Notes December 7-09

Last Wednesday was the 6th week of the league and it’s true to say that time flies when you are having fun. 261 runners took part in what was one of the best night so far, 142 in the long route and 119 in the short route. Although the numbers are on a par with other years, the one difference is that the numbers in the long route exceed that of the short route whereas in previous years the opposite was the case. For the 6th night last year, 116 ran the long route and 147 ran the short route. So many have joined the long route having run the short route the previous year, which is a great achievement. Six short weeks ago saw so many people sign up for the league having never ran before and not having a clue as to what the league was about or how it works but now everyone is well used to how the league operates. Now when you are in the centre on a Wednesday night everybody is talking about their starting times and how they did the previous week and how much they have improved both from one week to the next and also since the start. We did say that running is one sport where huge improvement is possible in a short space of time and we were certainly proved right judging by the performances of all the newcomers. It’s fantastic to see you all turn up week after week and with there being only two nights left until the Christmas break we hope you will keep up the good work. We would like to encourage as many as possible to take part in our ten mile road race which will take place on Sunday January 31st. Over the past few weeks we have had some runners in the short route switch over to the long route and if you can run the long route and you maintain your training between now and January then the ten mile will be well within your capabilities. Some of you didn’t believe us when we said newcomers would be running the long route after a few weeks which they are so why not think about the ten mile?  It’s a challenge but one you will be well able to achieve. Why not get a group together to train at a time that’s convenient to you all, it’s a lot easier to do within a group. The starting times of 15 second intervals last week meant that come the end of the run all the runners were bunching together which serves to drive you on and so personal best times was the order of the night. We were most fortunate with the weather conditions which certainly played a part in the great times recorded and we will have plenty more tonight hoping to knock a few seconds off to dip under a certain time. No doubt we all have a target time in mind that we want to achieve before the break for Christmas so the best of luck to all. After tonight, there will be just one night left, December 16th and the league will resume after Christmas on January 6th.  

LYONS LEADS THE FIELD HOME

Alan Lyons led the field home last week in 39.25. This was Alan’s first night at the league and so he was off at 0.00 and from door to door it was a one man race for Alan as he was well ahead of the pack throughout the course. Having broken 40 minutes on the first night is great going and so tonight Alan will be one of the last few to head off and he will have the company of all the others who are running under 40 minutes. Well done also to Ger Wyley and Sharon Duggan who were 2nd and 3rd runners home on the night, this was their first night running the long course and like Alan their starting time tonight will reflect their great times from last week. As these three were newcomers to the long route, the battle was between the rest of the field to be the best improver for week 6 and the honours went to James O’ Donnell who recorded 41.47. This means that out of all the runners that have been running the league from the start, James was the one to knock the most off his time last Wednesday, well done to you. The second best improver on the night was JP Harney who clocked 50.51, with it being his 4th night running in the league. Damien Casey deservedly claimed the third spot for best improver. Week 5 saw Damien run 51.12 and I would imagine that under 51 minutes would have been his target but Damien went on to smash this by recording 48.03, some running indeed. The same determination tonight should see him break 48 minutes tonight. Michael Hennessy was another to improve immensely as he got his time down to 48.34, down from 51.38. Angela Bradatan kept the flag flying for the ladies in the league when she was the best female improver on the night, running 48.35, down from 51.16. In fact, she has been in the top 20 every night over the past few weeks. There were many more like Angela who were over 50 minutes and who are now well under 50, Richard Griffin has gone from 51.50 to 48.53 which is remarkable seeing as there was only a week between the two runs. Fingers crossed we will have suitable weather conditions again tonight. Donagh Cummins is another recording impressive times and he is edging closer and closer to 45 minutes. Michelle Fitzgerald has another minute off her time as has Olive Hanlon and Geraldine Heffernan.  Libby McGinn Murphy has only two seconds to knock off to get under 46 and Trevor Walsh should be well under 41 minutes tonight. At the moment, Martin Houlihan is the leader of the division tables but there is only two points between Martin and Brendan Donnelly, both of whom are running very well indeed. They will need to keep up this effort as Liam Power is in third spot and Liam Budds in fourth. Adrian Fitzgerald fills the fifth spot. After tonight it could very well be you in the top five! 

EMER TAKES THE TOP SPOT

With her Dad having won the winter league some years ago, it was Emer’s turn to show that she too knows a thing or two about running and was the first home in the short route for week 6. Emer recorded 19.43 and she was closely followed home by Tom Longan who was a few seconds behind in 19.59, well done to you both. Luke O’ Brien was another to have a fine run and will be well pleased with his time of 21.43. Cora Marshall is heading for a sub 25 minute run soon and if we get good conditions tonight, this she may very well do. Michael Tutty and Martin Curran will both be looking to dip under 17 minutes and with Kate Organ having broken 25 minutes last week she will be keen to have a repeat performance once again this week. Sheila O’ Brien broke 21 minutes and Peter Barry and Mary Longan may well be in the sub 21 minute group after tonight. Deirdre O’ Donnell and Paula Reddy are making great strides in the league and their steady improvement week after week is very impressive. Lorna Dee Carter and Molly Byrne are posting similar times and having someone to run with sometimes makes all the difference. Marie Lannen and Annice Ni Chionnaola are also running the same times and will keep each other motivated tonight in their bid to knock off another second or two. Congratulations to Marie O’ Donovan who got under 21 minutes, running 20.59 exactly. Tanya Kirwan, Ita Mason and Gilian Flynn will also be chasing a similar time tonight. Ray Power is still in the lead but creeping up nicely is Dean Wall in second position. Aisling Gleeson is only a few points behind Dean and Pearl Veale and Clive kiely are filling fourth and fifth spot respectively. There are only a few points between many of the runners so a little improvement each night is the way to go about it. These may very well change after tonight so let everyone give it their best shot between now and Christmas. 

STARTING TIMES FOR TONIGHT

The starting times tonight will see the runners heading off every 20 seconds. The fastest people will be the last to go off and with there only being 20 seconds between each of the groups the first person home aside from any new person that starts tonight, will be the best improver so we all need to give it our all tonight if we want to get to the finishing line first. Please check your time on the wall as usual and ensure that you are out at the front door in plenty of time. Also, when you have finished please hold your position in the finishing tunnel until the stairs as the results need to be recorded twice, please co-operate with this matter. 

LUCKY DIP

Well done to Sharon Duggan and Tom Longan who finished in second place at the league last week. Please let us know when you are registering tonight and you will get your prize. With tonight being the 9th, the prizes for tonight will go to the 9th finishers in both routes, best of luck to you all. 

WINTER LEAGUE FUND-RAISING NIGHT ON WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 16TH

It is an annual tradition now at the Winter League that the last night before Christmas is always a fund raising night for charity.  A different charity is chosen each year and this year the St Vincent de Paul is the organisation we have chosen to support.  What this means for you the runner is that all the €2 and €3 registration fee on the night will go towards the St Vincent de Paul.  Remember if you want to contribute a little extra on the night it would be greatly appreciated at this time.  Thanks as always for your continued support.

ABOUT ST. VINCENT DE PAUL

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is the largest, voluntary charitable organisation in Ireland. It has a membership of 9,500 volunteers throughout the country.The St. Vincent de Paul is a direct service non-profit organisation whose work primarily involves person-to-person contact with people who have a variety of needs. In addition to direct assistance, they try to promote self-sufficiency, enabling people to help themselves. Any assistance offered by the Society is given in a non-judgemental spirit of compassion, based on the need of the individual or family.The Society is gearing up for an avalanche of calls for assistance in the coming weeks.  Speaking at the launch of its Annual Appeal the SVP national president, Mairead Bushnell said “they expected in the region of 100,000 calls for assistance in the run-up to Christmas this year”.  With the withdrawal of the Christmas Bonus many families already struggling will be under extreme pressure in the coming weeks.

We will be taking entries at the winter league for the upcoming Quantum Life Dungarvan 10 mile road race. This year, the race is pre-entry only which means that we will not accept any entries either on the day or after the closing date of Monday, January 18th. There are various ways of entering the race. For local runners doing the winter league the easiest way is to do so at the winter league. We will have forms available and all you have to do is fill in the form and bring along your entry fee of  €20.You may also enter online through the club website www.westwaterfordathletics.org or alternatively you may download the entry form on the website and post your entry. Either way you have plenty of time to get your entry in before the deadline of January 18th. The number of entries received each day is increasing so get your entry in!

WHY NOT GIVE IT A GO?? MAKE IT YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION.

QUANTUM NEEDS YOU.

There’s nothing like signing up for something in plenty of time as once you have made your decision, it gives you all the encouragement and motivation you need. There are many of you out there that have never considered tackling a ten mile road race or would consider yourself remotely capable of completing such a distance. Yet, every year we have newcomers to the winter league and before they know it they begin training a few times a week, increasing the distance ever so slightly and everyone of them cross the line with a huge sense of satisfaction and achievement on race day and you are no different. The race itself is seven weeks away and so much can be achieved in that space of time. If you are running the short route, your goal could be to do another run outside of the winter league, perhaps 3 miles, just slightly longer than the league itself. The following week your aim could be to increase this to 3.5.miles.  Keep the increase in the distance, ever so slight. Increasing the distance too soon achieves nothing as it can lead to injury. When you’re able to run 3.5, increase this to four. Getting out a number of times a week is more beneficial than trying to do just one long run in the week. Why not talk to those you know at the league and organise to meet each other during the week. Having a common goal among a group makes it all the more attainable. After a while, you get to know yourself how much to increase the distance by each week. To run your first ten mile, you should ideally have run a 7 or 8 miles prior to the race. Make sure that your training is not like the league where you are running hard each week. The general motto in athletics’ circles is to train easy and race hard. The pace for training should be nice and easy and not at all like the league. I know that many of you think it’s impossible but it’s not. Why not make it your New Year’s resolution and your goal for 2010?  You’ll be glad you did. Any questions, we are available at the sports centre on Wednesday night to offer advice and support.  

In association with Dungarvan G.A.A. club our annual St. Stephen’s day walk and run will take place from the G.A.A. club house at 11 am. The distances are two miles and five miles, so depending on how you feel after the Christmas festivities, you can choose which distance is suitable for you on the day. The proceeds this year will be donated to St. John’s and St. Teresa’s wards in Crumlin Children’s Hospital. The entry fee is at your own discretion and we hope that as many as possible will turn upon the day to support this cause. A number of spot prizes will be presented and the traditional soup and sandwiches will be served thanks to Dungarvan G.A.A ladies committee.

For those looking to keep up their running over the break from the winter league, the Turkey Trot charity run will take place on Sunday, December 20th at 11 am. Entry to the race is open to all. The entries for the race will be taken at the Marine Bar and the distance for the run is 5 miles. The run is being held to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s society and the club would like to encourage all our members to support this worthy cause. The prize-giving will also take place in the Marine Bar along with refreshments. 

The club will hold its 16th Annual General Meeting tomorrow night in Minnie’s Bar, Abbeyside at 8 pm. All club members are welcome to attend. 

The above Championships will take place on Sunday January 3rd at the Nenagh Indoor Arena commencing at 10.30am.  The age eligibility listed on the Munster Athletics website is as follows:

Junior 1991-1995

Senior 1991 or older

The Programme of events will get under way at 10.30 with the 3k and 5k walks followed by the hurdles while the field events of the Long Jump and Shot for Master Men will also take place at that time.  The following field events will also take place:

High Jump 12.30pm followed by the Pole Vault

Triple Jump 1.30pm

Weight for distance 3.00pm

Back on the track the following are the events:

11.00am           60m for Juniors/Seniors/Masters

11.45am           3000m

12.00               60m finals

12.45pm          400m

1.45pm            800m

2.45pm            200m

4.00pm            1,500m

5.00pm            Relays

Event timetables will be adhered to however events may be brought forward depending on progress.  

Master Athletes are limited to 4 events.  On the day an athlete is either a junior/senior or master and there will be no swapping from one category to another.  This means if you run the 60m as a senior and want to take part in the High Jump you have to compete in the High Jump as a senior as well.Each year our dedicated Track and Field competitors look forward to these events just after Christmas but this year we would like to encourage newcomers to go and take part in these Championships.  If you are new to the Masters category i.e 0/35 it is an ideal opportunity to try your hand at these distances over the indoor track or even the field events such as the long jump or the high jump.  You never know, there might be potential Munster Champions out there among our members so why not give it a try!  The closing date for entries to these championships is Tuesday December 22nd.  For further information please contact Tony Ryan on 087-7657805 or Ann Dunford on 086-0619711.

Preparations are well advanced for the hosting of the 16th Spar European Cross Country Championships in Dublin which will be held this Sunday, December 13th. This, the first European Athletics Championship event ever to be held in Ireland, will be a momentous occasion for the sport.It is also a momentous occasion for West Waterford as two of our most successful athletes, Sandis Bralitis and Raivis Zakis will be competing with the best athletes that Europe has to offer. Both Sandis and Raivis have proven themselves to be the best athletes at club, county and national level at middle and long distance running, at track and field and at cross country and next Sunday sees them enter a new phase in their running careers when they compete at one of the highest levels. Both of them will be representing their home country of Latvia and they have trained for this day as diligently and conscientiously as only they know how. This is not their first time being on the International stage as both have experienced international success at marathon and half marathon distances and the fact that they have reached the same level at cross country is testament to their talent, dedication and commitment to the sport. It will be a proud day for the club to have two of our own athletes compete and it could very well have been three athletes from the club but for the misfortunate withdrawal of David McCarthy. We wish the very best to the two lads and we hope that they do themselves and their club proud. With it being the first staging of such a prestigious event in Ireland, people will be travelling from the four corners of the country in support of the Irish athletes and we ask that all those intending to travel next Sunday make sure to support and encourage Sandis and Raivis in what will undoubtedly be one of the most important and significant races of their career. Tickets for the event are still available from ticketmaster.  For all those not able to make it,  RTE will show the event on air from 11:30am to 15:15pm and will show the U23 and Senior races live with highlights of the junior races.

The programme for the event is as follows:

 Junior Women Race                              10.15  

Junior Men Race                                    11.00 

Under 23 Women race                         11.40 

Under 23 Men race                              12.25 

Senior Women Race                             13.15 

Senior Men race                                   14.10 

Congratulations to Brendan Mansfield and Sinead Crotty on the celebration of their marriage recently. Health and happiness to you both for the future. 

Congratulations to club member, Tommy Lenihan who celebrated his birthday at the weekend with all the marathon gang and we hear that a great night was had by all. 

The Cork Simon 4 mile run will be held on December 13th at 11am.  Entries and changing will be held at the Lee Rowing Club. All proceeds from this race will go to the Cork Simon Community.

ANN DUNFORD WINS COMERAGH CRYSTAL ATHLETE OF THE MONTH FOR NOVEMBER.

The November winner of the Comeragh Crystal Athlete of the Month is Ann Dunford.  Ann won the title with a score of 6 points, she ran 4 nights of the Allrounder winter league and also represented the club at the Munster Masters Cross Country which earned her two points.Yevgeniy Chizhikov was top scorer for the month with a total of seven points, this sees him with a very comfortable lead of 8 points in the men’s master athlete of the year.  Clare Walsh has a 5 point advantage in the ladies senior and Brigid Coffey has 7 points to spare in the ladies master section.  Sean Stillwell leads the men’s senior and Mick McCarthy is out in front in the overall athlete of the year.

The top 8 overall are

Mick McCarthy 102

Brigid Coffey 82

Onra Power 75

Clare Walsh 71 

Angeline Drennan 66

Yevgeniv Chizhikov 61

Sean Stillwell 57

Micheal O Currin 53

In support of The Seafield National school green flag in Bonmahon all are invited to wear green and come along to their fun run, walk or cycle on their 10k or 2k routes on Sunday 3rd January at 12 noon, Starting at Bonmahon Car Park with Registration opposite in the Lifeboat station.Distance:10k fun walk for adults.2k fun walk for children.Cost:€10 per adult, €5 per child, €20 per family. Refreshments and spot prizes in Hayes pub, Bonmahon.Contact our Green School Committee on 051 292213 for more details

The 2009 Waterford AC 1/2 Marathon is taking place on this Saturday 12th December at 11 AM. Postal entries are now closed but you can enter on the day with the entry fee set at 30 Euro. Numbers and timing Chip to be collected on the day of the race from 9:00am until 10 am. The course see’s the race head out towards Tramore making the return journey on the same road, Numbers and goodies bags may be collected at the Regional Sports Centre from 4:00pm -9:00pm on Friday 11th December 2009 Numbers on the day available for collection from 8:30am until 10:30am sharp. Entries on the day limited and not guaranteed a goody bag. 

They say you can’t run away from your troubles. I say that you can.