Lough Key Forest Park, near Boyle was the venue for the annual Woodie's DIY AAI National Intermediate and Masters Cross Country Championships last Sunday. The scenic surroundings were a bit lost in the gloom of a frosty, foggy, February day. However, the parkland course was a good test for all four races held in chilly but mainly solid underfoot conditions. Mayo AC had a great turnout of 20 athletes, which represents a heartening revival of interest, and their four teams included athletes running cross country for the first time. Competition, as usual, was fierce with club and county honours at stake as well as individual age categories in the masters races. Despite not winning any medals this year there were some excellent performances. Ann Lennon ran strongly and was 16th overall in the Masters Women's 4k .She led the team to fourth club, albeit well outside the bronze points. Robert Malseed was in fine form — 12th in their masters race — just a week after his 32nd place in the Barcelona Half Marathon in an excellent 72.14. The masters o35 team were ninth club, while the o50s team were sixth. In the Intermediate men's race, Mayo AC were sixth club and were led home by another good run from John Byrne in 14th overall. Their four top finishers - John Byrne, TJ McHugh (37 ) Anto Devaney (62 ), Timmy Glavey (69 ), plus Roger Barrett (20 ) and Michael Canty (91 ) of Ballina AC, - brought Mayo to fourth place Inter County.
Last week Anto Devaney finished first in the Army Indoors Championships 3,000 metres in 10.03, and in the Connacht Senior Indoors, John Walkin had a double, winning both the 60 and 200 metres. Looking ahead, the 38th Annual Tubbercurry 10k, organised by South Sligo AC, will take place as usual on St Patrick's Day, Wednesday March 17. Next Friday evening Mayo AC host the Mayo county board annual athletics awards in the Resource Centre Balla, starting at 7.30pm.
New running school for runners
Do you waddle when you run? Is your stride so long it’s actually slowing you down? Are you hopping up and down like a bunny rabbit when you could be saving energy running closer to the ground? If any of the above applies to your running style, help is now at hand with Ireland’s first national Running School, newly established in the west of Ireland. Just launched in Mayo as part of a national franchise of a leading UK operation, The Running School is headed up by well know sports injury specialist Martin McIntyre, who runs the SISM clinic in Castlebar. A six-week coaching programme at The Running School, located at the N5 Business Park, promises to correct your running style and give you faster running times and improved overall sporting performances.
While the perception may be that running is something that comes naturally to everyone, actually only very few have natural running ability, according to Mr McIntyre. In fact, most of us have our own running style that is unique for all the wrong reasons.
So if you would like to shave five minutes off your 50 minute 10k running time, or perhaps hope to run a marathon this year, The Running School will set you up to cover the distance to the best of your ability.
Sign up to The Running School now and get six training lessons at a special introductory rate. Analysis and assessment of your biometrics, ie, how you move, walk, jog, takes place in session one while the next five sessions are dedicated to teaching and coaching correct technique, based on what fitness levels you want to achieve. You can contact Martin McIntyre on 086 813 9266 or check-out www.sism.ie and www.therunningschool.co.uk
