FVS MWL 10k - 14th May

I have managed to find out the route of this first MWL fixture. It’s a new 10k route by the look of it and parts of the course may be familiar to you from other races. The race starts quite near the start for the 2008FVS 5k series, but proceeds in the opposite direction. The finish is near the start/finish for the FVS 3k Relays. Here is a link to mapmyrun for more details.

Click on image to enlarge

This elevation profile comes from MapMyRun. I have run 'round the cousre myself and it feels pretty much how it looks! The Statto hill-score is 8.35, similar in fact to last year's FVS MWL 10k. For what it's worth, my Garmin FR405 measured the course as 10.02 km. For anyone who did Fliwick 10k, I would suggest that, given same level of performance, you might expect to run about 30-40s faster on 14/5.

To use football parlance, it's very much a game of two halves. The first 5k gets a hill score of (minus) 3.54. The second 5k (incl 4km all up through Fairlands Valley Park) scores 20.20. I don't know if this will be an officially certificated 10k, but if looks to be pretty accurate. Please note that, for the purposes of World Records, NHRR Club Records/Awards etc, only races with valid certificates of course accuracy count!

Anyway, I don't know about you, but I can't wait for the first MWL race. For any first-timers reading this - take it from Statto - the Midweek League is great fun, so don't miss out!! As the League unfolds, you can keep up to date with the results from both Div1 and Div2 here

Hill-ranking applied to NHRR training loops

If you were anxious to know how our common training loops stack up in the hill-ranking stakes, you can now relax, because here is the data!

Session	Av gain m/mile
Dunhams 1500m	17.1
Sainsbury's 800m	16.7
Bedford Rd Loop	14.8
2x 3M	12.1
St Paul's Loop	11.2
3k out/back (Greenway)	10.6
Dive Centre Loop	7.1
St Francis 1000m	6.9
Highfield Track	0.6

Serpentine RC 5k - Fri 24th April

Having often done this race since 2006, I had gone 8 months without a trip to London for this regular last Friday of the month lunchtime fixture. I think I’d got a little tired of it, but the break had cured that and I was looking forward to the challenge again. This is a great little race (if not the fastest course). Only £2 for affiliated runners and you get your individual results emailed and mobile-texted the same day. They also track and graph your progress over the months/years in the event on their website. Great value, but the full cost is £24 if you include the train/tube!

Allowing for relative course difficulty (see Hill-ranking Table), my performance at Sandy 10M predicted 17:35 and Flitwick 10k predicted 17:47. Which performance would be the better benchmark? Either projection would be a PB, so I was feeling positive.

The weather was warm for April (about 16 deg), but quite breezy. Fortunately, the wind direction being SE meant that you were only running directly into it during km-4 . There was a bigger than usual turn out (about 20% up) and quite a few of the extra runners were at the fast end of the race.

I think this was the best I have ever paced a 5k and, as is normal for me in a 5k, I paid much more attention to pace than to HR. In fact, the main thing I tried to do was to maintain good form and stay as relaxed as possible - not always easy at full 5k effort. I think some of the recent NHRR training sessions have really helped me in that respect. It was good to see Chris Priestley (marshaling) and James Atkins (lunch-break) providing on-course support for myself and Martyn Annetts. Well done to Martyn for continuing his recent return to form.

So to my result - a very satisfactory PB (by 15s) of 17:38 and best ever age-score of 80.40%. 22nd place overall and 2nd MV45. That completes a very good week, with 10k and 5k PBs set on tough courses. This bodes well for upcoming races.

Statto's (revised) Hill-ranking Table

Now based on SportTracks and using its elevation correction plug-in. I think the average metres gained/mile are now more realistic, but the relationship between the values of respective races remains similar however, as do the ranking positions. This is just road-races.

See notes at foot of table if you're interested in some background info.

Rank		Race	Av Gain (m/mile)
1		Keswick HM	32.50
2		Goring & Woodcote 10k	21.68
3		Hampstead Midsummer 10k	21.52
4		Great Langdale 10k	21.40
5		Croydon 10k	15.48
6		Roding Valley HM	14.45
7		St Albans HM 2008	14.38
8		Watford HM	14.27
9		Flitwick 10k 09	14.18
10		Stamford 30k	13.53
11		St Albans MWL 7M	13.30
12		Doug Anderson Mem' 5k (Bedford)	13.29
13		Serpentine LFOTM 5k	13.28
14		Regents Park 10k	13.18
15		Bury 20	13.03
16		NHRR MWL 10k Stev	12.29
17		Buntingford 10 07	12.29
18		Bish MWL 10k	11.81
19		Oakley 20	11.44
20		Barnes Green HM	10.93
21		Woburn 10k	10.77
22		Whipsnade 10k	10.72
23		FVS 3k Relays	10.08
24		Stevenage 5k (2008)	9.88
25		Bracknell HM	9.53
26		Sandy 10 09	9.37
27		WGC 10M	9.09
28		Stev HM 2008	9.06
29		Bedford HM	8.94
30		Springfield Striders 5M	8.74
31		Horndon 10k	8.67
32		Billericay 10k	8.46
33		NVH Ferry Meadows 5k	8.43
34		FVS MWL 10k	8.05
35		Harlow 10	7.71
36		WGC MWL 10k	7.61
37		Swineshead 10.29	7.47
38		Chelmsford 10k	7.21
39		Breckland 10k	7.10
40		Standalone 10k	6.98
41		Leicester HM 07	6.83
42		Reading HM	6.67
43		Chessington 10k	6.44
44		Stevenage 5k (2007)	6.24
45		WGC MWL 5	6.14
46		Shinfield 10k (nr Reading)	5.89
47		Bearbrook 10k	5.66
48		Milton Keynes (Caldecott Lake) 5k	5.66
49		St Neot's HM	5.50
50		Wokingham HM	5.27
51		Cranfield 5	5.08
52		Leighton 10	4.96
53		Wolverton 5	4.76
54		NSPCC Milton Keynes HM	4.37
55		Nike+ Milton Keynes HM	4.33
56		Nene Valley Harriers 10	4.25
57		Felsted 10k (nr Braintree)	4.06
58		Silverstone HM	3.53
59		Fred Hughes 10 (09)	3.43
60		Silverstone 10k	2.80
61		Hatfield Broadoak 10k 06	2.77
62		Lea Valley 10k	2.43
63		Grunty Fen HM	1.83
64		Langtoft 10k (Market Deeping)	1.00
65		Andy Reading 10k	0.97
66		Staines 10k	0.90

Note 1: I should state at the outset that it is generally accepted that you lose more time going up a slope of a given distance/gradient than you make up going down it. This applies to runners of all abilities, but the faster/better hill-trained you are, the less the effect (but an effect nonetheless). That is the basis of my ranking table and why it measures average metres gained per mile. Most courses start and finish at about the same height (net elevation change = about zero), but my formula makes allowance for courses where this is not the case too. A very undulating course with a significant net elevation loss between start>finish will get a lower score for example.

Note 2: The jury' s still out (in my head!), but it may be that those courses that are gently undulating (say score between 3-8) are faster than dead-flat ones. This may just be that the brain prefers a little variation or perhaps that the leg muscles do too?

Note 3: another possible factor (but difficult to measure) is where the up-hill sections are as well as how often and how steep on average (the latter being what my table reflects) . One seemingly counter-intuitive POV is that hills near the start are worse because, being fresh, you may apply too much effort and not notice the effects until later in the race. A long (in context of race-distance) downhill section to the finish can also play a part.

Note 4: Most feedback I've had is that this table is a fairly accurate guide to how races 'feel'. You could also use it to make more sensible comparisons between race times. For example, a time of 41:30 at Flitwick 10k would almost certainly be a 'better' performance than 41:15 at Hatfield Broadoak.

Flitwick 10k (aka "The Heights of Steppingley")

A cool sunny, if a tad breezy morning in Flitwick, saw a good NHRR turnout for our April Run of the Month.

I have to confess, after a really bad race here in 2007 (on a rather unseasonably warm April day) I have had a a certain degree of respect (aka fear!) of this race. Last year only served to re-inforce this as I faded in the last 3k. OK, so it’s not in the XC-league of undulations, but as road-races go, it’s amongst the more challenging in my opinion. This is borne out by Statto’s Hill Ranking Table (watch this space for update now using "SportTracks" elevation correction rather than Motion Based).

This was my 3rd bash at this course, and forearmed is certainly forewarned in terms of knowing the extent, location and duration of the undulations. In short, it does not pay to go too hard for the first (and hardest) 5k, as the second 5k, whilst ‘easier’ is a roller-coaster ride of smaller hillocks, which by the 9k mark, have left their mark!

I think I gauged the first 5k about right. On reflection, I may have needed to up the effort form about 7k in order to meet my target time, but that would have been a risky move on this course and, well - I am risk-averse! My time was 37:10. Whilst only 5 secs faster than Chelmsford 10k last Nov, Flitwick is a much tougher course. In fact, given my history in this race, I have to consider a PB on it as a real achievement. I just failed to dip under 37m, but hopefully this will come in the not too distant future in a less hilly race. I would estimate that Flitwick could add an extra 30-40 secs over some other other local 10k races. I would suggest that other NHRRs who took part reflect on their times with that in mind.

Overall a good race experience and, as usual, the organisation was good. Start>finish chip-timing for future events might be on some people's agenda however (chip-timing was only gun>finish).

PS - have subsequently noticed I was first MV45-49 - shame there was only an MV40-49 prize!

Flitwick 10k (April RotM) Elevation Profile

Click on image to enlarge

This would rate as one of the hillier local 10k races. Having said that, it is possible to run a good time (for example, Gary Cook did one of his best ever 10ks here in 2008) if you are in good form and approach the inclines confidently, but sensibly.

The first 2k is fairly easy. Km 2-5 is mostly up and I would suggest you would expect to be a bit behind target pace at the 5k mark. The second 5k is easier, but does have 4 short (but sharp) inclines to negotiate. The last km should be a fast one as it is flat then downhill for about the final 700-800m.

It is a very pleasant, quiet rural-lane route on the whole. Looks like there is going to be a very good NHRR turn-out, so all the best to all of you.

PS - it has been subsequently pointed out to me that the 'peak' between km 4-5 is not quite as high as the one between km 3-4 (Steppingley village). Having consulted the O.S. map, I have to concede this is indeed the case. I still think you will notice the second one however!

Was it better in the old days? Men's 10k performance 1997-2008

Sibbo asked me to have a look at the average times for the top 10 male 10k runners over the last 10 years. Here are the results over the last 12 years.

Year	Av of Top 10
2008	00:36:52
2007	00:36:09
2006	00:37:32
2005	00:37:01
2004	00:37:31
2003	00:36:34
2002	00:36:28
2001	00:36:44
2000	00:36:54
1999	00:36:37
1998	00:36:55
1997	00:36:20