Scarr
Forum Messages
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Brendan Lawlor | May 9 2008, 1:27pm | I am looking for a Deputy Race Director for the Scarr Race - it needs to be someone who doesn't want to participate in the race itself. Email brendan.lawlor at imra.ie or text 087 2432798 if you can help |
| Brendan Lawlor | Jun 12 2008, 4:58pm | I need a few more volunteers for Scarr next week..in particular a first aider..any takers? |
| Brendan Lawlor | Jun 12 2008, 7:05pm | We have enough helpers now for Scarr..thanks to all who volunteered |
| Fergal Noone | Jun 16 2008, 3:16pm | This is the first straight up/down race for a while and there are a few more coming up. I just thught for safety reasons it might be a good time to confirm the rules/convention for ascending and descending. I remember there were a couple of close calls at Bray. I can't find the thread on safety that was started after that race but I think it's to stay left. Is this correct or am just confusing things? |
| Brendan Lawlor | Jun 16 2008, 3:28pm | Fergal You are quiet correct..always stay to the left and descending runners have priority on steeper sections of the course..the Scarr ridge is nice and wide but there will still be a few points where keeping to the left , whether ascending or descending will be important. Also, please note that race registration will finish at 7.20pm promptly, with a race start of 7.30pm sharp - if you are late please don't make a fuss, but chill out and go for a nice jog after the race commences |
| gerry brady | Jun 18 2008, 12:46pm | County results are now being calculated for each Leinster league race. Can those interested, please make sure their county is entered in the laptop. Wicklow won both women\'s and men\'s categories last week. |
| Niall McAlinden | Jun 19 2008, 12:26pm | Hey, Just like to say a big thank you to those that helped me last night... My ankle was quite bad but at one stage I think I had 3 physios looking after me. So hopefully I'll be back racing before the end of the Leinster league. It was a thoroughly enjoyable race and I even think the cloud cleared a little just as I reached the top so I got a glimpse of the magnificent view. On another note I?m sure that people have had ankle injuries before so any advice on a speedy recovery? Thanks again Niall |
| Bruce Shenker | Jun 19 2008, 12:33pm | Niall, sorry about your ankle, the best advice is get used to it. Once it happens once, it happens again and again , that has been my experience. I know people always say you can strengthen your ankle, but I have found I just do it again and again (never too bad, though once it was bad and I had keyhole surgery) |
| Jonathan Doyle | Jun 19 2008, 12:51pm | I'm with Bruce on that one. Once twisted, you're going to find it'll twist again and again. Good news is that it takes a shorter time to recover. RICE as usual and move your toes...once the swelling has gone down, start a routine of strengthening your ankle and calf muscles by doing calf raises...this is a good idea nayway for mountain runners. When you get back racing you should look at employing some sort of strapping. Some people can get away with taping but others, myself included, opt for a more extreme measure called a McDavid brace or another similar type of brace. It's kind of like a boxing boot with open toes and rigid sides that stops your foot moving from side to side. You can get them on the web, but it's best to try one or two out with socks and runners to see which suits. I got mine from a place in ringsend (can't remember hte name) the thing about future injuries and preventing them is confidence. from now on you'll find that you'll be conscious of your ankle as you descend rocky paths etc...the brace provides a little confidence as well... ...best thnig for it in the sort term is rest, anti-inflammatories and physio...best of luck with it.... |
| Jason | Jun 19 2008, 12:52pm | I think anyone who feels they may have tender or delicate ankles should invest in a pair of the ankle support splints with the velcro strapping. There was another post about them being available in select sport shops I think. |
| Jonathan Doyle | Jun 19 2008, 12:52pm | Physio Needs is the name of the shop in Ringsend by the way |
| Rene Borg | Jun 19 2008, 1:04pm | I know where you're coming from Niall, my own ankle still being dodgy after my last sprain. It's getting better all the time though, but as the lads rightly say, the psychological effect on your downhills running is the most difficult to shake off. Whether or not you fully recover depends on your physiology I think. My left ankle was badly sprained but has come back better and is now almost impossible to sprain. The right is still dodgy, but the physio told me it takes 3 months for the bands to regain 100% of their strength (I put a mark in my calendar so know it should be healed around 01/07, I suggest, for your sanity, you do the same). You don't generally notice that the time is this long as your calf and remaining leg muscle takes most of the pressure. I suggest: 1. Go see a physio and confirm the severity of the sprain (there are three tendons under you foot that can be damaged). See if they will massage out the inflammation, this did wonder for me on the first few days. 2. Icing, stretching and strengthening every day is essential for at least the first month. Get proper advice, though, the wrong stretches or strengthening exercises as the wrong stage of healing can be disastrous 3. Also strengthen your support muscles and proprioception/balance as these are immediately damaged by a sprain (e.g. weakened). 3. Restart slowly by doing road-running, then trail, then finally severe terrain. Use tape/support until you feel confident, but if you want to go for full recovery, don't use it when you train (only races), and eventually get rid of them. Now, I'm of the school of thought who wants to avoid permanent support if at all possible, and I think by running plenty of rugged terrain the ankle will eventually readapt. That may not work for everybody though, so if the problem persists, maybe the ankle-supports are the way to go for you. Personally I'd urge you to try the strengthening route first and only fall back on that as your last resort. |
| Paul Nolan | Jun 19 2008, 1:04pm | It's not all doom and gloom, you don't have in invest in those wellies just yet. Sillicon tape applied correctly will be a huge help. A great execise (once the soreness is gone) is to stand on one foot with your eye's closed. Try it bare foot for 60 seconds. Worked for me. |
| Sadhbh NH | Jun 19 2008, 1:37pm | Four racers couldn't find the race last night, again, due to the poor directions posted on the IMRA website. The same happened last week at the Scalp race. Last night we arrived at the Coach House in Roundwood and there was no one there. The directions to the race were '2km South of Oldbridge,turn right up narrow lane on Wicklow Way' and they maybe should have been something like 'when you reach roundwood drive straight through the village following the road to the right etc etc'. IMRA are not making the hill running very welcoming to new comers. I really do enjoy the hill running and think it 's great that race leagues are organised. Last week we arrived 45 mins early and circled the Scalp area. Someone, who appeared to be a race official gave us directions saying 'to go down a few kilometers and you'll see the farmers field'. It really wasn't that straight forward to find the race registration. We eventually found the 'field' and had to argue to get registered. Can you put up a decent map, accurately indicting the location of the hill run, there are plenty of internet maps for example google maps and AA road watch. We ended up doing a lovely run in Ballinastoe but did waste a load of time looking for Scarr. |
| Stuart Scott | Jun 19 2008, 2:02pm | Hi Sadhbh, I agree that some of the races can be hard to find, especially if you don't know the area. There's not much the organisers can do about it though unless you do a bit of planning as well! Signposting from Roundwood would have helped but you really need to bring an OS map with you. The grid ref on the website is accurate. By looking at the map, you'd be able to see where Roundwood is in relation to Oldbridge, and then see where the WW turns up the lane. Have a look at www.smartmaps.ie - it costs nothing to register and you can access all the OS maps for free which is pretty useful. Incidentally, the TICode link on the website brings you to a Google map, but they're not the best outside Dublin! |
| Paul Morrissey | Jun 19 2008, 2:05pm | Have to say I think the directions have been fine. New to IMRA this year and haven't driven in Wicklow much before, but aside from a missed turn or tow (my fault!) haven't had a problem. The google map provided was easy to follow when you flicked it to satellite. Maybe a signpost on a turnoff from the main roads would be a help but overall I think its fine! |
| Marlon Davies | Jun 19 2008, 3:42pm | I am also new to IMRA and have been thuroughly impressed with how well each race is organized and the website is one of the most up-to-date I have seen for the sport. Not too familiar with Dublin either I have found that car-pooling is a great way to meet people but also a great way to avoid getting lost. By car-pooling, you usually end up going with someone who has been a part of the club for a while.The driver also took care to have a decent map of the area. But generally the directions on the site previous to the race are enough. Scarr was a little tougher to find than the others we certainly managed in th end. |
| Oscar Wilde | Jun 19 2008, 4:02pm | To miss one race start may be regarded as a misfortune; to miss two looks like carelessness. |
| John MacEnri | Jun 19 2008, 4:52pm | In response to Sadhbh's post. You may have noticed postings after other recent races. One was asking for a grid reference only as anything else was "unreliable". Not sure that's entirely true, but in the case of the Scarr race this has particular significance. If you had relied on Google Maps (or the TICode link) you'd have been a bit confused as Google Maps does not have a place called Roundwood or somewhere called Old Bridge. But the Grid Reference WAS there so you should have set out prepared. Buy an Ordinance Survey Map of Wicklow and learn how to look up a Grid Reference. As you'll have also seen from the long thread after the Glenmacnass race, grid references, maps and navigation are an important part of running and safety in the hills. If that's stuff you don't like, then maybe it's not the sport for you. John |
| Niamh Ni Cholmain | Jun 19 2008, 5:06pm | "We eventually found the 'field' and had to argue to get registered" Sadhbh, It is extremely unfair of you to argue with the race director to get registered. They have enough to be doing besides dealing with argumentative, bad tempered latecomers. No matter what time registration closes at, there will always be someone who arrives just after. If that is you, you just have to accept it and take yourself off for a jog. I suggest that you either take a lift from someone else who knows the way or study the map in detail the night before. Niamh |
| Justin Keatinge | Jun 19 2008, 6:11pm | Sadhbh, I bet you're not feeling it right now, but IMRA is, for the most part, a very welcoming organisation. The solution will have to be a bit of extra organisation by IMRA and a bit of extra advance planning by yourself. On the former, we'll get Google maps properly integrated onto the events page ASAP, within a few days if possible. Its maps are not perfect, but it will help somewhat. On the latter, let's see you first in the queue next Wednesday. Your constructive criticism is appreciated and will be actioned. Justin |
| Peter O'Farrell | Jun 19 2008, 6:43pm | I'm all for feeling the love but this is ridiculous. IMRA has mutated from welcoming to babysitting by the sounds of things. The events could not be better advertised, the results are up sometimes before the last finisher is in, the race entry is cheap as chips, the courses are marked and everyone is very polite all the time. There is too much moddycoddling going on and arriving at a race after sign in closes and then the following week not finding out where the race sign on is reeks of unpreparedness. Although Oscar Wilde should at least use his own name :) A personal opinion only I hasten to add... |
| Paul Cullen | Jun 20 2008, 12:54am | Come on Peter that's a bit harsh and, yes, unwelcoming. The TICode for last week's race was wrong (as Gerry acknowledged) though other maps were right. So some people took the wrong cue - they shouldn't be blamed for that. I'm wondering, is it now policy not to put up directional signs and instead give map references on the website. If so, fair enough, but it should be stated more clearly. A simple sign at the right turn in Roundwood would have solved Sadhbh's problem. One other point, could the name of the author of the race reports be included when it's put up on the web; otherwise, much of the commentary doesn't make sense. |
| Caroline Reid | Jun 20 2008, 8:09am | Folks, Getting to the start of this race could not have been easier. All you needed was the OSI Discovery series map 56 (which is an essential for anyone trying to find the start of any IMRA race or orienteering event). The start of this race was on the wicklow way (so its very clear on the map). Brendan also had a big yellow sign and the emergency tape marking the turn off the road, up the lane (which is also on the WW), so it was very clear where you had to turn off the road. Directions from Roundwood were not necessary. IMRA volunteers are stretched as it is, so people have got to take responsibilty for getting themselves to races. For anyone unsure of directions, you MUST take responsibility for getting to the carpooling location EARLY. I was there after 6 and there were lots of other IMRA members in the pub having food/tea. Using this option, you will always make it to registration on time. The best of luck. |
| Brendan Lawlor | Jun 20 2008, 8:30am | I think if people who are regularily complaining on this forum about this, that and the other in terms of race instructions and race organising got involved in the planning, organising and running of IMRA events (as Peter, Caroline and Niamh all do) they might realise what a considerable workload is involved and stop the moaning. IMRA is a most welcoming set of people, but the worker bees get a bit fed up with sniping critisms every week up here. So instead of composing forum messages, put your energies into helping at races, either as a race director or a volunteer |
| Orla P | Jun 20 2008, 8:55am | Hi guys I am never one for forum debates but I do feel compelled to write. I have only just moved to Dublin and have just discovered IMRA. I completed my first race two weeks ago! Being new to Dublin and unsure of the area I meet with some friends and we travelled out together. Despite leaving in plenty of time and arriving in the area 45 minutes ahead of the start we circled for 45 minutes and only just made it to the start as the main bunch took off. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience as I had never done anything like this before. I must complement IMRA on an excellent initiative, it is a shame it is not replicated in many other cities around the country (well not to my knowledge anyway). I do appreciate that it is quiet a feat to organise all of this in the few short hours after work. However I do feel you must accept that for the un-initiated finding the start point is the most difficult part of the night! Having seen some of the posts yesterday I now realise we should be using OS maps for directions but what the seasoned campaigners must realise is that for those new to the sport a typical port of call for directions is the web site, Google maps, AA road watch and even the sat nav all of which we tried to use to find the start this week but to no avail. Thankfully we had support in numbers and decided to go for a run anyway. We are not criticising for the sake of it we are genuine sports enthusiasts but just new to IMRA. We just felt it important to highlight the fact that a few lines of clear instructions as to how to find the start from a nearby town would save a lot of heartache and make the evening all the better. Anyway in spite of all the drama I haven?t been put off and I look forward to my Wednesday evening jaunt in the countryside with new friends. |
| gerry brady | Jun 20 2008, 9:25am | Hope to see you all at Crone Wood tomorrow. Powerscourt waterfall is the landmark to look for. The car park is about one mile beyond the entrance to the waterfall (if you are coming from Kilmacanogue/Enniskerry side). My phone number is on the event page so ring me if you have problems. The race director's phone number is generally on an event page and a quick call can be useful if you are having difficulties finding the start. |
| Justin Keatinge | Jun 23 2008, 7:18pm | Google maps has now been integrated into the events page. Justin |
