Jack's Marathons - June and July 2012

St Albans Half Marathon: 10 June 2012: This is one of those races where I can track how my times have got progressively slower over the years (1995 = 1:30:01. 1996 = 1:35:41. 1999 = 1:35:47. 2000 = 1:40:47. 2002 = 1:41:21. 2008 = 1:51:43. 2010 = 1:50:53. 2012 = 1:48:50) At least my time this year was over 2 minutes faster than my time 2 years ago, but the trend is still clearly visible. However, it was great to see so many Striders taking part and there were some excellent Striders performances by both men and ladies that far outshone mine. 

The Holly Challenge Trail Marathon, Lightmoor, Shropshire: 16 June 2012: I don’t think that I could have been totally compos mentis when I signed up for this 31.4 lap race. It started to rain as I left the Travelodge in Wolverhampton and continued throughout the race. On the first time round I discovered that each lap contained one very steep muddy hill, one long, but gradual hill and one short hill. There must have been some downhills as well, but these didn’t really register with many runners and everybody was convinced that there was more uphill than downhill. It defied logic. Another matter for speculation and discussion as the race progressed was whether or not the water level in the two lakes we ran between would rise high enough to flood the narrow footpath running between them before we finished. Given how hard the course was I was satisfied with my time of 4:16:44. The medal was also nice, but far more attractive was the engraved pint glass filled with Pimms that I received as I crossed the line. I returned to St Albans with a substantial chunk of Shropshire caked to my legs. 

Hamsterley Forest Trail Marathon, County Durham: 1 July 2012: Having run the St Albans 7 mile mid-week road race on 28 June I wasn’t sure how my legs would cope with the steep hills in the Durham Dales. I started off cautiously and ran the first couple of miles with one of the girls I’d run with at Druridge Bay Marathon in May. The course comprises an out section followed by 3 laps and then a return stretch of about 2 miles to the finish at the Visitor’s Centre. We quickly discovered the 2 major uphills in the first half of each lap. The consolation was that a good proportion of the second half of each lap was downhill. I finished in 4:21:00 satisfied that there were still quite a few people behind me and pleased to have completed my 100th different UK marathon in one piece. This was yet another well-organised marathon put on by the North East Marathon Club. I’m now looking forward to running their Northumberland Coast Marathon in August.

Summer Enigma Trail Marathons 1 and 2, Milton Keynes: 7 and 8 July 2012: I knew July would be a tough month with 5 marathons in the first 4 weekends and it was the Enigma marathons that I was dreading most. The course for each marathon is described as 7.5 scenic laps around Caldecotte Lake. Unfortunately, the large puddle we had to run through on each lap was much deeper on the second day than on the first and my left shoe developed a Donald Duck squeak that became increasingly irritating as I grew more tired. Each lap had plenty of twists, turns, puddles and undulations, but this is still definitely not my favourite lake to run around. It was good to see another Strider (Kathryn Hall) beating me in on day 1 finishing in 4:15:19, but she had more sense than to turn up on day 2. Instead, on day 2 there was a fresh influx of runners to add to those of us demented enough to run both races. My times were 4:21:35 and 4:50:15 respectively placing me 20th out of 45 on day 1 and 26th out of 40 on day 2. 

Fairlands Valley Challenge Trail Marathon, Stevenage: 15 July 2012: For me this local event is one of the highlights of the year with the added bonuses that we rarely get rain while we are out running the Challenge and that the scenery is breathtaking. This year there were more Striders running the various distances than I can recall since I ran my first one in 1996. Steve Smith and Liz Walls ran the 50k route. Gary Warren, John Jones and David Perry were 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively in the 18.7 mile event, whilst Gladstone and 7 other Striders completed that distance at a more leisurely pace. In the marathon Ross Nugent (called back from Sweden to assist with Olympic Security) was 24th, Nick Bradley 44th and Jonathan Milne 104th. 7 of us (Petra Grosse, Peter Rogers, Abby Reilly, Fiona Snailham, Kathryn Hall and her cousin Caroline, and me) ran round together with plenty of photo stops and consuming copious amounts of bread pudding at the check points. We had a brilliant time and a thoroughly enjoyable day in spite of the mud. 

Konigsschlosser Romantikmarathon 2012, Fussen, Bavaria: 22 July 2012: This was one of the most scenic trail marathons I have run. From Fussen the route takes runners through the Hopfer Forest, round Lake Hopfensee, across the floodplain of the river Lech, along the banks of Lake Forggensee, across lush green meadows and past the royal castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau before returning to Fussen through the Schwansee woodlands. Unbelievably, with Austria and the Alps only 5 kilometres away from Fussen, the organisers managed to devise a fairly flat course and the views changed every time you turned a corner. There were plenty of cows with cowbells to add support as runners made their way towards the finish. Everybody I spoke to thoroughly enjoyed the event although it would have been even better if the rain had held off and produced a few less puddles. My finishing time was 4:13:32. Most important is the fact that Fussen is a beautiful town in which to celebrate post race. 

This was my 295th marathon. My aim is to run my 300th in North Carolina on 4 November, so I am now allowing myself a few weeks of rest before my next race. 

Jack Brooks

Strider in the Spotlight - Mike Jubb

It’s time for the next 'Strider in the Spotlight' – and it’s Coach Jubb in the hot seat!

How long have you been running and when did you join Striders?
I've been running since I was about 13. I was rubbish at all sports at school, but found out that I could hold my own when we ran cross-country. My sister got a lift to work with a member of the local orienteering club, so that was how I got into endurance sport. I chose my university based on their successful orienteering club (Sheffield), then post-university I joined Derby Athletics Club, and focussed on fell racing for a couple of years (until I ended up in intensive care after an overly ambitious descending technique resulted in concussion). I then found a niche for myself running the steeplechase in the club league matches (mainly because I was the only person prepared to do it)....but also found that I was quite good at it, possibly from my years of 'strong' running. So in my late 20s my year consisted of running the typical club timetable of cross-country all winter, road relays in spring, track racing all summer, road racing in autumn before heading back into the cross-country season again.

At the age of 32, when my track times started to get slower, I decided that I should have a crack at the marathon. We had moved to St Albans in 2001, but I was still running first claim for Derby, and only second claim for the Striders, so in my Derby vest I ran a 2:28:09 to finish in the top-50 in London. This was the only 'serious' marathon that I've attempted, as I then discovered the world of multi-sport, and started racing duathlon (run-bike-run). Since 2005, I decided to bring in the challenge of swimming to participate in triathlons, and since then I've competed in two Ironman races.

I've been coaching at the club, leading the Tuesday night track sessions, for around 8 years, and it’s been great to see club members go from strength to strength over the years. 

What’s been your best moment as a Strider?

In 2003, the year after I'd trained for the London Marathon (clocking training of 100+ mile weeks), I started to train for the duathlon and hence cutting my mileage back significantly to enable the bike training to be fitted in. So it was quite a surprise to me that at the National Cross Country at Parliament Hill I finished in 14th place. I had been on the osteopath's table the day before with a bad back, and was considering not running, even on the morning of the race. However after a 'steady' start I kept working through the field and on the last lap found myself overtaking people who I would not have dreamed of beating - like Rob Denmark and Mark Hudspith. By the last couple of miles I just wanted the race to keep on going, as I was still working my way through the field. I guess it was just my 'dream race' where everything goes perfect.

What’s your pre-race ritual? 

When I was at home, my mum always used to cook me spaghetti bolognese the night before a race, but I had a few bad experiences of a dodgy stomach on race day with numerous trips to the toilet, so I decided to swap to pizza....a food that you can find everywhere.....my favourite being pepperoni, washed down with a bottle of beer (to help me sleep!).

On race morning, I like to have porridge, 3 hours before the start, with a strong coffee about an hour before the race, and water or weak electrolyte drink being sipped up to the start of the race.

I like to arrive at races with at least an hour to go, start warming up (with very easy jogging) about 30–40 mins before the start, and with 10–15 mins before the race, I start doing drills and strides to get the legs ready to operate in 'race' mode.

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

I used to run with tight fists, and was then told to put my thumbs between my index and middle fingers........no more tight fists!

Who is your sporting hero? 

Lance Armstrong......the guy continues to compete in his 40s at the very highest level in the world’s toughest races.

Where do you keep your race medals? 

The important ones (National and World championships and my Ironman finishers medals) are on display, but the majority are either in the loft or hanging on the end of the banister rail.

What’s your favourite local running route? 

I love running hills in the park, but if I just want to go for a relaxing run, there is flat route from Park Street down the Ver Valley Way.....it’s about 35 mins from my house down to the end and back......mostly on off-road trails, alongside the stream.

What's your favourite race? 

I used to race a road race every Boxing Day in Barnsley. It's called the Ward Green 6, and is a two-lap course that runs down a big hill before climbing back up again. A number of athletes would be seen regretting their extra portion of Xmas pudding as they suffered up the hill. I won it or finished in the top3 for several years running, but what makes the race stick in my memory was the fact that the prizegiving was held in the local working-men’s club (with dripping sandwiches and pork pies laid out on the snooker table), and the prizes were donated by a local electricity shop.....the men picked up radios and TVs, while the women’s prizes were electric mixers, toasters and irons. LOL!

What’s your next target? 

My big aim for the year is the Helvellyn Triathlon. It finishes with an 8 mile 'run' to the top of Helvellyn and back. I'm also enjoying being able to run competitively again. After an operation on my calf in 2009, it’s taken until this year for me to be able to train consistently on it.....so I'm enjoying chasing the younger, fast lads in the club....hopefully it will push them on to race faster too to stay ahead of me!! 

Mike Jubb

MWRRL Mob Match, Trent Park - Mud, sweat & cheers

I had wondered for a while why the final race in the Midweek Road Race League was called a Mob match. It turns out it’s got nothing to do with the Mafia – although the final uphill stretch did make me an offer I nearly couldn’t refuse.

As we arrived surveyed the plush facilities at the Southgate Hockey Club in Trent Park in the middle of a torrential downpour, I had two thoughts:

1. There’s going to be an excellent post-match spread. (It’s true. There was.)

2. Can I hide here on the balcony and watch the hockey practice, instead of doing any running?

But I’d been spotted by too many people to go with the race-dodging plan, so off to the start line we trotted.

Shocked by the wet mud lurking below the grass, I set off like a startled gazelle, running way too quickly (for me) – sub 7 minute mile pace. I hadn’t even realised I could run that fast, which is one positive I suppose.

The remaining lessons were brutally handed to me over the next 4.5 miles. As I slowed to a more sensible pace, I was overtaken by a succession of Striders more experienced at steady racing, including Clare, Mandy, Richard D, Howard, Gladstone and Peter. While it’s always a little draining to be overtaken, every one of them had a word or two of encouragement. The Striders are a great team to run with.

We ran two laps round Trent Park, on quite a mixture of terrains. It’s probably beautiful when it hasn’t been raining so much. In places the paths were exceptionally muddy.

And while I couldn’t really relish the downhill parts for fear of losing my footing, the uphill stretch, especially on the second lap, was the closest I’ve come to listening to that niggling voice whispering, ‘Shall we just walk for a bit?’ The only thing that kept me running was the knowledge that it would mean I’d get to the end sooner.

As I neared the final stretch, as in previous races, there was a tremendous posse of already-finished cheering Striders. Someone shouted ‘Put this in your blog, Richard!’ but I was too tired to see who it was, let alone think of a witty response, so gritted my teeth and pushed myself back through the wet grass.

9k? It felt more like 10 and a half. After a minute or so making sure I hadn’t fainted, I was ready to cheer on those finishing just after me. Special mention to Jack, Katie, Sheryl and Kate, who all crossed the line with impressive sprints and smiling faces.

Back in the hockey club, the award ceremony was astonishing. The numerous prizes won by the club, both team and individual, will be recorded elsewhere, but as I stood at the back of the room cheering and clapping each trophy, I was struck by the smiles and pride of every Strider I could see. It really was shared effort and shared joy.

I run with Striders because it’s a really good bunch of people. It just so happens that a lot of them can run impressively quickly too, but it’s the friendliness and team spirit that matters most.


Richard Sved