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Copy date: March 22nd 2001. You will be pleased to know I can now read Word documents.
e-mail to:- b.shaw@dyson-group.com
Chair Chatter
Cup Details 2001 Relays and CompassSport
Burbage Post Script
Coaching Event Saturday March 10th Ecclesall Woods
Club Equipment
Fixtures
The Runner Growing Old
Commonly Made Mistakes (3): Kidding yourself you're in the
right place
Club Championships. Dec 9th. Blackamoor
Tuesday Night Training Sessions
Jenny James
Happy New Year! A new millennium again might as well have two but I don't want to get into any debates about which year was the 'real' one.
An exciting year lies ahead starting with some events of our own -Ecclesall Woods, which will have been and gone and then the double fun of the British Night Champs and badge event in February. Phil Haywood has brilliantly arranged for us to use the TA buildings on Blacka ranges so it should be a comfortable & dry time with I believe the use of bunk beds and a kitchen - real luxury. If you can lend a hand please do get in touch with either Brian Shaw (Night Champs) or Susan Edwards (badge) - all help will be appreciated and it's a great chance to get involved with your club and meet other members.
Then the club's attention will move to the first round of the Compass Sport Cup which I'm sure is mentioned later on in this newsletter. Do take part - whoever you are, the more people who run the better our chances. Brown Clee Hill is a great orienteering area and a good warm up for the bigger events of the year. So join us in the coach or at the event and lets see if we can get more people than any other club and have a great club day out in Shropshire. Don't assume you're not needed. At a regional level Yorkshire & Humberside have now bought, with SYO's support, electronic punching equipment, which we will be using at the Blacka events in February. This follows the great success we had with it at Burbage - thanks to Rob and Jo McPherson who did us proud and to everyone who helped them on the day.
In fact thanks to everyone who helped at the event and whoever did the good weather dance -it worked unbelievably. The event was a great success for the club and thanks to everyone's hard work both before hand and on the day. Let's do it again on Blacka. The club equipment is still looking for a permanent home -thanks again to those people who are looking after it at the moment (Helen, Phil, Colin, Martin & Lesley & ???) and I'm sorry for those of you who have had to track it down for the various recent events. We are still searching and will try and resolve this as soon as we can I still have a couple of ideas so watch this space or let me know if you have any ideas/space. Then once the year is up and running the big events start -the JK at Easter in the Forest of Dean and then the British Champs in Northern Ireland. I know quite a few club members have already booked seats on the Sheffield to Belfast plane for this event and it's in danger of becoming an SYO exclusive flight. It's then time for SYO to make it's 4111 challenge in the UK Relay League in the Men's and Women's open classes. Unbeaten in these competitions we will once again be challenging the other clubs with some very strong and experienced runners. However what I really hope for this year is that we can field as many relay teams as possible in all classes at these events. They are very exciting and great club events where all club members should be proud to be a part of- so make sure you put your name down and let's get teams in all the classes and have some fun and support each other on the run-in!
Good luck to Jo Stevenson who has just this week moved out to Halden, Norway to work as an au pair for 6 months and of course to improve her orienteering. She will join Heather Monro (our best female runner at the moment) and be hoping to make the jump into the World Champs team later in the year in Finland. But she promised me the night before she left that she'll be back to join SYO in the relays ...
See you out in the forests. Have a great year.
Jenny
Charlie Adams
2001 sees SYO attempting to defend the CompassSport Cup and both the Men's and Women's UK Relay League titles. The first important race for the club is the first round (and only round prior to the Final) of the CompassSport Cup which is to be held on 18th March at Brown Clee Hill in Shropshire. All the relay competitions are to be held in a relatively short period between the middle of April and the end of May. Please read the details below (which are as detailed as known at present) and enter through me on the enclosed entry form.
Many of you will know that I attempted (and failed) to resign as Club Captain at the end of last year. I have had various offers of help, but no one has volunteered to take over the job from me completely and I have therefore reluctantly agreed to continue the job for a sixth year. This definitely is my last year in the post and, if no one comes forward to take over during the course of this year, SYO will not be entered for any relays or the CompassSport Cup in 2002! If anyone wishes to discuss what's involved please contact me for a chat (with no commitment).
CompassSport Cup, Round 1: Brown Clee, 18th March.
Brown Clee is a fair distance from Sheffield (2.5 hour drive?), but is worth the
effort. It was used for a National Event in 2000 and has previously been used
for the British Championships. Because of the distance involved, and the potential
for quite a long day, we have decided that SYO will again be taking a coach to
this event this year. Please use it! The cost to the club will be considerable
anyway but especially so unless the coach is pretty well full. Those who are particularly
likely to score know who you are and are particularly urged to make the trip.
The event is pre-entry only and entries must be done through the club. Please
use the form included below.
JK Relays: Forest of Dean, 16th April
This is the first of the major relay competitions of the year held, as usual,
on the Easter Monday Bank Holiday. Classes are as in recent years with Open, combined
age classes over 120 and 165 for both Men and Women, plus various Junior classes.
Because of the small number of classes the competition is very competitive and
a result anywhere in the top ten is very respectable.
British Relays: Northern Ireland, 7th May
This is the first time that the British Championships have been held in Northern
Ireland and it will be interesting to see just how many people are willing to
make the extra effort (and expense) to get there. I am reliably informed that
those who do make the effort will be amply rewarded. The terrain for the Individual
races will consist of intricately detailed open sand dunes and has been deemed
of sufficient standard to host the British Elite Championships as well as the
Open Championships. This is the first time the British Elite Champs has been held
outside Scotland or the Lake District which is some indication of the standard
of the terrain.
Harvester: North East England, 19/20th May
To be held at Dipton again (it was on this area the last time it was held in the
North East). This is the seven man/five woman overnight relay competition based
on the Swedish Tia Mila. In recent years SYO has only managed to field Open teams
in this competition, but there are classes for Handicap teams as well. Anyone
who is keen to run but does not think they will make the tough selection for the
Open teams might like to volunteer to coordinate a Handicap team.
Scottish Relays: Littlemill, near Inverness, 27th May
Another long trip! The Individual race is to be held on one of the World Champs
areas, so this weekend will be worth the effort again (Tim: any chance of a lift
in your plane?!). This will be the decider for the 2001 UK Relay League Can anyone
depose SYO from their stranglehold on this competition? If there's any chance
of us being beaten then we may have to consider flying in Jamie Stevenson for
the anchor-leg again!
Send your details and what you want to enter: Name, 2001 Class, SI No., JK £8/£4, British £8/£4, Scottish £8/£4, Harvester £8, C/S Cup £10/£5 (inc coach)
Cheques made payable to SYO.
Please send to:
Charlie Adams,
15 Burnt Stones Grove,
Sheffield,
S105TU.
Before February 11th 2001 (entries received after this date not guaranteed a run!)
Brian Shaw
Relief. That was the reaction I at least felt after our National Event on Burbage on December 3rd. A dry mild weekend after the wettest autumn in history was more than we dared hope for. Phil Haywood's confidence in the parking field at Ringinglow was borne out and the doubters (me) proven wrong. Our first encounter with Sport Ident electronic punching was a great success despite not getting hold of the equipment until a week before the event. A massive turn out for a December event, 1119 plus 51 on what was clearly a high class string course, meant that the start and results teams were kept fully stretched throughout and they coped well under the pressure. On the other hand the finish team - both of them - hardly had to look up from their crosswords such is the benefit of e-punching. I for one was proud of the club and our achievement. Mention must go to Rob and Jo McPherson for pioneering the use of Sport Ident which turned out to be as much an exercise in logistics as anything else. Well done and thanks to everyone who helped. Don't forget it's all to do again on Feb 17th and 18th at Blackamoor at the British Night Champs and the Sunday badge event.
As newsletter editor I receive newsletters from neighbouring clubs and their perceptions of an event are understandably different from those who put on the event. People take the organisation of an event for granted (except of course when something goes wrong) so their opinions are based on the quality of the terrain and courses. I think we all accept that Burbage is not the greatest area technically although under different weather conditions it would have been much more demanding. The competitor friendly car parking which we regarded as being important in December obviously compromised the course planning with only the very longest courses getting into the trickier areas in the Burbage valley. What about, one day, an event taking in Burbage west and the area of Longshaw across the road between the A625 and the B6521? I reckon it would be great especially if we could park at Longshaw. How about it DVO?
Suitable for beginners and juniors.
Please contact Bill Hanley on bill.hanley@rmplc.co.uk
by the Wednesday before the event to confirm your place.
Will anyone who has any club equipment please e-mail the Seamans on Seagoon1@aol.com with a list of what you've got.
- see the special Fixtures page.
Ian Wainwright
When your editor commissioned this article it wasn't clear whether he wanted something about this ageing runner or about the species in general. So perhaps if I start with myself and then generalise there is a chance something useful may emerge.
I ran my first race at High Storrs in 1951, aged 11, though in truth I already had a reasonable aerobic background from running to and from junior school (first of the Meersbrook Kenyans?). In the early fifties it was all pretty typical ... regular Saturday inter school races all over South Yorks and North Derbys so providing an excellent introduction to running.
I joined a club - the late Sheffield United Harriers - in 1957. With excellent advice and lots of enthusiasm I improved through the 50's and 60's and very early 70's with PB's of 4:13:00 for the mile, 13:45.8 for the 3 miles, 30:12 for 10k on the track, 67ish for the half marathon and 2:27:54 for the full marathon. My best running was done off about 65/70 miles per week though unwisely in the 70's I went to 90/week thinking it would result in a quicker marathon. It didn't.
Just before the start of the new century I reached 100,000 miles and currently am striving to avoid my first sub 1000 mile year since the early 60's. Three and a half miles per day through December will do it. Running wise I'm a bit like an old car. Little value, lots of miles on the clock, suspension gone, poor acceleration, lowish top speed, OK uphill if in low gear, not very good to look at, one loving owner.
There are many varieties of ageing runner in orienteering. The lifers who came into orienteering after or during a reasonably successful running career - in the 60's slow runners were largely unknown and 3hrs+ marathoners barely existed - and we perhaps saw orienteering as a new challenge and/or extension to our active life. It was both. I first orienteered at Bishops Wood in 1971 but had seen the sport in Sweden as early as 1962. Clearly I never really mastered the sport not, as many suggested, because I tried to run too fast but rather an unsuitable temperament which was less of a handicap in straight running. Amongst the lifers I would include Peter Bourne (NOC), Martin Cranny and Terry Harper (DEE), Pete Leake (LEI) and Dave Lee (NGOC) most of whom I suspect suffer a little in their orienteering from mileage induced lack of mobility when running through terrain. However in ordinary running, for such people looking at times is very much more dispiriting. I've declined by about 40% compared with 30 years ago so the attractions of racing, especially over standard distances, are non existent - likewise the idea of racing other ancients who only started running in their dotage and are understandably full of ambition and still on an improving curve.
However the pleasure of running every day is still there particularly on soft surfaces because as long as I don't believe my watch the sensation seems just as it did many years ago. I don't run big mileages and never liked long runs - certainly not the first hour - but allow myself the luxury of interval sessions [e.g. 4x4 mins with 1 minute in between] or sustained runs where I run a multi lap course hard for perhaps 15 to 25 minutes allowing me to enjoy the feeling of running quickly and the chance to compare performances over a 12 month period. I wouldn't enjoy orienteering without the fitness of daily running for it allows me to run up the hills, take the long routes whilst others are going straight and generally get into areas of the map that few others, including the planners, visit.
Ideally if work and poor weather didn't get in the way I'd run four times a week and swim or cycle on the other days. In a suitable location I would add rowing or cross country skiing.
In short I don't see that running for ancients differs fundamentally from anyone else. Its got to be pleasurable, variety is desirable (distances, tempo, surfaces), there should be a sense of achievement and only occasionally ought it to feel like a chore. Forget the words dedication or commitment - they are for nurses and other underpaid useful workers - nobody forces you to run.
Finally lest you think you are keen, have a look at this - the training of a young man I advise and he has a full time on-his-feet job. 80/85 miles a week including 5 x 1 mile in 4:40:0 with 1.5 minutes recovery! ... but Cursten Jorgenson European cross country champion 1997 and world '0' medallist does four hours a week more!
PS Ian made his 1000 miles for the year with 10 miles and 3 days to spare.
This can be one of the most costly errors in orienteering and one of the most dispiriting. It's basically down to lack of concentration. You're trolling along vaguely on a bearing and find yourself in a location that fits the map, well superficially, and start looking for the control. When you find it's not there you carry on looking for reassuring signs that it is there, for example other people in the vicinity. You want it to be there so you kid yourself that it must be there. Here is an example from this year's Twin Peak event at High Dam. Having crossed two streams I was looking for a hill and sure enough there it was. Only trouble it was the wrong one. Crossing the hill I found a lovely re-entrant A which I mistook for B and deduced that the knoll beyond must be the control. Not there. There's a marsh to the SE so that's right. In fact it all looks right. It must be here. Eventually I start looking south towards the next hill system. It's miles away I can't be that far out. Can I? This is where a little humility helps. Admit to yourself you might be wrong. Actually it's only 100 metres off. After 5 wasted minutes I reluctantly force myself to run over there and sure enough there it is. But the race is lost.
Corrective Actions: CONCENTRATE and stay in contact with the map. There were several features en route which should have helped me. the re-entrant C, the hill D and the twin hills E.
One final point whereas other competitors in an area is no confirmation of the presence of your control, the complete absence of competitors can be an indication that you are in the wrong place, particularly if there is a surfeit of wild life. A deer running away or a pheasant exploding at your feet can be a warning that you are in unexplored territory.
Jackie Butcher and Colin Smith - Results
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Last modified: July 25 2003 10:21.
