1500 and 3000 times

[barny of blandford (wim)]

Juniors - sorry to post the reply to this subject on this area but as a M55 I hardly qualify as a junior.
This year times for English Schools for 1500 and 3000 are
3000
Age National County School
Year 12/13B 8.33 9.20 10.30
Year 12/13G 10.48 10.48 12.08
Year 10/11B 8.55 9.30 10.45
Year 10/11G 10.12 10.50 12.10
Younger age groups do not compete in 3000m races

1500
Year 12/13B 3.55 4.15 4.45
Year 12/13G 4.36 5.00 5.50
Year 10/11B 4.04 4.20 4.55
Year 10/11G 4.40 5.04 5.50
Year 9B 4.17 4.36 5.05
Year 9G 4.44 5.10 5.55
Year 8B 5.19
Year 8G 5.56
Year 7B 5.28
Year 7G 6.06
Younger age groups do not compete in regonal rounds and national finals.
It is interesting that in this area in recent years Helen Bridle and Michelle Spillar have both rubn cross country for Dorset School through to National standard. Alice Butt at present competes for Wiltshire. Stef Blonquist regularly competes in events in this area.
Perhaps we ought to be more concerned at what speed are juniors can do for these distances (although one or two were 'telling porkies' about the times they claimed). Sheila Carey OD (Sheila Mills?) was running just on 4minutes in the early seventies and hardly anyone has managed to improve on this since.
I do not suggest that all juniors now go out running on roads or tarten tracks as they will only earn physios a lot of money but perhaps they ought to be looking to bring up the standard of their running speed and this can only happen by cross country training. In this area a number of WSX and WIM runners now regularly run with clubs such as New Forest Runners and Poole Runners as they saw this as the only way to improve their orienteering. SOC have a number who regularly also club run 10m and half marathons Charlie Richardson Jack Hutchinson Jane Morgan to quote a few.
I wonder what Mike Murray can still run for a 3000m?
Anyway - enough said - getting running juniors on nice forgiving surfaces and be realistic about what your times are.

[Blanka]

Perhaps we ought to be more concerned at what speed are juniors can do for these distances

It may be of interest that for Czech juniors to be selected for JWOC, one of the criteria (apart from the usual selection race/form) they must meet is to run 3000m (for the girls) or 5000m (for the guys) under a specific time (either at an official athletic meeting or at a session where it is officially measured).

[barny of blandford(WIM)]

Recently I sat in the forest at Mytchett watching for someone to 'nick' a control during the relays.
The speed at which some of the male and female runners were covering the ground was amazing - they were running a cross country race - not an orienteering race. Ours were just as fast in and out of controls but many did not have the ground speed to keep with them. Unfortunately it is all about speed at the highest level

[gross2006]

Ours were just as fast in and out of controls but many did not have the ground speed to keep with them. Unfortunately it is all about speed at the highest level

See a thread from last year...... a top orienteer needs to be fast... particularly with many major competitions being held in Eastern Europe in future years. For example the winning speeds for Fridays sprint race here in Vilnius were around 4.29 mins / km.... on hilly terrain.

This morning I have a sprint exercise out on steep Japanese style terrain & I suspect it will go under 5 min/kms

Leg speed is a must.... but also needs to match brain speed:)

[barny of blandford]

Could I suggest to Mairead on the junior forum that if her young friend in Year 8 is doing 4.51 for 1500 metres she had better get her interested in orienteering. You would expect a Year 9 girl to qualify for the ESAA schools final with a time of 4.44 - so she can run!!!!

[ER]

That is really good advice about joining a running club to help with the training and not doing too much too quickly. I totally agree that speed is crucial to winning, requiring specific sessions where the athlete practices running fast, as distinct to the development of speed over distance which is also crucial. With orienteering running speed has to be matched by navigational ability, something I struggle with. Yesterday in the same county champs that Mairead competed in, Robert Gardner M14 of OD ran an excellent 1500 race in 4:47 a pb for him. He trains with Rugby and Northampton Athletic club. So it was a good day for the orienteering juniors on the track and Robert was wearing a orienteering t shirt in his warm up to fly the flag.

[mairead]

Well i think her sights lie in running not in orienteering! I forgot to mention that i also know a year 7 who runs 4.51 for 1500m - NO JOKE Again: orienteering? Who knows!?

[ifititches]

track times got discussed before in

http://www.nopesport.com/forum/viewtopi ... ght=#31317,

but I don't think the advice to get out and get training with a running club is just applicable to juniors. Almost anyone can improve their running when they train with a group.
last year sometime Becks posted on here, wanting to improve her speed (I think) Everyone replied that she should go out with the cross-country club, Don't know exactly what she did, but sh'e had some great results since then!

[gross2006]

Orienteering is all about running fast as YOU can through the terrain, navigating as you go...........................

[Becks]

I did indeed join the cross country club - don't do all my sessions with them but did intervals and the odd tempo run. The main difference though has been having a committed and motivated training partner turning me all committed and motivated too!

But yes...after finally joining a Cross Country Club 7 years after it was first suggested to me I am finally noticing the difference!

[Guest]

And who would that be Becks?

[Becks]

Why, Cez of course!