss you) The fast group did a 50m loop with a stop off at the Priest House café in Audlem.
Ken took the steady group on a 50m hilly loop with a café stop at Heath House Farm (breakfasts not served after 11:30 for future notice!)
NTC BIKE POSITION SET-UP Friday 7 March
Thanks to Pete Swinnerton (and Catherine) for hosting the bike fit session last Friday, and to Ken Matheson for assisting! This is a fantastic free opportunity for all NTC members to have a personalised bike position set-up to promote comfort, aero-dynamics, injury prevention, efficiency ..the list goes on! The next session is on Friday 14 March (prior bookings only)
SUNDAY RUN 9 March
What a glorious day for running in the sun for those who weren t racing! And for those that were here is a selection of photos from the weekend events: Stafford 20m
INTER COUNTIES XC
BURNTWOOD JUNIOR AQUATHLON
NTC junior members were out in force at the Burntwood Aquathlon and all gave performances to be proud of. It was such a beautiful day too (its usually snowing for this event!) The official published full set of results has yet to be published, but there was a presentation after the TriStar 3 events and the team won some places as follows:
TriStar Start : Lucy Donnolley 1st (DEBUT!!) TriStar 2: Eden Schiller 2nd Ben Donnolley 2nd TriStar 3 Jordan Nixon 1st Open and Youth Category: Katie Hughes 1st Becca Hughes 2nd Also wearing NTC colours and putting in great performances were Adam Barr, Emma Barr, Billy Wretham (debut), and Holly Nixon.
NEW MEMBERS: Dave Steele Lisa Steele Liam Steele Jamie Steele Debbie Streeton TUESDAY INTERVAL SESSION 4 March
I off coming! Another huge turn out again this week. Following the now regular warm up of jog, sprint line, drills and strides we all started off as one group (juniors included) the seniors completed 4 X 1m with 2-3 minute recoveries in two groups. The juniors completed the first mile as a TT and then contin A seniors had a feedback email later in the week with averages/comparisons and lap averages for future pace judgement.
T big thank you to you all, Helen Barr particularly this week for scribbling all the times down quickly! Helen Towers treated us to a big tin of chocolates in celebration of passing her Level 1 Coaching Certificate - we shared the choccies with enthusiasm and finished them off with a hot drink in the club house.
CONGRATULATIONS to HELEN TOWERS on passing her Level 1 Triathlon Coaching Certificate. Helen regularly leads the development group rides on Saturdays and the Tuesday/Friday steady runs. We welcome Helen to the coaching team and look forward to her passing on her knowledge and expertise in the friendly manner that is typical of her!
WEDNESDAY WATT BIKE 5 March
Due to parents evening at the school this week our session took place in the lecture theat I to listen to the choir that usually rehearses in there on a Wednesday night but unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) they were moved to another room to accommodate us. We had a mixture of Watt Bikes and turbos but were without the overhead for K was a case of verbal instruction only this week. The main part of our session (following warm up etc) consisted of 4 sets of 6 minutes doing continuous efforts of 30 seconds very hard/30 seconds hard with 5 mins recovery in between each 6 minute block. Now that was tough! No run off the bike this week we would have been dodging parents all the way down the corridors. Next week back to the short run of 200m off the bike
My First Ultra (report by Jane Holt) The Millennium Way Ultramarathon 38 miles across Staffordshire in a day! My alarm went off at 5am. As you know I don't do 5am starts being a complete night owl, but I had to bite the bullet on this one. The early start was probably harder than the actual run! I had to drive down to Shobnall Leisure Centre in Burton on Trent for 6.30am to sign in and be issued with my timing chip. So, got up, had porridge and a cup of tea and did a last minute check of everything before heading off for Burton on Trent. Two coaches arrived at 7am to transport us to the start of the race in Newport, Shropshire. The Millennium Way starts at Newport and finishes at Burton on Trent. It goes through Gnosall, Haughton, Stafford, Great Haywood, Rugeley, Yoxall and several other towns and villages. It is a flat route, popular with walkers, runners and cyclists and consists of disused railway line, fields and canal towpaths. I had recced the course beforehand - had done most of my weekend long runs on it so had a good idea what to expect. I knew there would be lots of mud due to the amount of rain we have had but the fields weren’t as bad on the day as they had been several weeks ago when I was out training. There were 3 checkpoints on the route at 9 miles (Stafford), 18 miles (Wolseley Bridge) and 28 miles (Yoxall) where your timing chip is scanned. You can fill up on food and/or have your water bottles topped up. Lots of yummy food such as biscuits, cakes, chocolate - but sadly, no mini rolls! However, custard creams and bourbon creams taste lovely especially after 18 miles! The coaches dropped us off at 8.15am. We walked a few hundred yards to the start, the organiser did a last minute briefing, sounded the horn at 8.30am and off we went!
The first 9 miles up to checkpoint 1 went very quickly. We had all started as one large group but this started to thin out along the first section. I kept to a steady pace which felt very comfortable although I did realise I was going a bit too quickly and slowed down a bit. It’s easy to get caught up with everyone else but I had to remind myself that this was not a 10K and there were lots of miles to do. So, I eased back and maintained the pace I had been doing in training. My plan was to follow a run/walk strategy that involved running for 25 minutes then walking for 5 minutes (having something to eat during those 5 minutes) and repeating throughout the race. I had spoken to experienced ultra-runners beforehand to ask about pacing and they suggested this strategy. I did change this in the last 5 miles when I used a 2:1 strategy - run for 2 minutes, walk for 1 minute and repeat – that kept my little legs moving. I had also practiced how to eat and drink whilst running during my training and this also paid off. The 'fun' started in Stafford. A lovely, muddy field on the outskirts that reminded me of the ‘joys’ of cross-country at Stafford Common. Lots of mud and something the organisers called the ‘infamous bog monster’ that claimed a few people's running shoes. It nearly got me but I think my strength training came in handy and I managed to haul myself out and without losing a shoe. Unfortunately, this is was not the case for one poor runner who lost his shoe in the mud and had to retire. We continued across this field and joined the towpath along the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal. This takes you past Shugborough, Tixall, Great Haywood and Little Haywood until you turn right and continue alongside the Trent and Mersey Canal. I followed this until I came to checkpoint 2 at Wolseley Bridge. A few more custard creams and water bottles topped up before carrying on until just after Rugeley. You leave the canal shortly after passing through Armitage and follow the footpath to the beginning of the 9-mile section across fields. At this point I had joined a small group of runners who were doing the same pace as me. So, we decided to run together plus I think the fact I was from the area and had recced the course meant I could act as an unofficial 'guide'. The course is waymarked with red 'Millennium Way' arrows and is easy to navigate although you are advised to carry a map/GPS. If you are like me who can get lost in the house then it does help to have familiarised yourself with the route beforehand. We had to run across muddy fields, climb over stiles and wade through tractor ruts filled with water (and I suspect slurry) for 9 miles, managing not to fall over until we came to Yoxall and checkpoint 3.
Checkpoint 3 was at the pub (no, I didn't pop in for a pint!) where our timing chips were scanned for the last time. A couple more custard creams and bit of chocolate this time and more water before heading off on the last section. This was the only section with a couple of small hills that led towards Wychnor Golf and Country Club. We followed this path around the edge of the golf course, through some woods and across fields until we joined the Trent and Mersey canal again. This was the start of the last 6 miles along the towpath back to the leisure centre. This is where, experienced ultra-runners tell me, the mental approach comes in. A case of grinding out the miles and keep moving forward even if you are shuffling, staggering or crawling by then. Surprisingly enough, I didn't feel like that but my quads started to ache and tightened up at 34 miles so ended up doing a 2:1 run/walk strategy. At this point, I was running alongside an experienced trail/ultra-runner from Wellingborough & District A.C. who suggested this and his encouragement helped to keep me going. We reached Shobnall Marina, left the towpath and crossed over the road to run the last few hundred yards to the leisure centre and the finish line. I managed to hold my running form throughout and even until the end so think the Tuesday night running drills helped. We ran inside the centre to a round of applause from the other runners who had already finished and the organisers. All finishers were given a certificate followed by tea/coffee and more food. Quite a few of us were walking like robots by now, doing the stiff legged ‘ultra-walk’ including myself and I was wondering how I would manage to drive home. Thank God I have an automatic car! The winning times were 5:12:54 (1st male) and 5:22:37 (1st female). I did 8:10:42 and was 63rd out of 92 runners. It was a fantastic experience; I really enjoyed it (mad but true) and want to do more of these events so can safely say I have been bitten by the ultra bug! I also realised that consistent training and solid preparation pays off. A 50-mile ultra is my next target…
FRIDAY SWIM SESSION 7 March
SATURDAY GROUP RIDE 8 March
A smaller turnout this week due to the various races going ahead the following day. Tim stepped in for Kevin Glover who is still not well (get better soon Kev we miss you) The fast group did a 50m loop with a stop off at the Priest House café in Audlem.
Ken took the steady group on a 50m hilly loop with a café stop at Heath House Farm (breakfasts not served after 11:30 for future notice!)
NTC BIKE POSITION SET-UP Friday 7 March
Thanks to Pete Swinnerton (and Catherine) for hosting the bike fit session last Friday, and to Ken Matheson for assisting! This is a fantastic free opportunity for all NTC members to have a personalised bike position set-up to promote comfort, aero-dynamics, injury prevention, efficiency ..the list goes on! The next session is on Friday 14 March (prior bookings only)
SUNDAY RUN 9 March
What a glorious day for running in the sun for those who weren t racing! And for those that were here is a selection of photos from the weekend events: Stafford 20m
INTER COUNTIES XC
BURNTWOOD JUNIOR AQUATHLON
NTC junior members were out in force at the Burntwood Aquathlon and all gave performances to be proud of. It was such a beautiful day too (its usually snowing for this event!) The official published full set of results has yet to be published, but there was a presentation after the TriStar 3 events and the team won some places as follows:
TriStar Start : Lucy Donnolley 1st (DEBUT!!) TriStar 2: Eden Schiller 2nd Ben Donnolley 2nd TriStar 3 Jordan Nixon 1st Open and Youth Category: Katie Hughes 1st Becca Hughes 2nd Also wearing NTC colours and putting in great performances were Adam Barr, Emma Barr, Billy Wretham (debut), and Holly Nixon.
