The Winter Handicap Series

Rules

The course is the same as last year. For those who have run before, the rules are basically the same. For those who haven't, then read on.

Race course: 5K

No Timing Devices allowed!: Watches, Heart-monitors or any other device (pre-recorded music with tracks of a known length perhaps?) that could assist them in keeping time are allowed.

Winner: the person who finishes the race closest to their estimated time.

Prizes: 50 points for the winner
2 bonus point if you are within 30 seconds of your predicted time
3 points for every race you take part in.

The best four out of six results will count.

I will make an announcement before the start, but if you accidentally bring your watch along, please leave it in your car or give them to me before the start.

When estimating your time...
The Summer Short Handicap is 3.65 miles. The winter 5K course is 3.2 miles.
I don't expect runners to run at the same average speed as the summer handicap, i.e. as fast as they can. After all, it is dark, cold and there are a couple of road crossings to negotiate. However, most runners do run the Winter Handicap a minute to two faster than the Summer Handicap because it is shorter and you should look to do a time slightly faster than your Summer Short Handicap time.

I don't expect runners to prove they can run/walk three miles at an extra slow pace significantly below their normal race pace. It is not an out and out speed trial, but this is a running club and I think it is reasonable to expect participants to run somewhere near their best.

For your information
I will park my car by the start, so that competitors can leave their warm clothing and / or waterproofs in it just prior to the start. I will then move my car to the finish line so that competitors can pick up their clothes immediately on finishing. Weather permitting, I will also post the last race's actual times in the car window, so that everybody can review their last performance before giving me their estimate prior to stating.

The race itself
Runners will be started at 30 second intervals in approximately descending expected time sequence. For people who do 8 minute miles, this will mean a gap of about 100 metres between you and the next person at the start. The reason we start people at different times is to avoid the slower runners being 'stranded' alone in Havant Park. This is partly safety and partly because nobody wants to be alone whilst a few heckling youths make some comments as you run by. By starting at regular intervals, nobody should find themselves isolated from other runners.

Warming Up is important!
It has been noticed at handicaps (Summer and Winter) that most people stand around at the start instead of doing a warm up. Even in the heat wave of July, it is important to warm up. It will increase the effectiveness of your run, help reduce the risk of injury and help recover from the stress placed on their body as a result of training.
You don't see the top athletes on TV standing around before a 5000 metres and you also don't see some of the top athletes at this club standing around before the start. Indeed, many of the faster runners at this club are jogging around before they start their handicaps. So it might be a good tip for everybody else, rather than shivering at the start waiting for the starter to let you start, to jog a few gentle laps round the carpark. It would also be a good idea to go for a short gentle jog warm down after the race, possibly with a little stretching at the end.

From a coaching perspective this is an ideal opportunity to do a tempo run. The aim is to do an effort of 20-30 minutes of 'comfortably hard' running in the middle of a longer run. This can be done as a simple extension to the previous comments on warming up:

Aim to get there at least 10 minutes before the start and go for a jog of at least a mile or 10 minutes of easy jogging. Keep jogging as you wait for the start. At the 'go', pick up your pace to almost as fast as you'd run a 10k. Faster runners should be closer to their 10-mile race pace. At first this should feel pretty comfortable but after a mile or 2 you will be breathing hard and unable to hold a conversation. You will be just on the edge of your comfort zone. At the end of the 5k you'll probably feel like stopping, but if the world depended on it you could maintain your pace for another lap of the 5k. Carry on jogging at the end for another 10 minutes - if you want to chat then jog around the cycle path with your friends for a chat.

The above session provides a very good stimulus for raising your lactate threshold, ie your resistance to fatigue - possibly the most useful session you can do as a distance runner. It also means you are running within yourself and saving your racing for when it matters at the weekend. You are still participating in the competition by exercising your pace judgement. Slower runners should estimate a time about half their current 10k time. Faster runners should estimate a time slower than half their 10k time, eg a 39 min 10k runner should estimate around 20 mins for 5k.

If anyone is injured and cannot run, I would appreciate some help at the start / finish.

A few other points....

1. Safety
It is dark, it might be slippy under foot due to recent rain and/or cold temperature and there are unmanned roads to cross. We don't want people taking unnecessary chances at dangerous places like road junctions in order to trim a few seconds off their time.

2. Objective
The objective is not to run as fast as you can, but one of time management. The idea is to estimate a time before the start and then run at the required speed to achieve your estimate. Ideally runners will run a little below their full speed for a normal 5K and be particularly careful i.e. slow down at corners and crossing roads. On the other hand, we don't want to see people proving they can accurately estimate their time to do little more than walk round the course.

3. Course Measurement
You may (or may not) have noticed that some entry forms for races have a triangle with a wheel in the middle and the words 'certified accurate' underneath e.g. Hayling Billy 5 and Chichester 10K. This means that the course has been measured by a properly qualified course measurer and is at least as far as is claimed. The course must be at least as far as is claimed in order to qualify for records. One centimetre too short and you can't claim a record. The course we use on Tuesday has been measured with GPS's, measuring wheels and bicycles by various VAC members, but they don't qualify as accurate for records purposes.

Hope to See you on Tuesdays....
Please wear something bright and reflective.

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