It's been quite a busy few days since my last post ...
Tuesday 29 May - Keir's 18th birthday. He had already told us that he didn't want to spend too long celebrating as he wanted to not be distracted from his exams (which have already started). We still managed to ensure he had a memorable day though.
Wednesday 30 May - long run. Over thirty miles in the morning and strength work in the evening. My last long run before the ULTRArace 100.
Thursday 31 May - 5.5 mile race (8.9 km) race in Yeadon which forms part of the Harrogate League series. I ran 38:11 on the muddy (and slippery) trails and finished in 45th position (out of 262). Quite surprised by this for two reasons: (1) only one day after a very long run and only 6 seconds behind my best on that course, (2) I, along with about half a dozen other runners, lost about 30 seconds after taking a wrong turn in Esholt just before the long climb through the woods.
My club, Otley AC, seems to be doing very well indeed so 'well done everyone'.
Friday 1 June - 7.6 mile tempo run (12.2 km) in the afternoon. The target was 6:51 per mile (4:15 per km) and I thought I might struggle with that less than 24 hrs after quite a hard race. However, without pushing too hard, I managed 6:43 per mile (4:10 per km). The idea was to run quite fast but also to 'run to feel' - always being in control of any residual niggles from the race or long run. Pleased with that. More strength and core work in the evening.
Day off today but thing about those running the Grand Union Canal Race, especially Debs, Jerry, Pat R, Mike B and Richard Q.
Back to training tomorrow but I'm now in tapering mode for three weeks. I just hope the recent summer weather holds out and we don't have 12 hours of rain on 22/23 June.
Showing posts with label Richard Quennell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Richard Quennell. Show all posts
Saturday, 2 June 2012
Monday, 30 April 2012
World Championships qualification
UK Athletics have finally published their qualification criteria for this year's World 24 hr Championships. It's near the bottom of this page on their website.
Basically athletes should achieve the required standard between 1 May 2010 and 31 May 2012 and those all important standards are:
Men - A standard ... 238 km (147.9 miles)
Men - team standard ... 230 km (142.9 miles)
Women - A standard ... 214 km (133.0 miles)
Women - team standard ... 204 km (126.8 miles)
Right, that's one less thing for me to worry about. I ran further than 238 km when winning the race in Perth back in September 2010.
So, apart from relief, what are my initial thoughts ?
1 - the men's standards have risen quite a lot since last time. They were 236 km and 225 km (146.6 and 139.8 miles).
2 - I don't have the figures to hand but I think the women's standards have fallen by a single kilometre.
3 - Runners without the necessary standard have only 34 days to make the grade. I'm guessing that there will be about 8 or 9 European races in May in which to do that ... but how many have an IAU label ? [two I think]. And how many still have places available ?
4 - By way of contrast, the UK qualifying standard for the Olympic marathon was announced back in summer 2011 with the final date to achieve the standard being 22 April 2012. That's about 8 or 9 months and probably quite a few marathons to choose from in which to do the business.
5 - Oh well ... I guess that until we have 24 hr races in the Olympic and/or Commonwealth Games they'll always be seen as not quite as important even though we train just as hard (if not harder) ... grumble, grumble, grumble.
6 - Four men and two women have the A standard. In date order they are: Lizzy Hawker, John Pares, myself, Emily Gelder, Richard Quennell and Jim Rogers. Also, Jen Salter, Pat Robbins, Sharon Law, Marie Doke, Debbie Martin-Consani and Angie Sadler have the team standard.
There are seven women in that list and as there'll be a maximum of six men and six women going to Katowiche at least one of them will be staying at home unfortunately.
So, there it is. A bit late I think but at least I have the necessary standard and now it's down to the selectors who meet at the beginning of June and announce the team on Tuesday the 19th.
As a final point it would appear that in order to get the A standard for the 2013 World Championships I would have to break my pb sometime this year. I know I can do that.
Basically athletes should achieve the required standard between 1 May 2010 and 31 May 2012 and those all important standards are:
Men - A standard ... 238 km (147.9 miles)
Men - team standard ... 230 km (142.9 miles)
Women - A standard ... 214 km (133.0 miles)
Women - team standard ... 204 km (126.8 miles)
Right, that's one less thing for me to worry about. I ran further than 238 km when winning the race in Perth back in September 2010.
So, apart from relief, what are my initial thoughts ?
1 - the men's standards have risen quite a lot since last time. They were 236 km and 225 km (146.6 and 139.8 miles).
2 - I don't have the figures to hand but I think the women's standards have fallen by a single kilometre.
3 - Runners without the necessary standard have only 34 days to make the grade. I'm guessing that there will be about 8 or 9 European races in May in which to do that ... but how many have an IAU label ? [two I think]. And how many still have places available ?
4 - By way of contrast, the UK qualifying standard for the Olympic marathon was announced back in summer 2011 with the final date to achieve the standard being 22 April 2012. That's about 8 or 9 months and probably quite a few marathons to choose from in which to do the business.
5 - Oh well ... I guess that until we have 24 hr races in the Olympic and/or Commonwealth Games they'll always be seen as not quite as important even though we train just as hard (if not harder) ... grumble, grumble, grumble.
6 - Four men and two women have the A standard. In date order they are: Lizzy Hawker, John Pares, myself, Emily Gelder, Richard Quennell and Jim Rogers. Also, Jen Salter, Pat Robbins, Sharon Law, Marie Doke, Debbie Martin-Consani and Angie Sadler have the team standard.
There are seven women in that list and as there'll be a maximum of six men and six women going to Katowiche at least one of them will be staying at home unfortunately.
So, there it is. A bit late I think but at least I have the necessary standard and now it's down to the selectors who meet at the beginning of June and announce the team on Tuesday the 19th.
As a final point it would appear that in order to get the A standard for the 2013 World Championships I would have to break my pb sometime this year. I know I can do that.
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Selection Criteria
Here it is ... the selection criteria has been announced for England in the following ultra races next year:
- Commonwealth Championships - 24 hr race and c.50k trail race
- Anglo Celtic Plate 100k
Personally I'm only interested in the Commonwealth Championships 24 hr race and I read that selection will be in two waves:
(1a) for those men who have run over 230k between 1 May 2010 and 3 April 2011
(1b) for those women who have run over 205k between 1 May 2010 and 3 April 2011
(2a) for those men who have run over 225k between 1 September 2009 and 5 June 2011
(2b) for those women who have run over 200k between 1 September 2009 and 5 June 2011
I would imagine that only performances in race with an IAU label will be taken into consideration therefore I believe the following men from England have met the criteria:
Richard Quennell ... 246.121k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010) and
... 234.813k ... London (18 Oct 2009)
Jim Rogers ... 244.108k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010) and
... 228.214k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
me ... 238.286k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010) and
... 231.506k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
and also ... 222.760k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010)
Pat Robbins ... 231.086k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010)
and also ... 215.818k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
The following men would also be in with a chance of selection as they have run over 215k:
Keith Straw ... 221.882k ... Cleveland (USA) (4 Oct 2009)
Chris Finill ... 219.032k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010)
Neil Bryant ... 218.425k ... London (18 Oct 2009)
The women who have met the criteria so far are:
Sharon Gayter ... 226.489k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
Vicky Skelton ... 212.683k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
and also ... 198.098k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010)
Angela Sadler ... 205.984k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010)
Marie Doke ... 203.985k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010) and
... 201.631k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
The following woman should also be in with a chance of selection as they have managed a performance of over 185k:
Sandra Brown ... 187.119k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
Of course there is still quite a few months in which other runners can register a qualifying performance ... but I'm confident of my selection.
As only five men and five women can be selected it appears that for the women it's quite straightforward but not so for the men at all. And then there's 'current fitness' to take into account when the selectors meet next April and June.
I would suggest we have a couple of good teams though.
- Commonwealth Championships - 24 hr race and c.50k trail race
- Anglo Celtic Plate 100k
Personally I'm only interested in the Commonwealth Championships 24 hr race and I read that selection will be in two waves:
(1a) for those men who have run over 230k between 1 May 2010 and 3 April 2011
(1b) for those women who have run over 205k between 1 May 2010 and 3 April 2011
(2a) for those men who have run over 225k between 1 September 2009 and 5 June 2011
(2b) for those women who have run over 200k between 1 September 2009 and 5 June 2011
I would imagine that only performances in race with an IAU label will be taken into consideration therefore I believe the following men from England have met the criteria:
Richard Quennell ... 246.121k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010) and
... 234.813k ... London (18 Oct 2009)
Jim Rogers ... 244.108k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010) and
... 228.214k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
me ... 238.286k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010) and
... 231.506k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
and also ... 222.760k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010)
Pat Robbins ... 231.086k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010)
and also ... 215.818k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
The following men would also be in with a chance of selection as they have run over 215k:
Keith Straw ... 221.882k ... Cleveland (USA) (4 Oct 2009)
Chris Finill ... 219.032k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010)
Neil Bryant ... 218.425k ... London (18 Oct 2009)
The women who have met the criteria so far are:
Sharon Gayter ... 226.489k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
Vicky Skelton ... 212.683k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
and also ... 198.098k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010)
Angela Sadler ... 205.984k ... Perth (5 Sep 2010)
Marie Doke ... 203.985k ... World C'ships (14 May 2010) and
... 201.631k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
The following woman should also be in with a chance of selection as they have managed a performance of over 185k:
Sandra Brown ... 187.119k ... Commonwealth C'ships (18 Sep 2009)
Of course there is still quite a few months in which other runners can register a qualifying performance ... but I'm confident of my selection.
As only five men and five women can be selected it appears that for the women it's quite straightforward but not so for the men at all. And then there's 'current fitness' to take into account when the selectors meet next April and June.
I would suggest we have a couple of good teams though.
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
team news
Found, on the England Athletics website, all the news relating to the England team for the Six Nations 24 hr race in Perth. I mentioned earlier that my selection had been confirmed and now I can also say that Richard Quennell, Chris Finill, Pat Robbins, Marie Doke, Vicky Skelton, Sandra Brown and Angie Sadler have also been selected.
Congratulations to them all.
Richard ran exceptionally well at this year's World & European Championships. Chris was also in Brive and also took part in last year's Commonwealth Championships, as did Pat, Marie, Vicky (second woman in Keswick) and Sandra.
Pat holds the course record for the 145 mile Grand Union Canal Race, Marie was also at this year's World & Europeans. Vicky was at last year's World & European Championships in Italy whilst Angie ran well in the Commonwealth Championships 100km race only about nine weeks after winning outright the Hull 24 hr race.
Norman Wilson, when he phoned, explained that the selectors have decided to send a fourth man and a fourth woman for 'development' purposes - these will be non-scoring members of the team. The aim of this policy is to help those who are just below international selection get the necessary experience. I hope it works out that way and we get a really good performance in Perth and a few more runners run the distance needed for next year's championships.
I plan to do well too of course.
Which reminds me ... it's also been decided that there will be another Commonwealth Championships for mountain and ultra running and it will be staged in either 2011 or 2013. This depends on what bids are received for staging them. Good news indeed.
Congratulations to them all.
Richard ran exceptionally well at this year's World & European Championships. Chris was also in Brive and also took part in last year's Commonwealth Championships, as did Pat, Marie, Vicky (second woman in Keswick) and Sandra.
Pat holds the course record for the 145 mile Grand Union Canal Race, Marie was also at this year's World & Europeans. Vicky was at last year's World & European Championships in Italy whilst Angie ran well in the Commonwealth Championships 100km race only about nine weeks after winning outright the Hull 24 hr race.
Norman Wilson, when he phoned, explained that the selectors have decided to send a fourth man and a fourth woman for 'development' purposes - these will be non-scoring members of the team. The aim of this policy is to help those who are just below international selection get the necessary experience. I hope it works out that way and we get a really good performance in Perth and a few more runners run the distance needed for next year's championships.
I plan to do well too of course.
Which reminds me ... it's also been decided that there will be another Commonwealth Championships for mountain and ultra running and it will be staged in either 2011 or 2013. This depends on what bids are received for staging them. Good news indeed.
Thursday, 11 March 2010
UK Team - ready to roll
Things have been moving apace recently.
I now have full details of who's in the team for Brive and who the management will be. There have also been discussions about travel to and from the event and also communications from UK Athletics about anti doping, code of conduct, kit, etc
The men's team is:
John Pares - third at the Commonwealth Champs
Stephen Mason - fourth at the Commonwealth Champs
Richard Quennell - winner of the Tooting Bec 24 hr race last year
myself - fifth at the Commonwealth Champs (and second team)
Jim Rogers - sixth at the Commonwealth Champs (and second team)
The women's team is:
Sharon Gayter - winner of the Commonwealth Champs (and first team)
Marie Doke - fourth at the Commonwealth Champs (and first team)
Pauline Walker - seventh at the Commonwealth Champs (and third team)
The management will be:
Richard Brown, Eleanor Robinson and Adrian Stott. All highly experienced but I think we could do with a few more bodies manning the refreshment tables during the race.
Training going extremely well too. Ran 22 miles on Tuesday including a lovely stretch of the Leeds Liverpool Canal (and Hollins Hill !!!). Yesterday I completed a hilly 22 miles fartlek style [6 mins hard, 4 mins easy, repeat].
Monday, 19 October 2009
Tooting Bec ... update
I've just seen the official results from the Tooting Bec 24 hr race and it appears that Richard Quennell was just short of 235 km. Still a very good result for him though.
This means that the UK still has only two men over the A standard for the 2009 World Championships. And now three men over the B (team) standard of 225 km, ie myself, Jim Rogers and now Richard Quennell.
This means, in theory that, if the qualifying standards for the 2010 World Championships remain at 2009 levels then John Pares and Stephen Mason will be automatically selected based on their performances at the Commonwealth Championships.
Then, if UKA decide to send a full team, they can choose one or two or three from myself, Jim and Richard.
Now, having achieved a personal best in my first championship race is surely a point in my favour.
I know I can improve on that too - I just need a chance to prove it ... in Brive next May.
I feel a bit better than I did last night.
This means that the UK still has only two men over the A standard for the 2009 World Championships. And now three men over the B (team) standard of 225 km, ie myself, Jim Rogers and now Richard Quennell.
This means, in theory that, if the qualifying standards for the 2010 World Championships remain at 2009 levels then John Pares and Stephen Mason will be automatically selected based on their performances at the Commonwealth Championships.
Then, if UKA decide to send a full team, they can choose one or two or three from myself, Jim and Richard.
Now, having achieved a personal best in my first championship race is surely a point in my favour.
I know I can improve on that too - I just need a chance to prove it ... in Brive next May.
I feel a bit better than I did last night.
Sunday, 18 October 2009
Tooting Bec 24 hr race
Congratulations to Richard Quennell who won this race with over 236 km (147 miles).
He's achieved a really good distance which relegates me to fourth in the UK this year ... and possibly means that I won't be selected for next year's World 24 hr Championships in Brive.
For this year's World Championships the qualifying standard was 235km and if it remains the same for 2010 the UK has three men ahead of that already - John Pares, Stephen Mason and now Richard Quennell.
Having the live updates on the website worked really well and it was good to be able to follow the race every few hours. It would have good if the Commonwealth Championships could have had something similar in place.
He's achieved a really good distance which relegates me to fourth in the UK this year ... and possibly means that I won't be selected for next year's World 24 hr Championships in Brive.
For this year's World Championships the qualifying standard was 235km and if it remains the same for 2010 the UK has three men ahead of that already - John Pares, Stephen Mason and now Richard Quennell.
Having the live updates on the website worked really well and it was good to be able to follow the race every few hours. It would have good if the Commonwealth Championships could have had something similar in place.
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