Author : Alexa Dale

Timed Mile – September 2019


Saturday 28th September saw the 20th edition of the time miles, held at Woodbourn Road Stadium. 17 runners ran the timed mile, with 6 first timers and 7 PBs achieved on the day. As ever, massive thanks to those who paced and supported – Chris, Ben and Matt for pacing, Mike and Georgina for officiating. The next timed mile will be held next year but in the meantime, if you fancy a track session remember the regular SRC session is held on a Monday evening at 6pm.

Results

  • David Rutherford 5:01
  • Rob Cassy 5:07
  • Matt Worthington 5:12
  • Jack Nuttgens 5:16
  • Erik González Suárez 5:24
  • Aaron Francis 5:27
  • Afif El Amrani 5:27
  • Rachel Rose 5:50
  • James Thompson 6:03
  • Paul McWhirter 6:03
  • Heather Carson 6:06
  • Mark Piper 6:10
  • Neal Matthews 6:56
  • Katie Porter 7:16
  • Richard Moody 7:17
  • Keeleigh Scriven 7:40
  • Sara Corker 9:47

The all time mile spreadsheet is available here

MICROSOFT EXCEL ONLY: This is a more interactive version of the mile time spreadsheet but will only open and work correctly in a full version of Microsoft Excel 2007 or above. It probably won’t work on tablets, phones, Mobile Office or similar but if you have Microsoft Excel, it can be found here.

 

Valencia Training Report

Report by Rob Cassy

Following the success of the Sheffield RC warm weather training in Portugal in August 2018, tentative plans for a similar trip were floated in early 2019. With the “Vilamoura effect” still fresh in the minds of most members (many members who went immediately returned to record new PBs!), interest in another trip was high.

Valencia was generally agreed to be a suitable destination, and so the task of finding accommodation, dates and flights etc. began in earnest. As with any trip of this nature, finding dates and a budget that suited everyone proved problematic. This coupled with the fact that life is rarely straight forward, and unforeseen circumstances happen, meant by the time we were packing our suitcases for Spain, myself and Ben were the last runners standing in the quest for warm weather training for 2019!

Before we knew it the day to depart had arrived. As luck would have it we were leaving late on a Saturday afternoon, which meant we could both sneak our weekly fix of park running in before getting to East Midlands airport. I am sure Dave O will be delighted to hear this! A reasonably short flight and a metro ride later and we were unpacking our 20kgs worth of baggage allowance (basically running kit and not much else!) in what was to be our apartment for the week. Hungry, but wanting to explore our exciting new surroundings whilst there were still some hours of the day left, we left the apartment to find fuel for our planned track session the next morning. We settled on a quiet café type place where we could sit outside. A club sandwich each later, and we were ready to head back and get some much-needed sleep ahead of our first full day.

The first mission of day one was to run out and get provisions as quick as possible from the local supermarket, so we could get to the local track as quick as possible. With the apartment fridge now full of drinks and essentials, we headed off to the Estadi del Turio armed with sun tan lotion, flannels and bottles of Aquarius (an exotic lemony drink and a staple of all Sheffield RC warm weather training weeks!) Delighted to find we had the track all to ourselves and for a snip of 2.55 euros each, we wasted no time in starting our warm up laps and sprint drills. Now sufficiently ‘warmed up’, (although I’m not sure how much warmer we could have got given the heat!), we began a session of longer reps with longer recoveries, which worked towards shorted reps and shorter recoveries. “This is a session that gets easier as it goes on” said Ben (I think he was trying to convince us both!). After a session that went something like 1,600m – 5 mins rest, 1,200m – 4 mins rest, 800m – 3 mins rest, 400m – 2 mins rest, with a final 200m we had conquered our first warm weather track session! After a bizarre lunch which featured a ham and cheese roll appetizer then a huge bowl of salad for a main course (in truth we didn’t know what we were ordering!) we were ready to relax for the rest of the afternoon in prep for our recovery run later that evening.

Our first evening recovery run location, which would become a “go-to” routine during the holiday, was at the Turia Gardens. As luck would have it our apartment was only a third of mile away from Turia Garden’s purpose built 5k running circuit which runs along a dry river bed through the heart of the city. Not only does it boast 110-hectre area of parkland, sports facilities and public attractions, but it is also apparently the third most popular running circuit in the whole of Spain! 7 miles of easy running later followed by English breakfast sandwiches and beer and our first full day was complete.

The next day our plan was to do a seven mile run in the morning, somewhere between the pace we were doing on the track and the previous night’s recovery run. The Turia Gardens again seemed to suit as it meant not having to stop at every junction or traffic light, or having to worry massively about the route we were taking. Although not the hottest part of the day, we were definitely getting the warm weather training we had planned for months on experiencing! Another session done and a quick stop at Aldi and we were back at the apartment looking through Ben’s handy Valencia travel book (thanks to Georgina), wondering what sights could be on our door step that we should visit before our week was out.

Search for the Holy Grail

It wasn’t long before I turned the page to read about Valencia Cathedral and its claim to be home of the holy grail. Being only a mile away, we decided we had to see this for ourselves (or more accurately, that was probably what I decided in my blinkered enthusiasm, and Ben was probably too tired from that mornings run to argue!) so off we went armed with Google maps to track it down. If only Indiana Jones had thought of that.

With the search for the holy grail now successfully checked off, we had time to have a walk around Valencia’s old and new town. Satisfied that we had explored enough of Valencia as possible that day, we headed back to the apartment for a brief unwind before our evening recovery run. I was still not used to double running at this point whilst Ben seemed to be taking it in his stride. However, we met our 5 mile quota for that evening and headed out for tea and well-earned beers.

The next day was to be our second visit to the track. This session was to be in a relay format of us both taking it in turns to run 400m with one rep being a mile in total. The aim was for each of us to try and maintain sub 5 minute mile pace throughout. We were both working hard, and this was noticed by some of the local runners stood beside the track, who generously clapped us as we sprinted round. Despite their encouragement, I waved the white flag during rep four, but Ben carried on like the trooper he is. We then ran 400m, 300m, 200m and then a 100m together to complete the session. We had put in a real shift, so a trip to the beach was well deserved.

Determined to make the trip resemble something like a ‘normal’ holiday we took the metro to the coast, where we walked along the beach and ate ice cream. Running was never far from our minds however as we noticed the runners using the route from the Real Juan Carlos Marina towards Port Saplaya and agreed it would work well for our next long run. We also walked along the Marina as we were curious about where the old European F1 circuit once took place. The lure of the beach proved too much, and we spent the rest of day relaxing there and impromptu paddling in the sea followed. Having agreed we’d had our fill of sand and sea we hopped on the metro to go back to the apartment, ready for our now regular recovery run at the Turia Gardens circuit. We would finish the day with late pizza to give us plenty of carbs for the next day’s running.

Valencia CF

By Wednesday we were well into a routine of waking up, quickly having breakfast and getting down to the track as soon as possible before the hottest part of the day was upon us. Our penultimate track session was a type of pyramid of 1 x 500m, followed by 5 x 1000m ending with a couple of 500m intervals. We were now coping a lot better with the heat and had plenty of energy left at the end of the session to see if we could find the whereabouts of the Mestalla Stadium (home of Valencia CF).

We were becoming semi pros at taking the metro and finding our way around by this point, and in no time we were stood outside the impressive stadium. After realising we could actually go inside and do the tour for less than 10 euros, we eagerly booked our tickets and sat outside the Valencia’s supporters bar having a beer until our tour start time arrived. The tour itself lasted about an hour. Being fans of Sheffield Wednesday and Yeovil Town, this was as close to the home of champions league football as Ben and I are ever likely to get. So, we looked on in wonder of the sight of trophy cabinets full of iconic awards and grandiose tributes to Valencia’s world class players, both past and present, celebrating famous victories. This was far from the footballing world we were both accustomed to!

Now officially Valencia fans (or at least with Valencia being our new ‘second’ team) we headed back to the apartment. We would finish the day with another 5.5 mile recovery run at the Turia Gardens. We were so impressed by the previous night’s pizza we headed straight back for more before retiring for the day.

The next day we would do our longest run of the holiday, and this is where our previous recce of the Valencia’s waterfront route would come in handy. The route was nice and flat and with water fountains and ice-cream stalls scattered along the route, we managed to keep our de-hydration and Ben’s diabetes at bay and complete a half marathon’s worth of coastal running, navigating harbours and off-road track on route. Not content without doing the full 13.1 miles, we double tracked back up the promenade where we stopped again for ice cream.

Club Sandwich Brigade

Later that evening, after our customary recovery run we returned to our first port of call when we arrived for tea on night one. We saw no reason to deviate from a winning formula, so we ordered the same club sandwiches and coke zeros much to the amusement of the waitress who recognised us and our choices from the first night.

Without understanding how, Friday had arrived. This was to be another first for me and was to be my first experience of barefoot beach running (apparently a tradition carried over from Vilamoura). Once at the beach, we hid our trainers in some nearby rocks, and began running a mile along the harder sand where the beach met the tide. We repeated the mile up and down six times, weaving in and out of the water and other beach goers at a leisurely pace.

We had been envious seeing everyone swimming when we first went to the beach, and this time we had come prepared. We finished our final coastal run, by taking it in turns for a swim in the sea. We spent a couple of hours on the beach sun bathing and going for more dips in the sea whenever the mood took us. This wasn’t in the training plan, although I guess technically the swimming could count as “cross training” if we were clutching at straws! We then found a rather plush looking restaurant/bar along the promenade at stopped for lunch. You guessed it, club sandwiches and a refreshing drink!

Once back in sight of Valencia where we were staying, we did a whistle stop tour of the old town to find souvenirs to take home. Fridge magnets and anything with the emblem of Valencia CF seemed fitting reminders of our time in Valencia. With our final recovery run looming, we quickly grabbed them and headed back, pleased that another checkbox had been ticked.

After our final 3 mile recovery run, we checked in online with slightly heavy hearts knowing that this signified the beginning of the end of our trip. To console ourselves, we headed to our favourite local café for food and beer. We were greeted with an excited cry of “Amigos!” by our now well-acquainted waitress. Perhaps she was sensing our disappointment at the thought of returning home. “Club sandwiches?” she asked expectantly. Realising we were in danger of becoming Valencia’s “club sandwich brigade” we saved face by ordering burgers.

Our final day had arrived and the session we had been gearing up to all week was here… Just how quickly could we run a continuous 5k around a running track using our recently banked warm weather training? After customary warmups and drills we were straight into it. It wasn’t long before the heat hit us, and the thoughts of new 5k PBs quickly evaporated. We were however determined to finish the task we set out to do, PB or not. We eventually finished, both approximately a minute outside the time we would ordinarily expect for the distance. Not too disheartened, knowing we had put in decent efforts and that the 80 miles we had ran during the week was showing, we returned to the apartment to pick up our cases before the metro ride to the airport.

The flight home passed without incident, despite Ben’s best efforts to keep us in Valencia by confusing the boarding card barcode reader with his tablet (twice!) We said our farewells at East Midlands Airport and began our separate journeys back to Swindon and Sheffield. At that was a wrap for our warm weather training of 2019!

So, there you have it. I hope this gives some idea of what a warm weather training week can be like. We have already talked about something similar in 2020 and agreed it would be great if a few more Sheffield RC faces could join us. It should be emphasised that not all sessions are mandatory, and you can pick up or drop whatever ones you like. So, if you’re curious about a future trip, but concerned that you will spend a week being a slave to the track, I hope the above report will ease some concerns – the holiday can really be whatever you want it to be! Rest assured, we do plenty of “normal” holiday stuff too!

And if you’re still not convinced, within two weeks since returning, between us we have a 10k PB, a veteran win, a 2nd senior finish and race prizes ranging from vouchers to cash to show for our efforts… further proof along with the glut of post Vilamoura PBs, that there is definitely something in this warm weather training malarkey… what’s not to like 😊?

Loxley Lash 5k Event 3 – 31st August 2019

The third event in the series, with 3 heats taking place.

Loxley Lash 5K Results – 30th August 2019

Heat 1 – Over 20

Pos Time Number Name Club Cat
1 00:20:31 839 Ben Stittle Steel City Striders SM
2 00:21:03 813 Gary Brooks Sheffield Running Club M50
3 00:22:15 838 Russell Dodd Sheffield Running Club M50
4 00:22:30 837 David Higginbottom Sheffield Running Club M50
5 00:22:59 866 Adrian Holyhead Kimberworth Striders M55
6 00:23:10 862 Kiri Langmead Steel City Striders F35
7 00:23:21 792 Emily Dodd Barnsley Harriers SF
8 00:23:34 841 Helen Cameron Sheffield Running Club F35
9 00:24:09 845 Emma Moorhouse Barnsley Harriers SF
10 00:24:34 836 David Howes Barnsley Harriers M35
11 00:24:51 847 Alexa Dale Sheffield Running Club

F35

 

 

Heat 2 – Under 20

Pos Time Number Name Club Cat
1 00:17:36 864 Steve Marshall Rotherham Harriers M45
2 00:18:09 799 Jack Nuttgens Sheffield Running Club SM
3 00:18:14 869 Ben Wilkinson Sheffield Running Club SM
4 00:18:23 865 Steve Lowndes Kimberworth Striders M60
5 00:18:34 843 Tim Fletcher Sheffield Running Club M35
6 00:18:39 817 Richard Harrison Selby Striders M50
7 00:18:44 798 Keith Littlewood Barnsley AC M50
8 00:18:51 791 Richard Singleton Barnsley Harriers M35
9 00:19:00 812 David Rutherford Sheffield Running Club SM
10 00:19:11 867 Afif El Amrani Sheffield Running Club M50
11 00:19:31 835 David Ogle Unattached M35
12 00:19:32 868 Ellen McLeod Sheffield Running Club SF
13 00:19:41 844 Gareth Irvine Sheffield Running Club M40
14 00:19:42 840 Nicola Birch Steel City Striders SF
15 00:20:07 834 Mick Thompson City of Sheffield M60
16 00:20:52 842 Chris Heggs Sheffield Running Club M45
17 00:21:57 846 Jason Shepherd Barnsley Harriers M45

 

Heat 3 – Under 17

Pos Time Number Name Club Cat
1 00:16:42 861 Alan Ford  Barnsley Harriers M40
2 00:17:09 871 Mark Hampton Sheffield Running Club M35
3 00:17:10 825 Adam Dunajko Unattached M35
4 00:17:11 870 Rich Spooner Barnsley Harriers M35
5 00:17:28 872 Phillipa Williams Sheffield Running Club SF
6 00:17:32 873 Bruno Beckett Sheffield Running Club M40
7 00:17:41 849 Stephen Davison Sheffield Running Club SM
8 00:17:59 863 Hugh Mackie Penistone Footpath Runners U17
9 00:18:02 815 Matt Worthington Sheffield Running Club M35
10 00:18:43 848 Chris Moss Sheffield Running Club SM

Loxley Lash 5k Event 2 – 3rd August 2019

The second event in the series, with 3 heats taking place.

Loxley Lash 5k Results – August 2019

Heat 1 – Over 20

Pos Time Number Name CAT Club
1 00:21:46 829 Rachel Miller SF Sheffield Running Club
2 00:21:52 794 Emily Ireland SF Sheffield Running Club
3 00:22:35 813 Gary Brooks M50 Sheffield Running Club
4 00:22:38 828 Paul McWhirter M40 Sheffield Running Club
5 00:22:57 789 Sara Morrow F45 Selby Striders
6 00:23:20 792 Emily Dodd SF Barnsley Harriers
7 00:28:00 826 Louise Woffindin F35 Sheffield Running Club

Heat 2 – Sub 20

Pos Time Number Name CAT Club
1 00:18:32 814 Chris Ireland M55 Sheffield Running Club
2 00:18:35 817 Richard Harrison M50 Selby Striders
3 00:18:55 795 Steven Lowndes M60 Kimberworth Striders
4 00:18:58 791 Richard Singleton M35 Barnsley Harriers
5 00:19:00 832 Richard Carter M40 Steel City Striders
6 00:19:02 830 Jed Turner M55 Sheffield Running Club
7 00:19:26 831 Gareth Irvine M40 Sheffield Running Club
8 00:19:36 809 Amir Nanpazi M40 Sheffield Running Club
9 00:19:53 796 Andrew Hedison M40 Kimberworth Striders
10 00:20:55 811 Chris Heggs M45 Sheffield Running Club

Heat 3 – Sub 18

Pos Time Number Name CAT Club
1 00:15:52 827 Mohammed Saleh U23 Sheffield Running Club
2 00:16:59 825 Adam Dunajko M35 Unattached
3 00:17:00 824 Rob Cassy M40 Sheffield Running Club
4 00:17:02 797 Chris Griffiths M40 Rotherham Harriers
5 00:17:44 816 Mark Hampton M35 Sheffield Running Club
6 00:18:01 793 Steve Marshall M45 Rotherham Harriers
  DNF 790 David Addenbrooke SM Sheffield Running Club

Series

Pos Combined Number Name CAT Club
1 00:33:51 824 Rob Cassy M40 Sheffield Running Club
2 00:33:59 825 Adam Dunajko M35 Unattached
3 00:35:37 816 Mark Hampton M35 Sheffield Running Club
4 00:37:05 814 Chris Ireland M55 Sheffield Running Club
5 00:38:05 817 Richard Harrison M50 Selby Striders
6 00:38:43 809 Amir Nanpazi M40 Sheffield Running Club
7 00:41:41 811 Chris Heggs M45 Sheffield Running Club
8 00:42:09 813 Gary Brooks M50 Sheffield Running Club

Dam Flask – Results 2019

Prizes for collection as follows:

M40       Rotherham Harriers
M50       Penistone FPR
M60       Kimberworth Striders
F35         Totley AC
F45         Totley AC
F55         Totley AC

Prizes available on Saturday, 6th July at the Loxley Lash or email Mike Levery mike.levery@mclconsultancy.co.uk with a name and address for postage

Any queries / leg / name changes please email us by Friday 28th June 2019.

Dam Flask Relays Results 2019

Timed Mile – May 2019 – and a new entry into the all time Top 10!

17 runners made it to Woodbourn Road Stadium to run the 20th edition of the SRC Timed Miles.

Thanks to Chris Ireland, David Addenbrooke, Matt Worthington, Stephen Davison and Les Morton, and Mike and Andy Pickard for timekeeping / photo duties.

Rebecca Pierce and Sara Corker ran their first ever Timed Mile, in 10.05 and 9.42 respectively. Both ladies are graduates of our Learn-2-Run graduates, and are regular runners / leaders in the 5k group on Tuesdays. Amy Worthington ran 7.47 for her first ever timed mile.

Richard Moody ran a fantastic 7.20, after only taking up running in the past 18 months, with Alexa Dale improving very slightly from 7.22 to 7.18. Neal Matthews was another improver from 7.06 to 7.03 and must surely break 7 minutes next time!

David Higginbottom and Paul McWhirter have both joined SRC in the past year and ran their first timed miles in the fantastic times of 6.23 and 6.17 respectively, while Richard Ward was only a few seconds slower than his best time, running 5.54. Toby Meek was just a second ahead of him in 5.53.

Rob Addenbrooke was another first timer, running 5.47, just behind Les Morton who despite being an SRC and Olympic legend, ran his first SRC timed mile in 5.42. Fresh off his PB at North Lincs HM, Afif El Amrani ran 5.27, with Matt Worthington just ahead in 5.20.

Rob Cassy was still recovering from the London Marathon, running 5.11 (only 2 seconds off his best time), while David Addenbrooke paced the 5 minute group by running 4.59 (he is included in the results as his previous best time was 5.33.)

Stephen Davison ran a brilliant time of 5.42, putting himself in the all-time Top 10 in 10th place.

Full results for the timed mile:

  • Rebecca Pierce – 10.05
  • Sara Corker – 9.42
  • Amy Worthington – 7.47
  • Richard Moody – 7.20
  • Alexa Dale – 7.18
  • Neal Matthews – 7.03
  • David Higginbottom – 6.23
  • Paul McWhirter – 6.17
  • Richard Ward – 5.54
  • Toby Meek – 5.53
  • Rob Addenbrooke – 5.47
  • Les Morton – 5.42
  • Afif El Amrani – 5.27
  • Matt Worthington – 5.20
  • Rob Cassy – 5.11
  • David Addenbrooke (pacing) 4.59
  • Stephen Davison – 4.52

The all-time mile spreadsheet is available here.

MICROSOFT EXCEL ONLY: This is a more interactive version of the mile time spreadsheet but will only open and work correctly in a full version of Microsoft Excel 2007 or above. It probably won’t work on tablets, phones, Mobile Office or similar but if you have Microsoft Excel, it can be found here.

SRC Timed 5 Mile 2019

Wednesday 8th May 2019

SRC held their first ever Timed 5 Mile, held as a club championship event due to the South Yorkshire Road Race League this year, followed by food at the Plough Inn afterwards.

There was also a one lap (about 3.5 miles) option. 34 members took part across both distances – well done to all!

Special thanks to Helen Pickford for the first male and female prizes, courtesy of Ultractive Sports Massage, as well as all the organisers / timekeepers on the evening.

Photos from the night on the SRC Facebook page.

Results here

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