WEST WATERFORD TEAMS CONTINUE TO DOMINATE NOVICE TEAM TITLES.
ANNE WHELAN CAPTURES COUNTY GOLD.
The County Novice was held in glorious sunshine last Sunday at St Augustine’s College, Preceding this was the county even ages Juvenile programme which saw a most successful day for the club with many fine team and individual performances (see Juvenile notes). The club fielded two teams in both the Men’s and Ladies Novice and all preformed well. The individual Performance of the day has to go to Anne Whelan who took the Ladies Novice crown to become the second person in her family to win this event as brother Rory took the Men’s title in 2006.Anne a stalwart of many a Ladies club team received her just reward last Sunday for her years of dedication to the club when winning convincingly leading from gun to tape. Anne also lead her team to victory in the team competition with another great club supporter Brigid Coffey running probably her finest cross country race to date taking a well deserved silver, Bronze also went to a West Waterford club Lady when Bernie Prendergast battled hard to take Bronze, Cross country is as much about team performances as it is about individual and here too we hade great running from Geraldine Barry 4th Onra Power 5th Joan Navin 6th Tricia Cullinane 7th and Diana Chizhikova 8th,Congradulations to all the Ladies concerned on keeping the great West Waterford tradition of team competition at County Cross country racing.
Turning to the Men’s race where again West Waterford dominated the team competition taking team gold and silver on the day. The overall winner was Frank Hally Ferrybank.Sean Stilwell took a deserving silver with team mate Rory Moloney taking his first novice medal when finishing in the bronze position, Sean and Rory lead their team to gold along with a great run from Kevin Kenneally finishing 4th and the ever improving Des Feeney 5th, Our silver winning team consisted of Tomas 0’Mahony who gave a terrific on the day plus youngster Ciarán Lane followed by Colin Lyons, Yevgenniy Chizhikov and Jim Barry, Harry O’Brien ran strongly for the early part of the race before a slight niggled curtailed his finishing of the course, But true to Harry’s high standards he will be back in full flight for the Senior event next Sunday. Our thanks to Br.Patrick Lennon and St Augustines College who had the course laid out superbly as usual for the day’s events,
So another good days cross country running at the home of cross country running St.Augustines College Well done to all and best wishes also to our club runners for next Sundays Senior event at the same venue.
SANDIS BRALITIS TAKS HIS THIRD CORK TO COBH VICTORY.
The mighty one is back to his best-Yes Sandis Bralitis proved to be back to his very best last Sunday in the prestigious Cork to Cobh 15 miler when taking a sweet victory from Alan O’Shea of Bantry AC.The club had a big contingent running on the day with conditions ideal for the October fixture. Alan O’ Shea the Cork Doctor took the race out very fast covering the first three miles all under 5 minute mileing going through three miles in 14.40.Sandis took the wise approach trailing in second at this stage keeping his mile split’s to a more realistic 5 minute’s per mile, This indeed proved to be the wiser decision .By the Five mile mark Sandis passed the tiring Bandon Man who’s early fast pace was to be his downfall as the Latvian National went on to take victory in the end by a huge margin of 1 minute and 24 seconds.
On the way to victory Sandis went through five miles in 25.16 and keeping a very steady pace clipped through ten in 51.11 his half marathon split read 66.53 going on to finish the 15 miles on his own in 1.18.10.Sandis also won this race in 2005 and 2006 but this was by far his fastest time ever on this course which proves that he is running at his very best presently. There were also fine performances from Trevor Mason, Martin McCarthy, and Brian Byrne, Catriona O’Brien took a whopping 11 minutes off last year time, Just to mention a few. As we go to press a full results sheet isn’t available so we will hold over the full results until next week’s notes.
WEST WATERFORD BEST IN BUDAPEST.
The club’s annual marathon trip was another huge success this year. A big contingent of athletes and supporters departed for Budapest last Friday morning to compete in the Budapest marathon among 30,000 athletes from all corners of the world. Each and every one of the West Waterford athletes were committed and dedicated in their training over the last few months and all were very happy campers crossing the finishing line. There may have been a number of records set in Berlin two weeks ago but there was double the number of personal bests recorded among our athletes in Budapest. The weather was similar to what we had here, plenty of the rain on the Saturday but come race day the skies cleared and the athletes were able to get down to the job in hand of completing the gruelling 26.2 miles that is the marathon. As anticipated, great times were recorded by all and all eleven athletes had previous marathon experience to their credit, which is a godsend when chasing personal bests. There was a slight wind over parts of the course but other than that the conditions were great for a good run. First across the ever-welcoming finishing line was Tomas Coleman, a whopping 18 minutes faster than his marathon of last year. Tomas had a great year running wise and his times in the summer series guaranteed him this super time last Sunday. Chasing a similar time to last year were Triona Wall and Vincent Tutty. Competing in their sixth marathon and having dipped under 3.30 for the first time last year, both had sub 3.30 in their minds along the course and they weren’t to be disappointed as they both finished in 3.29, a few seconds just separating the two. Pat O’ Brien will be delighted with his time of 3.48, 14 minutes faster than last year’s marathon in Amsterdam. Hot on his heels was Eamon Flavin, another athlete that was destined to produce a great run giving his consistent training all year. Eamon took the distance in his stride and in the process knocked 20 minutes off his time from last year to record 3.49 overall. No sooner was Eamon finished when along came another experienced marathon runner. Last week Josie was part of the winning cross-country team in Kilmacow and seven days later she runs a fantastic marathon. How do you manage it Josie? Well done to you, the training certainly paid dividends and your time of 3.51 is super. If you are ever planning on running a marathon and you need a good steady pacer, then Liam Sandford is your man. Liam is well known as a great pacer and is another with vast marathon experience and he recorded 4.12 at his ease. Next up was Angeline Drennan, another who paced herself to perfection for the long distance. The key to running long distance is nice and steady with not too much difference in your split times and this formula certainly worked for Angeline who recorded a similar time to last year. Ann Moroney who is no stranger to marathons and for whom one marathon a year is never enough, ran a fine run, and will be delighted with her time of 4.25. Ann is also preparing for the Dublin marathon in a few weeks and as usual finished in fine form, not a bother to her at all. Must be all the set dancing combined with the running! With records galore recorded, it was left to Clare Walsh to completely obliterate her performance from last year. She was one of the few who completed all ten races of the summer series and this consistency more than paid off for her as she knocked an incredible 22 minutes off her time from last year. This shattering of her previous time shows how suited she is to the marathon distance and no doubt she’s already looking forward to next year. Winner of numerous All-Ireland and Munster medals at various distances, Terri Gough, has run more marathons than some people have hot dinners and last Sunday was another marathon to add to her ever-growing list. Terri was just over 5 hours and will be well pleased with her time. Another significant factor in the athlete’s success was the support they received from those that travelled with them. They were well easy to spot along the course, dressed in the Irish colours and waving flags. They provided much needed enthusiasm and support for all the athletes and when the ‘oul legs were getting weary the lads’ words of encouragement provided an instant lift. No doubt, they will take a much needed and deserved rest and with magnificent performances from all it wont be long before they pick the destination for next year. Well-done lads.
The following are the times recorded:
Tomas Coleman 3.20
Triona Wall 3.29
Vincent Tutty 3.29
Pat O’ Brien 3.48
Eamon Flavin 3.49
Josie Ui Chuirrin 3.51
Liam Sandford 4.12
Angeline Drennan 4.16
Ann Moroney 4.24
Claire Walsh 4.33
Terri Gough 5.05
ELITE PAINTBALL FIT4LIFE ONE LAP CHALLENGE
It’s hard to believe that we have already reached week 4 of the Elite Paintball League but as they say “time flies when you’re having fun”. There was a distinct hint of autumn in the air last Tuesday evening in the Friary College grounds but that did not deter out athletes from taking on and conquering the 1 lap Challenge in conjunction with our sponsors Elite Paintball. Yes it is a little colder and the nice summer conditions we enjoyed over the first 3 weeks of the league may be over but folks get out the leggings and a warm top and in no time at all you will be saying, cold, what cold? Fortunately the Friary College is still in great condition so with 2 weeks still left in this league there is still room for you to get out, get active and start a new healthy regime
SEAN LEADS THE WAY FOR THE SUB 7-MINUTE GANG.
Following Sean Stilwell’s excellent 3rd place finish in the Kilmacow Cross Country last Sunday, on Tuesday evening he was in cruise control as he took on the 1 Lap Challenge finishing in a time of 6.29 and for the 4th week in a row was the first runner into the finishing tunnel. Kevin Kenneally who also had a great run in Kilmacow was just 3 seconds behind in 6.32. Also under the 7-minute barrier were Patrick Riordan (6.47), Johnny O Connor, (6.47) Ciáran Lane, (6.50) Corinna Walsh, (6.50), Yevgeniy Chizhikov (6.51) and Kenneth O Donnell who broke that elusive 7-minute barrier bursting over the line in 6.59.
SUB 8-MINUTES
This week just 2 athletes breached the 8-minute barrier with Norma Wall crossing the line in 7.34, another athlete who had a great run in the fields of Kilmacow. She was closely followed by Sean Dwyer (7.36) who is looking really strong at the moment.
SUB 9-MINUTES
A total of 7 athletes broke the 9-minute barrier, which is no mean feat for 1.2 miles. First up was Paul Brunnock (8.07) who is nursing a slight injury at the moment, hope it clears up soon Paul. Following Paul was Dzintars Santers in a time of 8.07. Ann Whelan (8.17) (the exact time for week 4 as she recorded in week 3) was joined in this category by Budapest bound Josie Ui Chuirrin (8.48) and an ever improving Maud Cunningham (8.51) her first entry into the sub 9-minute category and an improvement of 20 seconds on her time in week 3. Also in this category were John Murray (8.52) and Michael Deegan (8.59).
SUB 10-MINUTE
On this occasion 6 athletes finished in this category with some fine running on the night. First in this section was Brigid Coffey (9.13) followed by Tom Scanlon (9.20), Declan Hayes (9.27), Carmel Corcoran (9.34), Deb Tudbury (9.40), (well done Deb on your first night). Onra Power also joined these athletes with her time of 9.41.
OVER 10-MINUTES
Diana Chizhikova had a fine run in this section with a time of 10.25. Christine Mc Carthy also improved her time by over a minute from last week with her time of 10.27. Newcomer Michael Fogarty was just 2 seconds behind in time of 10.29. Another newcomer Rita Cronolly had a great first night and recorded 12.40. Indeed Rita enjoyed herself so much she came back for more on Thursday night! Ann Marie Wyley, Kathleen Young and Kathleen Deegan are all making great strides in this league and are all getting fitter as the league progresses. Keep it up ladies.
LEAGUE TABLES
The league tables are now taking shape as by now you need to have run 2 nights to be in contention. The pace setters at this stage are Sean Stilwell in Division 1, Colin Lyons leads the pack in Division 2 while Ann Dunford is at the head of Division 3. Pascal Proctor leads Division 4 while Division 5 is headed by Carol Whelan. Finally Division 6 and 7 are lead by Michael Deegan and Kathleen Young respectively.
COMPETITION WITHIN THE LEAGUE
This week’s winner of the “Choose a runner, Pick a time” was Norma Wall who predicted that Patrick Riordan would run 6.48 and she was just 1 second out as Patrick ran 6.47 on the night. Well-done Norma good judgement there.
LEAGUE SPONSORS
Once again we would like to acknowledge our sponsors for this league Marie and Jeff Allen of Elite Paintball and thank them most sincerely for taking an interest in athletics and choosing to sponsor the 1 Lap Challenge.
GARVEYS SUPERVALUE FIT4LIFE AUTUMN LEAGUE
Round 4 of the Garveys Autumn League took place once again in the Friary grounds by kind permission of all at St Augustine’s College. By allowing us to use their grounds they not only facilitate our Leagues but they also give our athletes an excellent opportunity to train for the upcoming Cross Country Season. This league is really quite enjoyable and all taking part recorded some fine times considering the wind that was blowing last Thursday evening.
CLAIRE IS BACK
Claire Cotter was back in action in round 4 of the Garvey’s League and recorded a fine time of 11.26. Rita Cronolly and Kathleen Young are two athletes who will certainly continue to improve if they keep up the good work. Well-done ladies.
NEW WINNER IN 2-LAP
Ciarán Lane took control of the 2-Lap league in the absence of League leader Corinna Walsh and recorded a fine time of 15.36. Fergal Connolly took on the 2 Laps on Thursday and had a fine run in a time of 17.10. Others to impress this week were Geraldine Barry (20.01), Joan Navin (20.32) and Christine Mc Carthy(23.07).
YEV IS IN CONTROL
For the 4th week in a row Yevgeniy Chizhikov records a victory in the 3.6 mile league with a fine time of 23.09. He now has an unassailable lead on the League Tables and seems to have a certain win under his belt. Darren Healy finished second again this week with a time of 26.33. As we said already it was quite windy so taking time off from your previous week was extremely difficult especially as it was quite soft underfoot. Another newcomer to the Friary was Linda O Connor who ran a time of 31.01 for her first night. Well done Linda that’s great running for 3.6 miles.
FOUR LAPS VERY COMPETITIVE
If the 3 lap is being dominated by Yev then the 4 Lap is most definitely being dominated by Sean Stilwell who was once again first past the post on Thursday evening in a time of 28.48. Kevin Kenneally was also once again in second place as he has been over the previous 3 weeks in a time of 28.50. Eric Meade (29.17), Brian Byrne (29.19), and Denis Mc Carthy (29.41) were all under the magic 30-minute mark for the 4.8 miles. Great running considering the soft ground. Next to impress was Kenneth O Donnell who seems to be recording great times with his training for Amsterdam really paying off (30.21). John Flynn continues to improve and had a good run (31.28). Impressive runs were also recorded by Cathal Dwane (33.22), Michael Moloney(34.00), Jim Barry (34.20) and Geraldine Heffernan (39.42).
So once again don’t forget there are still 2 nights left in these Leagues so come along 6.45 on Tuesday evening and 6.15 on Thursday evening and we promise you will not be disappointed. Running is addictive, just ask anyone you know that runs and they will tell you. The hardest part is turning up once you do you will find it much easier the next time. The League Tables are taking shape in the Garveys Autumn League also and with 2 nights left make sure you run the 4 nights to figure on the tables. Once again we would like to thank our sponsor for this League Liam Power at Garveys Supervalue and Garveys Coolagh Road. Thanks again for all your support.
ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH FLUIDS?
FLUID-THE FORGOTTEN NUTRIENT
With so much advertising now in the media of the benefits of a nutritious diet when it comes to enhancing performance, the tendency is there to forget about one of the most vital nutrients-water and other fluids.
“The simple truth is that no other nutritional intervention comes close to providing the performance enhancing effects of staying well hydrated”.
Bob Murray, PhD, FACSM
Humans are made of water. Our bodies contain between 30-50 litres of water. Obviously during exercise, we lose some body fluids and in the same way that we have to refuel the body with carbohydrates and protein we also have to ensure adequate rehydration of our bodies after a training session or competition. Body fluids are lost through sweat, urine and evaporation. It’s important to note that water turnover varies between athletes so there is no one rule that applies to all although the general guideline for all adults would be a minimum of 1.5 -2 litres of fluids per day. Water turnover increases during exercise and hot conditions and we need to be adequately prepared for this as athletes.
EFFECTS OF DEHYDRATION
·
Impaired Performance- each athlete’s performance will decrease by 10-20% with every 2% loss of body weight caused by dehydration.
· Impaired Mental Function- dehydration will affect our decision making skills and will also slow down our reaction-response times.
· Dehydration also increases the risk of heat cramps, exhaustion and stroke.
When exercising our increased core temperature is sensed by the brain. The brain then turns on sweat mechanisms and the heat is then transferred into the atmosphere.
The factors that affect sweat loss are:
· The environment
· Exercise duration and intensity
· The type of clothing worn
· Body size
· Fitness levels-the fitter we are the earlier we sweat and we produce a larger volume
· Genetics
· Metabolic efficiency
The fact that there are so many factors influencing sweat loss it’s important to bear in mind that one size does not fit all-there’s no golden rule of thumb when taking steps to counteract sweat loss. Thirst is a poor indicator of a need to drink, in other words don’t wait until you feel thirsty to have a drink. By this stage you are well on the way to being dehydrated and therefore your performance will be affected.
Are you hydrated?
Ask yourself the following questions daily.
· Am I thirsty?
· Is my morning urine dark yellow-the darker your urine the more dehydrated you are
· Is my body weight noticeably lower this morning than yesterday morning?
· Answering yes to any of these means that you are most probably dehydrated.
Your fluid replacement during exercise should be similar to your sweat rate. (Every kg of body weight lost must be replaced by 1 litre of water to ensure adequate hydration)
If an athlete consumed 1 litre of fluid during exercise but lost 1kg of body weight through sweating the total sweat loss would have been 2 litres. One litre was replaced during the exercise. We need to keep our weight loss after exercise to a minimum of 1kg or to a maximum of 2% of our body weight. This is within the acceptable limits.
To combat the effects of dehydration each athlete regardless of the sport they play needs to develop what’s called a fluid replacement plan. We need to know our own sweat rate and hydrate accordingly. The following is a case study of an athlete in training and the plan for rehydration.
Case Study:
· Mark is a centre forward
· He participates in a high intensity 90 minute training session.
· Pre-training weight – 75 kg.
· Drinks 1.5 litres during training.
· Post-training weight is 73 kg.
· His weight loss is 2 kg (75 kg – 73 kg)
· His % weight loss = 2kg/75 kg= 2.7%
· His total sweat loss is the 2 litres weight loss + 1.5l drank during training=3.5 litres
· His allowable sweat loss is 2% of 75 kg( his pre-training weight) = 1.5litres
· His minimum fluid replacement = 3.5 litres (sweat loss) – minus 1.5l (his allowable sweat loss) = 2 litres
· You need to rehydrate your body within 90minutes of exercise so he must replace 2 litres of fluids over 90 minutes which equates to 300 ml per 15 minutes.
· His maximum fluid replacement – 3.5l
He would need to drink at least 3l over 90 minutes which is 500 mls per 15 minutes.
· The recommended intake for Mark would be between 300-500 mls of fluid every 15 minutes over a 90 minute period.
RUNNING QUOTE.
Passion is pushing myself when there’s no one else around just me and the road.
BABY GIRL.
Congratulations to club members Martina Ryan and Pat Morrissey on the birth recently of their beautiful baby daughter Ella. Health and happiness to all.
16TH ANNUAL GARVEYS SUPERVALUE GALLOP IN ST.AUGUSTINES COLLEGE ON SUNDAY NEXT OCTOBER 12TH..
The Garveys SuperValue Cross Country Gallop takes place next Sunday October 14th in St.Augustines College with a 2.30 pm starting time. As previous years this event is open to all and caters for all levels of runners from elite runners, club runners, fun runners and joggers all are more than welcome, We have a 1 lap 2k run plus a 2 lap run (4km) or the 4 laps run (8km). There will be prizes on offer in all events and plenty of spots prizes too.
This race is now in its 16th year and has seen some great battles over that time. An added bonus to the race is the fact that it incorporates the county senior championships for men and women and here too we hope to have the club well represented as we strive to retain both the Ladies and Men’s team titles won in 2007.Entries are expected from many of the surrounding counties as well as a huge local involvement. After a most satisfactory start in Kilmacow last Sunday week in the Ryan brothers shield competition between St.Senans AC and ourselves we have a commanding lead here and hopefully Sunday we can continue on the same vane by retaining that shield again for 2008. The Gallop has a starting time of 2.30 P.M.The Senior event will be preceded by a full County Juvenile programme for uneven ages, The organisers have tried to make this race attractive to everyone. From the elite Senior Men and Women who will take on the four laps to all joggers, fun runners will also be catered for in the either the 2 lap event or if you prefer the 1 lap event and there is many categories on the day with something for everyone thanks to the generosity of our sponsor Garveys SuperValue Dungarvan.The presentation of prizes will take place immediately after the race at the College grounds.
CLUB WEB SITE.
Check out our new club web site which keeps you up to date with all club activities, notes, Race Results, photos and all upcoming events log on at www.westwaterfordathletics.org
DAVID MC CARTHY FIRST HOME FOR PROVIDENCE.
A late night E mail Sunday night from West Waterford’s Providence College student David McCarthy was very welcome with yet more good news for the club and his College. Competing that day in The Notre Dame Cross Country Invitational cross country race David was first providence athlete home in a time of 23.58 with mostly Senior’s ahead of the Ballinamult youngster, fellow Irish Man Richie Yates finished 27th in 24.17. It’s got to be all good news for the future. David ran this same course last year and clocked 24.24 so he is defiantly going in the right direction. Yet another small step in the running life of a young man with much to look forward to. watch this space.
