BRR Blog - 30 March 2026
Shantelle after the Kew 10k
Howdie, Road Runners!
OK, what happened to spring? I thought the weather wasn’t as nice as it could have been in Cyprus, but it was significantly warmer than it has been in dear old Blighty since I got back. At least we now have the lighter evenings to enjoy; sunset at 7.30pm - yippee! And it should be warming up over the next few days - ready for the traditional rain over Bank Holiday weekend. On a brighter note, there is plenty to look forward to across April, though maybe with some trepidation for our marathon runners.
Greg’s Race Report
Barking Road Runners’ Shantelle Keech ran in the Kew Gardens 10k at the weekend finishing in a time of 46:53.
Alison Fryatt and Dawn Curtis joined Chigwell and Epping Orienteering Club at Beckton for a bit of Urban Orienteering on Saturday, with Chris Anastasi joining them for a second day at Canning Town on Sunday.
Dawn, Alison, and Chris at the Canning Town orienteering event
BRR parkrunners
Barking - Dominic Herring 20:59, Joshua Ezissi 23:14, John Mitchell 25:19, Trevor Cooper 26:29, George Hiller 27:10, Tom Shorey 30:14, Jason Li 30:15, James Sheridan 31:20, Andrew Hiller 32:00, Clodagh Shorey 32:06, Martin Mason 33:55, Sian Mansley 38:06, Astrid Effendi 45:58 and Alan Murphy 56:54.
Billericay - Martin Page 22:13.
Bournemouth - Owen Wainhouse 21:30 and Mark New 24:38.
Burnham on Crouch - Louise Chappell 31:33.
Louise at Burnham on Crouch parkrun
Chelmsford Central - Gary Harford 28:50.
Felixstowe - Nikki Cranmer 29:21.
Nikki at Felixstowe parkrun
Ferry Meadows - Sunny Bulchandani 25:01.
Gunpowder - Paul Ward 25:51.
Harrow Lodge - Rory Burr 22:40.
Raphaels Park - Darren Graham 32:49 and Denise Graham 60:31.
Uckfield - Belinda Riches 28:37, Dennis Spencer Perkins 34:36 and Rob Courtier 41:44.
Belinda, Rob, Dennis and Steve with friend at Uckfield parkrun
Valentines - Kevin Wotton 29:15 and Martin O’Toole 29:38.
Highest BRR age gradings this week were Nikki Cranmer 61.67% for the women and Martin Page 77.64% for the men.
BRR Diary - March/April
The highlights of the coming weeks are listed below but you can see the full diary of BRR events on the TeamUp app. Simply download the TeamUp app to your phone, then enter the calendar key: ks67p21gt8p5gzdo66 when prompted. If you don’t want another app on your phone, you can also find it under the ‘events’ tab on the Barking Road Runners website:https://www.barkingroadrunners.org.uk/calendar.
7.00pm, Tuesday 31 March - speed session. Jim Peters Stadium, Mayesbrook Park. This week it’s one we haven’t done for a while: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1:
1 x 5 min run, 2 min recovery
1 x 4 min run, 2 min recovery
2 x 3 min run, 90 secs recovery
3 × 2 min run, 1 min recovery
3 × 1 min run, 45 secs recovery
Your rate of perceived effort (RPE) should be around 7/10 for the 5-min rep, increasing gradually to 9/10 for the 1-min reps. The recovery should be at 2-3 RPE - the aim is to lower heart rate enough to hit the next rep with quality.
7.00pm, Thursday 2 April - Road Run. Castle Green Centre, Gale Street, Dagenham. A social run around the roads of Barking and Dagenham. Probably not quite light enough to start running through the parks just yet so, instead, we have a just-over-4-mile route up to Longbridge Road and back:
Left out of Castle Green Centre, left Goresbrook Road/Maplestead Road, right Lodge Avenue, right Longbridge Road/Wood Lane, right to Parsloes Avenue at Martin’s Corner, left Gale Street and back to Castle Green.
11.00am, Friday 3 April - Crown to Crown 5k. Westley Heights Country Park, (rear the back of Miller and Carter pub). Partly trail, with a section on tarmac (spikes not suitable). A cheap and cheerful, low-key, race, only £2.50. Enter on the day or at https://www.entrycentral.com/Crown-to-Crown. Should be fun if we have the forecast rain over Easter weekend.
Saturday 4 April - Friday 10 April - Virtual Winter Handicap 06.
11.00am, Wednesday 8 April - Ron’s 5k run. Barking Park, parkrun course.
10.30am, Sunday 12 April - St. Clare Hospice 10k (GP02). St Clare Hospice, Hastingwood, Essex, CM17 9JX. Second race in this year’s Grand Prix competition, a 10k through nice countryside that raises money for a worthy cause at the same time. There is usually an ice cream van and refreshments available afterwards. Enter at St Clare 10k 2026 - St Clare Hospice.
Saturday 18 April to Friday 24 April - Virtual Winter Handicap 07. Last chance to record a time in this year’s virtual handicap competition. But who will win the overall series?
11.00am, Wednesday 22 April - Ron’s 5k run. Barking Park, parkrun course. If you want to run your virtual handicap in company, and you are free during the day, do join in.
6.30pm, Friday 24 April - pre-London Marathon carb loading. China Friend, Longbridge Road. Come and join in a pre-LM nosh-up with your BRR friends, whether or not you are running London. We don’t book tables; just drop in when it suits.
Sunday 26 April - London Marathon. The usual Sunday run at Hainault won’t take place due to the Marathon. Details for those of you helping on the water station will be issued nearer the time.
Zahra’s Uni Unload
Jumping on a plyo box
Mileage isn't the only thing that makes you a better runner. Training explosiveness through plyometrics is a great way to improve running performance. Plyometrics is also jumping training and it can help you train your muscles and tendons to act like springs by rapidly storing and releasing energy, mostly elastic energy. This means you can jump higher and run faster.
Doing this helps in many ways. It trains your body to use less oxygen at a faster pace, ground contact time decreases helping you speed up, your tendons strengthen helping with injury prevention and you get a better sprint finish during longer races as you are able to push more. Here are some exercises to start with:
Pogo jumps - these are like jumping on two feet up and down but continuously and are good for building ankle stiffness to help with a more efficient stride.
Box jumps - jumping to and from a box. If you don't have specific plyo boxes you can use a step or a bench, this helps to develop your explosive power.
Single leg hops - running is on one leg even if it's only for a short amount of time on each leg. Practising hops can help to prevent imbalances when running.
Bounds - these are almost like strides but instead of running you are hopping and pushing off your back leg while trying to cover distance.
Before you do anything plyos make sure you start with a warm-up and don't do it on hard surfaces; stick to springy surfaces. Grass and track are good outdoor options.
My heart will go on
If you’ve ever glanced at your watch during a hard run (or maybe a plyometrics session!) and been alarmed by how high your heart rate is, you’re not alone. Seeing your heart rate climb into the upper zones can feel worrying — but in most cases, it’s completely normal.
Why heart rate rises when you run faster
As you increase pace, your muscles demand more oxygen. To meet that demand, your heart beats faster and pumps more blood around your body. During hard efforts such as intervals, races, or fast tempo runs, it’s normal for your heart rate to reach 85–95% of its maximum, and sometimes even briefly touch the top end. A high heart rate is simply your body responding to intensity.
When a high heart rate is perfectly normal
A high heart rate is usually nothing to worry about if it:
Matches the effort you’re putting in
Drops fairly quickly once you slow down or stop
Feels repeatable from run to run
Comes without unpleasant symptoms
Hard track sessions, parkruns, or running in hot or humid conditions will all push heart rate higher than usual — and that’s expected.
When to pay closer attention
It’s worth being cautious if your heart rate is unusually high during easy runs, keeps drifting upwards at a steady pace, or takes a long time to recover after stopping. Factors like fatigue, dehydration, stress, poor sleep, or illness can all cause this. If a high heart rate is accompanied by dizziness, chest discomfort, or irregular palpitations, that’s a sign to stop and seek medical advice.
Training smart, not scared
Different heart rate ranges train different systems. Easy runs build aerobic fitness, moderate efforts improve endurance, and high‑heart‑rate sessions develop speed and VO₂ max. Problems arise when every run turns into a hard one. If your easy runs no longer feel easy, it may be a sign you need more recovery — not that high heart rate itself is harmful.
The takeaway
A high heart rate while running fast is usually a sign you’re working hard, not doing harm. As long as it fits the effort, comes down with recovery, and doesn’t come with warning symptoms, it’s simply part of effective training. Listening to trends in your body matters far more than any single number on your watch.
The Final Countdown
Spring marathons - they’re getting closer…
Those marathons are a week closer. If you are running one of the Big Three GB races, or Boston, how is the training going? Those of you running London will be building up to your longest training run (and those of us volunteering on the water station will be doing some arm strengthening exercises ready for handing out hundreds of bottles). All of you should be making sure to eat well and get plenty of rest - and avoiding any risk of picking up a last-minute injury or bug.
Cracker Corner
What building weighs the least? A lighthouse.
There was a burglary at the local sports shop last night and tracksuits and trainers were stolen. Police say the thieves are on the run.
There was a large black bird stuck to my bird table this morning. It was a Vel Crow.
Quote of the week
“Bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible.”
Henry VI, Part II, Shakespeare
And Finally…
Doing the splits in a marathon - not a great idea
The 2026 Chengdu World Heritage Marathon made headlines this week — for all the wrong reasons. Two runners have been banned after separate incidents went viral on Chinese social media.
The first runner, called Wang, suddenly stopped mid‑course, dropped into the splits, and posed for photos. The stunt caused chaos behind her, with runners forced to dodge around her and at least one tripping over her leg. Organisers ruled it a serious obstruction and handed her a two‑year ban from all Sichuan marathons, plus an additional ban from the 2027 Chengdu race.
The second incident involved a male runner, Zhang, videoed carrying a clear backpack stuffed with energy gels taken from aid stations. Officials said he had hoarded supplies meant for everyone, violating basic race etiquette. He also received a two‑year ban and is barred from the 2027 and 2028 Chengdu events.
Let’s hope we don’t have any incidents like that at any of our marathons. Though I think Zahra might be the only BRR member capable of doing the splits…
