Alderley Edge 5

Do you want the tough part of a race at the beginning or the end? My understanding is that Wednesday’s start is flat/downhill but Malcolm does not design boring courses and the sting is in the tail – please correct me Malcolm.

 

I have two answers to the opening question but they contradict one another. I think the answer from the body would be that, in a short race, the tough part is better at the end when the body is fully ‘warmed-up’. ‘Warmed-up’ isn’t really about getting warm, it is about getting the body into running mode and finding rhythm and co-ordination. At the Gun Run, Group 1/2 ran well but 4/5, as a group, performed poorly by their own standards. A possible reason is the tough first k, that the first 3k was uphill and that Group 1/2 warmed-up better. This is supported by the fact that those who did run well from 4/5 were the younger ones. One of the many negatives of getting older is that finding rhythm and co-ordination takes significantly longer (and often proves to be totally elusive).

 

The hill race I enjoy most is the Langley 7. You have a mile or so to get warmed-up, the climb starts slowly then you turn left, grit your teeth and pray. But, with close to 4 miles to go, you know the climbing is over, you can relax and belt for home. The body might want maximum time to prepare but the mind wants to get the tough part over early, so it can enjoy the race.

 

This my second theory for the Gun Run, it was the mind not the body that inhibited 4/5. Group 1/2 do much more hill running. The final mile for them was less daunting. On the fast middle section 4/5 underperformed, holding themselves back, frightened of dying in that last mile

 

Ian Ashcroft  

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Comments

[Nick Bishop]

I am sure that Tony will endorse this but where the start of the race is uphill, you need to be warmed up fully for two reasons :

1. A fast uphill climb without warm up can cause injury.
2. An uphill start without a warm up with creates excess oxygen debt much erlier in the race than should be the case.

A full warm up would help reduce this , in essence you are on the back foot before you are even warmed up!

Training on hills regularly certainly creates "conditioning" both mentally and physically.

Where point (2) occurs it also creates the wrong mental picture when the thought of a hill finish also beckons.

Far better to picture a pint in the ship @ Winkle.

Nick.