Serpentine - What’s Happening in July 2020

Hello Serpies,

We are back! After these last few surreal months, our Club is getting back to normal – well, almost. We are once again holding club runs and training sessions. Our Grand Prix Club Championship races are on. And there is the Summer League and the Duathlon. Oh, and Serpiesphere Virtual 5k is still going strong. This is what Serpentine brings you in July…

The Latest from England Athletics

The latest guidance from England Athletics can be found here. Two key criteria of resuming club activities were to appoint a Covid coordinator and to carry out risk assessments for group sessions. To that end, we are indebted to our Juniors’ Coordinator, Liz Ayres, who has volunteered to become our Covid coordinator for the time being, and has liaised with all coaches / session leaders to risk-assess our club runs and training sessions. Please give her a pat (well, elbow bump!) on the back next time you see her!

 

Club Runs are back!

Club Runs are what the Club is about! After a 3-month hiatus, we are now back running Central London’s beautiful streets and parks together. We have now restarted our two-parks and three-parks runs every Saturday morning and Wednesday evening. For more details please follow this link. With the current guidance not exceeding six people in a group, we require runners to sign up in advance, so you can be placed in groups running the same route and similar pace. But don’t worry, no one will be turned away – if more people than six are in the same pace group, we’ll just split into further smaller groups. Please follow these links to sign up: 

I will then email everyone before the runs to inform you of the groups and start times.  Please feel free to email me for further details.

 

Grand Prix Club Championships

Our Grand Prix series started at the end of June with a Virtual 1k race – well done to the 86 Serpies who took part! In July, the series continues with these two races:

  • 3000m (track or road): From Sunday 12th July to Sunday 19th July
  • 1 mile (track or road): From Sunday 26th July to Sunday 2nd August

The 5k and a bonus mystery distance event will be held in August.

It is worth noting that apart from the fastest male and female and best age-graded winners, there will also be spot prizes open to all race participants regardless of performance. After each race, all participants who submit a time will be entered into a random draw to win a £20 Start Fitness sports voucher. Names will be drawn from a hat after the relevant race week at the Serpiesphere Zoom café (details below in this email). Those that complete all five races will have the additional chance to win that £20 voucher from a further draw. We look forward to seeing your times in these races!

Please read the following page for time submission and race rules: https://www.serpentine.org.uk/news/index.php?id=2921. Any questions please email our Race Coordinator Lee Tolentino.

 

Serpiesphere Virtual 5k

Now in its 13th week, we are continuing to hold this popular handicap-based Virtual 5k race every week for all Club members. It operates in a similar way to the Grand Prix Club Champs – run a 5k between Saturday morning and Friday midnight, time yourself, and submit your time (this week’s link is here) with evidence submitted separately here – remember you need to do both. We will then tally up all the times on a handicap basis, so everybody has a chance to win. This week’s details can be found here.

Our plan is to run the last race of this series as the Club Championship 5k week in the middle of August, so there is still time to rack up some points in the Lockdown Championship. From September, the virtual race will continue in a new series. All members are welcome to join – runners new to the race will be a scratch runner and have a chance to win the week after. Remember no time is too fast or too slow, and nowhere is too remote for the Serpiesphere.  We’ve already had entries from all corners of the UK, as well as several other European countries and also America. We’d love to have your time entered whether you run 15 minutes or an hour, or anything in between!

 

Serpie Virtual Duathlon

Following the success of the Virtual Duathlon in June, all Serpies are invited to take part in the next event over the weekend of Friday 17th to Sunday 19th July, either individually or as a team of two or three, splitting the legs however you choose. This month there will be two races:

  • Sprint distance (5km run/20km bike/2.5km run)
  • Standard distance (10km run/40km bike/5km run)

Participants may complete each leg separately in their own time over the 3 days, or one leg immediately after the other without worrying about transitions (which won’t be timed). For safety reasons, the bike leg must be completed on an indoor turbo (hence NOT outdoors), however there is no obligation to use Zwift – any turbo / indoor bike setup that registers time and distance will suffice. Running can obviously take place outdoors. For the 5k legs, you can submit the same 5k time for the Duathlon as well as the Serpiesphere Virtual 5k (results to be entered separately).

Further details on this race will be released closer to the time. If you have any queries about the race or need to find some team-mates, please email our race organiser and Triathlon Rep Anne Bennett.

 

Summer League

As mentioned in June, although the real-life Summer League fixtures have been cancelled due to the pandemic, this great inter-club event is being held as three virtual races. The first 10k took place in mid-June, and the July fixture will be a 5-mile race between Monday 13th and Sunday 19th July. Time submission cut-off is 5pm on Sunday 19th. In keeping with the Summer League’s family-friendly spirit, anyone under 15 can also submit results for a 1 mile distance in each race week. Also, the Summer League can NEVER be without a 400m sprint relay after the main race, so please also feel free to submit a time (senior or junior) for your 400m sprint if you want to take part in the relay.

Click here for details on submitting main race and relay results, along with pictures of your picnic (hopefully with cakes!). Any queries please email the Serpie Summer League team here.

 

Training sessions – in Real Life!

We are glad to announce that following a lot of hard work and endeavour, we have made the following sessions happen. These sessions are all across London, so you can take advantage of the ones near your doorstep, but everyone is welcome to attend any session. All that is left now is YOU taking part. Please remember all sessions must be pre-booked prior to attending – no book no play!

  • Tuesday evenings: Power Development at Wormwood Scrubs. 8-week running technique course including interval training at 1500m/3000m pace following the Club Championship Grand Prix series. Spaces are available.  Booking and enquiries: Gavin Edmonds.
  • Tuesday evenings: Intervals session at Bermondsey Spa Gardens.  Details and sign-up please follow this link on the website. Any questions: bermondsey@serpentine.org.uk.
  • Thursday evenings: Hill Sessions at Primrose Hill. Details can be found via this link. Booking and enquiries: Andrea Sanders-Reece.
  • Saturday mornings: Hill sessions at Hampstead Heath. Details and booking via this link on the Serpie website. Enquiries: hampstead-hills@serpentine.org.uk.
  • Saturday mornings: Hill sessions at Greenwich Park. Details and booking via this link on the Serpie website.
  • Finally, juniors sessions have resumed as of Tuesday 7th July and information has been sent out via email to junior members.

 

Zoom Training sessions

Although we haven’t been able to restart the Paddington Rec track sessions and the regular Wednesday spin, we are continuing to run the following sessions:

  • Our Paddington track coach Andy Reeves has been leading a circuit training session on Wednesday evenings. Although this is aimed at the normal Tuesday Paddington Rec track group, everyone is welcome to join. Look out for the Facebook messages by Andy before Wednesdays for the Zoom link and details.
  • Rosh Karunaratne will be running weekly spin classes over Zoom at 7pm every Tuesday. The sessions will have an interval training-based focus and are open to all abilities. Any equipment that allows you to spin is suitable (turbos, exercise bikes, spin bikes etc), plus you’ll need water, a towel, a computer to run Zoom and (optional but very motivating) access to play a Spotify playlist. Join the “Rosh’s Tuesday night spin” WhatsApp group here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/G0A9yFuNRNLKFi9gcRTJNY

 

Zwift Team Time Trial (Weekly)

Calling all Zwift enthusiasts. We’ve now entered the Zwift Team Time Trial for the past three months every Thursday evening. We currently run 4 teams most weeks of varying levels including from our beginner non-drop team, our high level mixed teams and ladies only category. How does it work? The idea is that like in a real-time Time Trial (or team pursuit if you prefer track), each race starts at an allocated time, and each team competes for the best time, using drafting, on the week’s given course. Riding as a team is significantly faster than riding alone. This requires coordination, communication and teamwork, but our teams have found new techniques and improved progressively. We compete against over 500 teams every week. It's very social, a lot of fun and, well, addictive. So if you have access to Zwift and are free on Thursday evenings, please join us using this link to find out more. Once you have joined, the team can help set you up to race. Please email me for any queries.

 

And finally…

  • “Serpiesphere Café”: This takes place every Saturday at 11:30am and has a regular following. We catch up, we chat, and we announce the latest Virtual Podium from the Serpiesphere Virtual 5K of the week, as well as drawing the spot prize for the grand prix races. If you haven’t joined us before, why not join us this week – the Zoom link is here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86215892764.
  • The 12th issue of our online magazine Serpentimes is out now! Well done to our editor Diana Valk and the army of Serpie writers, editors, and other contributors for giving us a delightful Lockdown special edition. Hope you enjoy reading it. Like what you’re reading and want to contribute to the next issue? Please feel free to contact Diana at serpentimes@serpentine.org.uk.
  • Any interest to become race organisers, coaches or officials?  With the resumption of club activities, we are looking for more members interested in becoming qualified to facilitate our sessions or competitions. Please feel free to get in touch with me for further details.

 

Have a wonderful July!

Hans Ho

Participation Representative

 

PS. Please get in touch with me if you have anything you wish to advertise in August.

Submitted: 8 July 2020

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