SE CHRONICLE 684

57 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Harriers By Jonny Thomson, Head of Harriers There are a great many reasons why people run. Some run to get fit, some run to keep fit. Some run because it clears their head, some run because it gives them ideas. Some run because it’s fun, and some run because running through the puddles on a cold February afternoon is actually rather enjoyable. Whatever the reason, the Harriers do a lot of running. Last year, we developed a routine which focused on three different aspects of cross-country running. The mid-distance tempo on Tuesday; the long, conversational run on Thursday; and the sprint/interval sessions on Saturday. The idea was that all three would appeal to different people in different measure, but also that each would actually complement the other. As far back as 2005, Burgomaster et al., showed how sprint sessions considerably improved

the performance of long, endurance activities, as well. Since then, studies have continuously shown that varied training sessions benefit the overall muscle, fitness, and ability for all cross-country events. That’s the rationale, but in practice, mixing it up a bit makes for a much more interesting term’s running. Yes, I had to spend five minutes of every session insisting that we did the sprints. Yes, I had to be somewhat loose with the truth in regard to how far the ‘long’ run would be. But, in the main, I think all the Harriers enjoyed the mixed sessions. Last year, there were three major highlights. The first was the school Steeplechase. It’s a major event in the Teddies calendar, and the top three boys and top two girls were all Harriers. The second, the event at Winchester, showed just how impressive our running is. Nina

Brown showed how successful she is in her age and gender category. Thomas Helm showed just how good he is over a middle and long distance. The third was the half marathon we did at the end of the Spring Term. We had added a few kilometres each week to our long runs, until it culminated in a huge 21km run on the last Thursday of term. The lollipops at the end almost made up for the 10% incline at Iffley Lock. The Harriers is a unique club that allows for great conversations and relationships. When you sprint and sweat in the September sun, you help, support, and gravitate to each other. When you try to make sense of Mr Tester’s statistical analysis, you bond in mutual confusion. When you run with someone for an hour in the rain, it’s hard not to feel a bit closer to them. Harriers had a strong year, and it made its members strong, too.

Louis Parr, Felipe Herrera, Chandos Neville, Nina Brown, Thomas Helm and Oliver Bilgutay