MWRRL 4, St Albans – Crunch time

Race 4. The home leg, and with it lots of pressure. After such success in the last three races, hopes were high that we’d be able to capitalise on the great achievements in Stevenage, Welwyn and Harlow to seal victory in the league on home turf (and tarmac). Added to this was the pressure to host a good event, and make sure there’s something to eat at the end.

St Albans and the weather did their bit – the park and abbey gleaming in the early evening sun. Club members old and new stepped up to help, marshalling around the course and providing platters of food.

I was stationary for much of the evening, helping out with the start and finish on the green by Waitrose, and getting a pretty awe-inspiring view of proceedings as part of the deal.

The klaxon sounded and we saw the runners off. A kaleidoscope of club vests streaming down King Harry Lane (‘stay off the road please’) and off around the hilly seven mile course.

Marshall-wise that was the first job done, and with 300 runners out of the way for half an hour, it was time to set up the finish. Ably directed by Duncan, we each set to our task, mallets in hand, building funnels, and tying tape between stakes, making it look like a long, thin crime scene.

Raffle tickets were prepped and clip boards were at the ready for the first finishers. And we waited, with keen anticipation building as the predicted time of the first finisher approached. The wind was getting up, and the paperwork was rustling - would we get the result we wanted? Would the MWRRL title be ours?

And then the shout went out: 'First runner!' Hallam speeding down from the Hemel road on his bike with a blue and yellow vested runner not far behind! 'It’s Paul!' He was followed by Simon and Jonathon, and the Striders kept on coming! Five of the first eight men - clearly giving everything they had on a tough run. Perhaps this was going to be our night...

I’d been a spectator through all this, waiting to hand the women their raffle tickets. But before long, the next shout we’d been waiting for: 'First woman!' quickly followed by: 'It’s Lucy!' Perhaps this really was going to be our night...

And then, the flurry of excitement at the first finishers gave way to astonishment at the enormous efforts that the runners were putting in. Runner after runner, Strider after Strider, filed through the funnel. I’d marshalled out on the road before, but this was the first time I’d seen the business end of a race close up and witnessed what it takes to put in a winning team performance. It was inspirational and filled those of us watching with immense pride.

Demand for raffle tickets continued and slowly but surely the kaleidoscope of club vests was reforming on the green. Around 75 minutes after the start, and over 300 finishers later, proud photos were being taken, and it was time to take down the tape and head back for tea. It had been a great evening.

Friday morning and it’s time to check the results..... Striders had won! Nailing victory in the men’s and women’s team race on the night! And then, quickly scrolling down to check the final league table.....Victory in the league overall! And category wins for the men, women and men’s vets. What a result! And what an amazing team effort!

Next stop: Trent Park and the mob match. What odds on us putting the proverbial icing on the cake? See you there! 

Kate Webb

MWRRL 3, Harlow - Reasons. Excuses. Pride. And a limerick.

And so our summer running tour of new towns continued as we moved on to Harlow on a balmy evening. Already tired from the jog to the start line, I had been wondering recently how I’d feel if I was to run a slower time after four consecutive 10k PBs this year. I was about to find out. 

Early on, as we headed out into surprisingly beautiful countryside, I was puzzled to see Wendy, one of our faster women striders, running back the other way, but soon saw why. She was getting help as a Fairlands Valley runner had collapsed. I hope and trust she has recovered. 

At about halfway, I realised I was struggling a little, so in order to forget the pain, I tried to compose a limerick. However, I couldn’t get any further than a repetition of: 

There was a young runner from Harlow,
Who looked like a short Gary Barlow... 

So as I slowed down further my mind raced with reasons and excuses to explain my sluggishness: 

• I’d been feeling a bit queasy for a couple of days 
• My right calf was starting to hurt 
• It was quite hot 
• I didn’t like the uphill bits 
• I swallowed a fly 
• I didn’t like the downhill bits 
• After a while I also didn’t like the flat bits 
• A bloke behind me was breathing too loudly 
• I was mesmerised by the bounciness of Jack’s hair as he ran past me

Nevertheless, with the help of Roger, I battled through to the end, even managing to pick up speed as we careered round the field on the final stretch, cheered on by Striders who’d finished already (we scored very well again).

I made it through. And I had scored for the C team! It may be the slowest I’ve run this year (48:18) but it’s the proudest I’ve felt. Every race is different.

And then I found I could finish the limerick! 

There was a young runner from Harlow
Who looked like a short Gary Barlow
He slowed to an amble
And went off to gamble
His savings in posh Monte Carlo!

Richard Sved

35 miles. 50 runners. 1 club.

It was Striders’ big day out in the sun – 17 June and the
relay from Verulamium Park to the Olympic version
in east London. The route took in Elstree, Aldenham,
Mill Hill, Totteridge, Dollis Valley Greenwalk,
Hendon, Hampstead Garden Suburb, Parliament Hill,
Gospel Oak, Primrose Hill, Regent’s Canal,
Camden, Islington, Hoxton and Victoria Park.

‘35 miles, 50 runners, 1 club’ was the slogan for
the run, proudly emblazoned on the back of our
commemorative shirts, but these three numbers
don’t begin to describe the day, so here’s just a few more:

5 relay legs ..... 2 buses (1 big, 1 mini) ..... 5 different coloured shirts, giving Striders the option of wearing something other than blue or yellow for a day! ..... 5 wigs ..... 1 nun’s habit, from ebay ..... 20 yards of boggy mud to negotiate ..... 2 little dogs, terrified in the Dollis Valley ..... 3 times Abba’s ‘Winner takes it all’ played in the minibus ..... 0 public toilets (apparently, but plenty of undergrowth) ..... 6 kites being flown from Hampstead Heath ..... 30 SPF cream, surprisingly necessary given the recent rain ..... 2 whistles to announce our arrival ..... 2 clear views over London from Hampstead Heath and Primrose Hill ..... 3 rounds of applause (at least) from impressed onlookers ..... 100% vote for Marge Simpson as best fancy dress ..... 1 group run along the canal ..... 3 amazing ultra runners, completing the full distance ..... 38 mile journey for one inflatable torch

And last, but not least:

1 Olympic stadium ..... 3 massive cheers for the organisers of a fantastic day ..... and countless photos of 50 happy Striders – check out the Striders gallery page and Facebook page

Strider in the Spotlight - Sheryl Norman

Welcome to the first 'Strider in the Spotlight' – a chance to learn more about your fellow Striders.

Sheryl in Paris, 2010

First in the hot seat - our Chair, Sheryl ...... 

 
How long have you been running and when did you join Striders?

For about 10 years. I started running to get back in shape after the birth of my son Oliver. I remember those first few weeks so well...walk 3 minutes, run 1 minute...and how hard it felt at the time. I've been a Strider for about 4 years. I'd had a disastrous half-marathon and thought, ‘Right, I need to join a running club to help me learn how to train better.’

What’s been your best moment as a Strider?

Doing my first (and only so far!) marathon in Paris in 2010. I don't think I could have done it without all the support from the club and especially from my training partner (and Strider) Linda Powell. She was training for London, which I think was a week after Paris. I'll never forget our last 22 mile training run and how we were both near meltdown but we carried each other through. Colin Braybrook also ran the Paris marathon and although he had pretty much showered and shaved by the time I finished (in 4:35) it was fantastic to have another Strider there to cheer me on as I took those last few, very hard steps across the finish. 

Linda and Sheryl in training, 2010

What’s your pre-race ritual?

This has been trial and error over the years (!) but... coffee & wholewheat toast with honey and a banana. 

What’s the most useful piece of running advice you’ve been given?

Give yourself plenty of time to recover after a marathon. This is advice I actually didn't follow after Paris and paid the price. I won't ignore that advice next time. Incidentally, that ‘next time’ is potentially to have another go at Paris next year. We'll see.... 

Who is your sporting hero?

Without a doubt Paula Radcliffe. She's been a big inspiration to me. She is (still) an amazing runner. Oh and James Cracknell is nice, too. I mean, he's an incredibly talented athlete, isn't he? 

Where do you keep your race medals?

Hanging on the back of the door in my spare room. Except of course my Paris marathon medal, which hangs on my closet door so I see it every day. 

What’s your favourite local running route?

That would most certainly be my run through the Wheathampstead fields into Kimpton to visit the alpacas. I do that one as often as I can; they're just so darned cute. 

What’s your next target?

Well I'm trying to build up the courage to do either London or Paris marathon next spring. It's likely I won't get into London so we'll see what happens. I just need to get my head around all that training again. It's fun... isn't it?! 

MWRRL 2, Welwyn Garden City - it’s the taking part that counts

And so I found myself in my yellow and blue vest again last Thursday for the second Midweek Road Race League fixture of the season. I normally only go to Welwyn to do the Christmas shopping in John Lewis, so this felt a little alien.

As we huddled together for the start, my Garmin was merrily picking up other people’s heart rates. I wasn’t the only one who was nervous!

Rather than running round parks, lanes or along country roads, at Welwyn we were very much in a road race. This meant that there were many more spectators. I was clearly running with some very popular local runners, and felt very strongly like I was in the away team.

There was at least one St Albans Strider supporter though, a chap with his bike, and I was very grateful for his vocal encouragement. Spurred on, I tried to keep Marc and Howard in my sights, and, although I never quite kept up with them, they definitely pulled me along.

It’s all very well running a two lap course, but it’s strangely demoralising when the start of the second lap is nowhere near halfway. It took us round the Rugby Club, before we ducked though a gap in the hedge for a ‘sprint’ finish. Happily for me, loads of Striders had finished much earlier and got their breath back, so there was plenty of cheering.

The quicker runners did the Striders proud again. Tom won the men’s race again, Lucy was second in the women’s race, we won both team events again, and all 12 of our men’s A team finished in the top 30. As they say in X Factor, we nailed it.

And if it’s not the winning but the taking part that counts? Well, we won the taking part as well! There were shed loads of Striders there! Over 50 men, and dozens of women. I ran another PB, 90 seconds quicker than last time (46:46) but was placed even lower down the list of Striders, so we had real depth. Even so, I am now proud to call myself a D-team stalwart.

Welwyn Garden City, you may have a John Lewis and beautiful tree-lined boulevards, but St Albans has got the faster runners. Or at least we did last week...

Richard Sved