Archive for April, 2010

Eborienteers York based International Orienteer & Fell runner Matt Speake produced a stunning performance to take first place in the Jan Kjellstrom International orienteering Festival held in North Devon over Easter.

The competition spread over 4 days started with a Sprint race on Good Friday around the grounds of Bicton College near Exeter. This was followed on by 2 further races on Saturday & Sunday competing for the JK International Trophy. The first race was a gruelling Middle distance in a wet & muddy Cookworthy forest near Okehampton, finishing on Easter Sunday with the Classic Long distance race in the highly technical sandunes of Braunton Burrows near Barnstaple. In a highly competitive race of 16 kilometres with British & European international competitors, Matt ran a strong race to come home in the lead with 11 seconds to spare to take the trophy.

The festival finished on Easter Monday with a 3 man relay competing for the JK Trophy on the sandunes of Braunton. This time Matt running for his relay team Interlopers of Edinburgh finished in 3rd place.

This excellent result and recent good results in the test races in Scotland have earned Matt selection for the GB Orienteering team who will be travelling to Bulgaria in May to compete in the European Championships.

Matt has also had some great Fell running results winning the English Championship Noonstone race near Todmorden at the end of February and recently the Guisborough Moors race breaking a 26 year record.

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Jo and training partner Zoey Chelton are following an interesting strength endurance programme. Even if you are not an athlete training for strength has its many advantages, be it making you more healthy, making daily chores more easy or leading to a better looking body.

Strength endurance training means we need to be as strong as possible for as long as possible. You need to keep exerting yourself for extended periods of time.

To increase strength endurance you need a programme that accomplishes 3 things:

1. Using heavy weights…

   If you want to get strong you need to lift as heavy as possible.

2. If you want endurance you need to exert maximum strength when not fuly recovered

   ….in other words very short rests to facilitate faster recovery.

3. Volume…you need to exert strain longer therefore you need to do a high volume of work.

   Strength endurance=heavy weights plus short rest plus volume

 
If you fancy having a go follow the link for a full programme and let Jo know how you get on.

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