Jack’s Marathons - September to November 2013

Purbeck Trail Marathon: 15 September 2013: I should know by now that any race in Dorset is going to encompass some horrendous hills. Purbeck Marathon certainly didn’t disappoint in this respect. The start was on the Downs overlooking Swanage Pier and most of the first half was along narrow and rutted clifftop paths with a howling wind making it challenging to avoid being blown sideways. The wind was unrelenting even when runners turned inland towards Corfe Castle and then on to the finish. On the plus side the views were fantastic, the marshalling was excellent and there were plenty of drinks stations. I had quite a bad fall at about 24.5 miles, but still managed to make the finish line in 4:47:11 just before the heavy rain started. As soon as the first aid guys had wiped away the blood I headed straight for my car and a testing 4.5 hour drive back to St Albans in heavy traffic. 

Carlow/Kilkenny Trail Marathon: 22 September 2013: As the course hadn’t been officially measured this race was classified as a trail marathon even though it was on roads. Getting to Kilkenny involved a flight, a bus trip through Dublin and then a train journey. It is a pretty city with an impressive castle overlooking the River Nore and plenty of pubs (most of which have live music). On arrival our first surprise was that our Landlord had gone on holiday to Spain and we were more or less left to let other guests into the B&B as and when they arrived. On the Sunday morning a coach picked up most of the 48 entrants by Kilkenny Castle and took us to the race start in Carlow. The race director provided useful commentary on the course. His best one was ‘You turn left at this junction. This is the first left turn. There are others before it, but ignore them!’ Having said that the course was relatively straightforward and the only thing that caught everybody out was finding that once we passed the 26 mile sign instead of having just 0.2 miles to run there was still 0.8 miles to the finish. I wasn’t feeling as strong as I should have felt at 18 miles and finished in a disappointing time of 4:22:10.

Jack in Ostend

Ostend Marathon: 29 September 2013: For 20 Euros runners receive 1 technical t-shirt, 1 cotton t-shirt, a medal, well stocked drink stations and plenty of fruit at the finish as well as race photos that you can download for free off the race website. As I discovered earlier in the year in the Ardennes, not all races in Belgium are flat, but this course was probably one of the flattest I’ve ever raced on. The start was by the sea front in the exact location where the old De Kust Marathon used to finish and the vast majority of the race was beside sea, canals and rivers. The only problem I find with flat courses can be headwinds, but at least the first 21km of headwind was balanced out by 21km of tailwind once we turned to head back to Ostend. This was a great little marathon and easy to get to by Eurostar (as Eurostar tickets allow one to travel free to any station in Belgium). I was pleased to get back under 4 hours for the first time since my Australian injury and finished in 3:54:31.

Bournemouth Marathon: 6 October 2013: A twin room for 3 nights for £74 and a return train ticket for around £22 and I was all set for Bournemouth. This was a new marathon forming part of a running weekend with a half marathon 2 hours earlier on the Sunday and a 10k, a 5k and children’s runs on the Saturday. Nobody expected the temperature to top 20 degrees on the Sunday and there were 2 tough, long hills at around 12.5 and 17 miles, but with much of the marathon route beside the sea and the novelty of running up and down both Boscombe Pier and Bournemouth Pier the route was actually quite pleasant. There was plenty of support and the event was generally well organised. I was 9th vet 60 finishing in 3:52:46.

Great Eastern Half Marathon: 13 October 2013: After running the Hatfield 5k race in 23:35 my next challenge was to run this half marathon, which I last ran in 1995 finishing in 1:28. After picking up Howard Bull from his house we set off for Peterborough in teeming rain only to find that the A1 was closed. We made it to the race and to the front of the toilet queue with 10 minutes to spare. Fortunately Howard was not too disconcerted by this and achieved a PB in 1:39:29 in spite of the wet and windy conditions. I finished some way behind him in 1:48:14.

Prince Edward Island (PEI) Marathon, Canada: 20 October 2013: After a couple of days in Halifax, Nova Scotia I headed for race registration at Charlottetown, PEI. The PEI marathon is a point to point race starting at the beautiful Brackley Beach and following the fairly flat Gulf Shore Parkway beside the island’s north shore up to around 21km. Following spectacular views of sand dunes, beaches and the Covehead Lighthouse the route then turns onto the Confederation Trail for 12km. This is a well maintained fine gravel trail along the route of an old railway line and there are one or two long gradual climbs in this section. At 34 km the route rejoins the highway and comprises a series of rolling hills as runners approach the finish in Charlottetown. My original plan was to start with the 4 hour pace group, but when I discovered that they were taking regular walk breaks I moved up to the 3:45 pace group who turned out to be a friendly bunch. I stayed with them until 34 km and as I got ever nearer to the finish I started passing a number of them who had dropped off the pace as the hills started taking their toll. I later discovered that the pace group leader had finished alone in 3:45 exactly. I crossed the line in 3:47:21, which I was more than happy with. Rain had been forecast, but in the end we had sunshine for the duration of the run and the only slight bugbear was that we were running into a headwind for much of the latter part of the race. The rain arrived soon after I’d finished.

Legs for Literacy Moncton Marathon, New Brunswick: 27 October 2013: After a week of sightseeing stopping off at Sydney, New Glasgow and Saint John it was time to register for the Moncton Marathon. To my surprise the girl who had led the 4 hour pace group at PEI recognised me at the Moncton pasta party and introduced her English husband Andrew who, as it turned out, would be Moncton’s designated 3:45 pace group leader. This time I started off with Andrew’s group, but we drifted apart fairly regularly as they were taking walk breaks while I wanted to run without stops. When the group finally passed me at around 34km there were 4 of them, but as I neared the finish line I overtook 2 of them as I was feeling quite strong at that stage. The race route was flatter than for the PEI race, but there was much more gravelled trail to be negotiated and as it had rained overnight and the downpour continued throughout most of the race some areas were quite waterlogged. Also, with a number of out and back sections the path was quite crowded in places especially in the first half when we were sharing the route with half marathoners. An unexpected bonus was discovering that my time of 3:46:56 had been good enough to earn me the first place (out of 11) in the 60/69 age group. 

Porto Marathon, Portugal: 3 November 2013: I loved Porto although I would have preferred rain on the race day and sunshine on the other days rather than the other way round. The marathon starts with about 1 km of uphill and finishes with a fairly gentle 1km uphill stretch, but is otherwise flat and mainly follows the course of the river. About 4km of the course was over cobbles and there were one or two falls over these, but mainly the road surfaces were good and the organisation was excellent. For the race entry fee of just under £36 runners received a rucksack, 1 cotton T-shirt and 1 technical T-shirt, a shoe bag and a large bottle of port. I set off too fast and suffered in the sun on the second half finishing in 3:57:6. Nevertheless, I would thoroughly recommend this marathon and might well consider running it again.  

Athens Marathon, Greece: 10 November 2013: According to legend the first person who ran this distance dropped dead when he reached his destination. I survived, but it was hot and hilly. The bus pick-up to take us from central Athens to the town of Marathon went very smoothly, but by the time the race started at 9am it was already starting to get warm and within the first hour of the race the temperature was around 25 degrees and still rising. By the time I made it to the finish line in the famous Panathenaikon Stadium I was definitely suffering and was glad to clock a time of 4:14:26. 

The impressive aspects of the marathon were (1) running the original historic marathon route (2) great organisation with fireworks at the start (3) the crowd support from every town and village we passed through (4) well manned and supplied drink and food stations (5) I won the sweepstake for the closest guess to the actual times that all of our group ran. The only negatives were (1) the hills and the heat - which are both out of the organisers’ control - and (2) congestion in the baggage collection area, which could probably have been solved by introducing a one-way system. I’m not sure that I’d run it again, but as a one-off experience I really enjoyed the event (once I’d found some shade at the finish). 

Ashwell Half Marathon: 24 November 2013: Having originally planned to have 3 weeks with no racing this local (near Baldock) multi-terrain 2 lap half marathon proved just too tempting. Each lap comprised about 1 mile of slippery mud and 2 respectable hills. Runners are taken by bus from Baldock to the race start at Newnham and with only 169 competitors the whole event had a very informal and friendly atmosphere to it. I started off fairly steadily, but as I was feeling strong in the second half I was able to overtake quite a few runners without anybody coming back at me. I finished 82nd and first vet 60 in 1:50:45.

Time to hit the mud!

The Captains' guide to 2013-2014 XC 

It’s nearly time to dust off your spikes with the cross country season starting up again this weekend. Striders take part in a number of league and championship events from October till March so to help you understand how and when to take part, your cross country captains have put together this handy guide… 


Why do cross country?

• To improve your fitness: Running off-road enhances your stamina and endurance. Tackling uneven surfaces and hills improves your muscle strength and core stability making you fitter and faster. 
• Less stress on your joints: Running on a softer surface gives your body a break from the impact of pounding hard surfaces like the road and track. 
• It’s scenic: As no course is the same, you could be running round farmland, through forests or pretty parks.
• It’s suitable for all abilities and ages: You don’t have to be super speedy and you don’t need to be able to run a marathon. Distances are usually 4k-8k for women and 8k-12k for men.
• Contribute to the team effort: Just like the Midweek Road Race League, the cross country competitions we compete in are team events. The first to the last scorer all make a difference to where the team finishes. 
• Earn club champs points. 
• It’s free! Fully-paid up members of the club get free entry into all the league and championship races. 
• It’s friendly and fun! The races provide an opportunity to meet your clubmates, get into the team spirit and enjoy racing in the great outdoors.  

LEAGUES

The Chiltern League: Comprises clubs from Herts, Beds and Bucks, open to all abilities. Men and women race separately -approx 6k for women and 8k for men. There’s also junior races earlier in the day where St Albans AC athletes compete for Striders. The juniors, men and women’s scores are all combined to reach our league position. Last year we won division two to gain promotion to division one so we would love to do well again this year (division one and two compete in the same race and results are calculated afterwards).  

• Where & when: Women’s race starts approx 1.15pm, men’s approx 2pm 

• Saturday 19 October, Watford 
• Saturday 9 November, Oxford 
• Saturday 7 December, Milton Keynes 
• Saturday 11 January, Venue TBC 
• Saturday 8 February, Wing  

• What to do: We need to declare with the organisers who will be running the night before each race. We’ll send an email and post on the message board the week before each race so please let us know then if you intend to run. On the day, collect a number from captains (Ed Blake for the men and Lucy Waterlow for the women). As with the MWRRL, you must keep this number for the whole league. After racing, you won’t be given a finishing position ticket as results will be recorded by the organisers. 
• More info: www.chilternccl.co.uk  

The Sunday XC League: Slightly lower key league so a good introduction if you have never done cross country before. It’s suitable for all abilities and just like the MWRRL but on off-road courses. Clubs from the local area take part with men and women competing in the same race which is approx 5-6 miles. If you take part in four or more races you will be in with a chance of winning an individual age group prize at the end of the league. Individual trophies are awarded as follows: Senior Men, M40, and M50 - first five places. M60 - first three, M70 - winner. Senior Women, W35, and W45 - first five places. W55 – first three, W65 – winner. 

• Where & when: All races start at 10.30am

• Sunday 27 October, Cheshunt
• Sunday 24 November, Grovelands Park, Southgate  
• Sunday 8 December, Trent Park, North London 
• Sunday 12 January, Royston
  Sunday 16 February, Cassiobury Park, Watford 

• What to do: We’ll advertise further details on each race in advance. You don’t need to wear a number so just turn up and race. At the finish, you’ll be given a ticket with your finishing position on which should be handed to the captains so they can record the results.  
• More info: There’s no official website for the league but rsults and pictures will be posted on www.runherts.com. The Watford Joggers website www.watfordjoggers.org.uk/sundayleague.php also has some good information on the courses.

CHAMPIONSHIP RACES  

Herts County XC: Individual and county medals up for grabs here and the chance to qualify to represent Herts in future races. Approx 8k for women and 12k for men. 

• Where &when: Sunday 5 January 2014, Watford 
• What to do: You must have been born in Herts or have been a resident in the county for at least nine months prior to the race to compete. Captains have to enter teams in advance so look out for details on the message board or via email in order to sign up. On the day, collect your number from captains. 
• More details: www.hertscaaa.org.uk  

Southern XC Champs: Regional event made up of clubs from the south of England. Approx 8k for women and 15k for men. 

• Where &when: Saturday 25 January 2014, Parliament Hill Fields, London 
• What to do: Open to all club members of all abilities but you must be EA registered pre-entered by captains. Look out for posts/emails to sign up nearer the time. The event is chip-timed so you must collect your chip and number from captains on the day. 
• More info: www.seaa.org.uk  

The National XC Champs: Prestigious and historic event which clubs across England take part in. Approx 8k for women and 12k for men. 

• Where & when: Saturday 22rd February 2014, Wollaton Park, Nottingham 
• What to do: Open to all club members of all abilities but you must be EA registered pre-entered by captains. The event is chip-timed so you must collect your chip and number from captains on the day. 
• More info: www.englishcrosscountry.co.uk  

Other races: There will also be some Vets only championship races (age 35/40 and over for women depending on the event and age 40 and over for men) across the season including the Southern Masters Champs on Saturday 14th December at Biggleswade and Herts County Vet Champs in March (date and venue TBC). You must be pre-entered so look out for email/posts nearer the time.  


RELAYS
The St Albans Cross Country relays in Verulamium Park will not be staged this year as the only available date clashed with the Southern Road Relays.  

Southern XC Relay: Team event involving clubs from the South. In the past it hasn’t been that well supported by clubs so offers a low key, fun start to the cross country season (and the chance for Striders to try and grab some prizes). 

• Teams: Women, 3 x 3k, Men, 4 x 5k 
• Where & when: Saturday, 5th October, Wormwood Scrubs. Women start at 2.10pm and men at 2.40pm. 
• What to do: Open to all club members of all abilities but you must be EA registered pre-entered by captains. Sign up now.  

National XC Relay: Well-supported national event where clubs from around England compete in teams around a course that’s not challenging and great for spectating. 

• Teams: Women, 3 x 3k, men, 4 x 5k 
• Where & When: Saturday 2 November, Berry Hill Park, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Women start at 2.10pm and men at 2.40pm. 
• What to do: Open to all club members of all abilities but you must be EA registered pre-entered by captains. Sign up now.

And finally here’s a list of essentials you will need for cross country racing… 

• Striders vest: You must compete in a club vest for all the above events. 
• Layers: Wrap up warm with hats, gloves and a waterproof jacket before and after the race. Some courses can be exposed to the elements and races will go ahead come wind, rain or shine (only very heavy snowfall has cancelled races in the past). 
• Shoes: Some courses will be suitable for trainers, but if the weather gets wetter and ground gets muddier, trail shoes or spikes are essential. If you only plan to buy one or the other, trail shoes are more flexible as they give good grip in muddy sections but are more comfortable on courses which include harder surfaces such as gravel. Cross country spikes can be bought for around £40 so are well worth having in addition to trail shoes as they give better grip on courses which are entirely grass/mud. Invest in some different length spike pins to insert in them so you can adapt the spike length according to the course (12-15mm best for very muddy courses like Parliament Hill). 
• Pins: For attaching your number. 
• Change of socks: The socks you run in might get wet and there’s nothing worse than travelling home with stinky, damp feet! 
• Wet wipes: Great for wiping all that mud off your legs (and arms and face!). Don’t worry about getting muddy, it’s all part of the fun and it all comes out in the wash! 
• Sense of humour! 

If you have any further questions about cross country running or want to find out more, contact xc men’s captain Ed Blake at men@stalbansstriders.com or women’s xc captain Lucy Waterlow at ladies@stalbansstriders.com 

We hope to see to you at the races, 
Lucy and Ed, XC captains

Strider in the Spotlight – Lucy Martin

Lucy, London Marathon 2013

1. How long have you been running and when did you join Striders?  
I occasionally used to run (slowly) before joining Striders but was more of a gym-goer. After getting bored of that, I decided to try something new and joined the first Get Started course in September 2011. I quickly became hooked, did various races, signed up for my first marathon and became club secretary!

2. What’s been your best moment as a Strider? 
Ooh, that's a difficult one. I have to say I was very proud when I received my monthly award for Berkhamsted Half in March 2012, but undoubtedly my best running moment has to be Amsterdam Marathon in October 2012. I found the whole experience very emotional and cried far too much, out of pain, relief and happiness! I wore my Striders vest with pride (even though it is pretty unflattering!) 

3. What’s your pre-race ritual? 
I don't have much of a ritual as such, but it usually involves a generous portion of pasta for dinner the night before then eating a fairly big bowl of Grape Nuts and drinking lots of water first thing, then going to the toilet lots because of nerves! 

4. What’s the most useful piece of running advice you’ve been given? 
Probably listen to your body, rest when you need to and don't automatically panic at the slightest sign of a niggle or in the run-up to a race – I don't really follow this advice as much as I should!

5. Where do you keep your race medals? 
My two marathon medals are hanging on the wall with pride of place and the rest of my medals are hanging on an unused curtain hook!  

6. What’s your favourite local running route? 
I think it's probably a 10–11 miler from the park up past Batchwood towards Heartwood Forest and back via Childwickbury. It's got a few hills, but as much as I loathe them, I know they're good for me – and it's great to do a longer run that's almost entirely off-road.  

7. What’s your next target? 
After doing the London marathon in April, I decided it's time to concentrate on getting faster and do some shorter races, so after doing all the Mid Week League 10ks then being out with a non-running knee injury for a month, I'm now planning what 10 milers and halfs to enter this autumn!

A postcard from Addis Ababa

… or: one way to stay on top of your training plan when away from home – Martin takes up the story: 

‘I was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on business, and the company I was visiting arranged for me to meet with Haile Gebrselassie. What a lovely bloke! Very friendly, tiny and with the biggest smile!

‘We chatted for a while about his marathon times, my times, his Olympic & World gold medals, and his world records. I told him about Striders and some of my PBs for various distances, and I’d been in a few of the same races as him – marathons in Berlin, London and Rotterdam - but a good 45 minutes behind him! He was very diplomatic!

‘We took a few photos, and then I asked him if he could recommend somewhere to train as I’d be in Addis Ababa for a few days. That’s when he invited me to train with him the following day. I was stunned. 

‘We met at his gym, where none of the other gym goers seemed the least bit interested in the superstar in their midst, and took to the treadmills. This was a good idea, given he trains at 4:30 pace and I’m at 6:30. After 10K we did some spinning on the bike, followed by another 10K on the treadmill. 

‘It was tough: Addis Ababa is at altitude, making running hard work - it felt like a constant, invisible hill. We finished with some stretches and a massage. 

‘He has invited me to meet up with him again if I’m back in Addis Ababa and I gave him an open invitation to run with the Striders if ever he needed somewhere close to London to train! 

‘I wished him luck against Mo in the Great North Run – the race will have three generations of great distance runners, with Bekele there too. 

His response: do you realise how old I am now?!”’

Martin

Jack’s marathons – July–August 2013

Trail du Tombeau du Chevalier, Herbeumont, Belgium (55.3Km): 6 July 2013: I flew out to Brussels on 2 July, met up with Rich, Jeanne and Kathleen Holmes from North Carolina at the airport and we headed off to Normandy via Rouen (to see the spot where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake). After sightseeing in Normandy and viewing the Bayeux Tapestry we drove on to Paris via Monet’s house and gardens in Giverny. Then, following a busy 24 hours sightseeing in Paris we headed off to the Belgian Ardennes. In retrospect spending all of the Friday morning walking round Paris may not have been the best pre-race preparation. We had not been able to discover much about the race beforehand other than that it was a hilly trail race with 1,500 metres of elevation and that the distance was 55.3km (c.34.36 miles). At registration we discovered that there would be only 4 official drinks stations so I hurriedly obtained a bottle to carry round with me (although it turned out that a couple of extra water points were subsequently provided after the 30km point).

Trail du Tombeau du Chevalier

The race started in Herbeumont Castle at 11am by which time the temperature was already in the 70s. After a relatively easy first 10k the trails started getting markedly tougher and we started to encounter some much steeper hills, some of which were so steep that the organisers had provided ropes for hauling oneself up and to prevent falls on the descents. Even so, I came across a number of competitors who had fallen or twisted their ankles along the route and I was extremely thankful that I’d decided to run in trail shoes. I don’t think anyone in road shoes would have survived some of the steeper descents where ropes were not provided.

The temperature rose progressively higher during the race and I took the last 20k of the race fairly cautiously as I suspected that I was getting slightly dehydrated and the path was more rutted, stony and uneven for the latter parts of the race. By this time I was starting to come across the occasional runner sitting at the bottom of some of the steeper hills head in hands (obviously trying to steel themselves for the next ascent). With 7km to go we had to ford a river with the assistance of ropes. The water was over 3 feet deep and there was a strong current. Then most of the last 5km was along a very rough, undulating path (with tree roots everywhere), which ran roughly parallel to the river before climbing up a hill to the castle. After scaling a ladder to get into the castle ruins there was a final downhill stretch to the finish line. I finished in 8:22 125th out of 247 entrants and 191 finishers and fourth in my age group. The winning time was 5:25 and only 3 runners finished in less than 6 hours. Rich and Kathleen finished in 9:13. This was definitely the toughest race I have ever taken part in.

Ilmington Cotswolds Trail Marathon: 13 July 2013: I got let off lightly for the Striders midweek road race fixture as I was allocated the job of running as back-marker. Even so, my legs were still feeling the effects of my Belgian ultra at the start of the Ilmington race, but I really wanted to support this new marathon on an undulating course, which is organised by Chris Seeney, whose events are always well organised and interesting. I took the opportunity to start with friends Bill and Pauline Howes running the first loop more or less at their dog’s pace (which I knew in advance would be slow). By the end of that loop the dog made it clear that it was quite hot enough (the temperature reached 34 degrees) so while Bill and Pauline returned her to the race HQ I soldiered on with Jagit Singh and Surrinder Rattan, who were great company, but who made it clear that they were relying on me to follow the written route description. As Jag had a slight injury and the heat was getting to all of us we continued at a very leisurely pace and I only got us lost once. I finished in 7:26 and proceeded to imbibe copious amounts of cold water. Fortunately the weather was slightly less oppressive for the mob match 9k race at Trent Park the following Wednesday and I finished that in 46:15.

Fairlands Valley Challenge Trail Marathon, Stevenage: 21 July 2013: Once again we were lucky that the weather for this local event was kind to us and this year there wasn’t even any mud. The skies were overcast when a group of 9 of us (Mandy Attree, Judith Beard, Lucy Stern, Carol Ransom, Emma Ward, Conrad Wild, David O’Neill, Stephen Elkan and me) set off from Marriott’s School and the sun only really made its presence felt as we approached Checkpoint 4 at Chapmore End (16.6 miles). From Watton (20.6 miles) the route to the finish had changed completely meaning that extra attention had to be paid to the route description instructions and by the time we reached the finish at the school the temperature had climbed back to the levels that had prevailed for the previous 2 weeks. It was great to run one of my favourite races in the company of so many friends. We didn’t get lost once and took full advantage of the bread pudding and other food supplied at all checkpoints and the free barbecue once we crossed the finish line. After the race a number of people mentioned to me how impressive it was to see 9 of us finishing together in St Albans Striders vests. Our finish time was 5:48:00.

Summer around the Reservoir Double Marathon, Northampton: 27 and 28 July 2013: This was the second time I’d tackled this back to back marathon event. On both days the route comprises 6 laps of Brackmills Reservoir in Northampton. The problem with running this course during a summer heatwave is that there is virtually no shade. Consequently I really suffered on the Saturday and finished 30th out of 56 competitors in 4:52:44. At least there was some breeze on the Sunday and I was able to complete the second race in 4:29:54 coming 27th out of 61 runners. Also on the Sunday our former Striders men’s team captain, Graham Ridley (who had come back to the UK from Australia for a holiday) turned up to run. He finished well ahead of me in 14th place in 4:08:34, but it was great to see him there and to go for a drink with him afterwards. 

Vanguard Way Trail Marathon, Surrey: 3 August 2013: The Vanguard Way footpath runs from Croydon to Newhaven and this trail marathon was on an out and back course along the Croydon to Limpsfield sections of the trail. There were just over 100 runners in this event and whilst the route was marked with spray arrows and hanging tape I got the impression that nearly everybody went wrong at some stage. I certainly missed a couple of turnings and reckon that I ran well over 28 miles in total. Nevertheless, the weather was kind to us and there was plenty of varied (though undulating) countryside to enjoy. I finished in 5:52:31.

Leila’s Run Trail Marathon, Wheathampstead: 18 August 2013: This marathon was organised by members of the 100 Marathon Club and Garden City Runners in memory of Leila Taylor who died tragically earlier this year after a long fight with cancer. The course comprised 4 undulating laps with a mixture of trails and road and I was surprised that it covered several footpaths that I can’t recall ever running along. Being a local race it was inevitable that I’d bump into some Striders members en route, but I was surprised how many were out on the Sunday. The first person I bumped into was Dave Reid followed closely by former Striders Sue Arbon and Lesley Hooker. Also out were Alison Ryan, Carole Mooney and Sheryl Norman. The weather was ideal for running and the event was a great success. My time was 4:39:36.

Jack Brooks 

Jack’s marathons: April–June 2013

Canberra Marathon, Australia: 14 April 2013: I stayed with former Striders, Graham and Jo Ridley for most of my 3 weeks in Australia. They live in North Avoca on the Central Coast and I had an early introduction to their local running club (Terrigal Trotters) when we did a short run with them on the first Saturday before we drove down to Canberra. We enjoyed an Italian meal on the Saturday evening with those Trotters who had travelled down for the marathon and half marathon.

I was relieved that the race started at 7am as the forecast was for temperatures of around 26 degrees. The undulating marathon route comprised a 10k loop through the Parliamentary Triangle followed by two loops along the southern and then the northern shores of Lake Burley Griffin with crossings over King’s Avenue Bridge on the outward section and Commonwealth Avenue Bridge on the return stretch. Jo provided much appreciated support at several points around the course and then I got some very vocal support from former Strider Anne-Marie Wilkes during the second half of the race. My pace was 5:07 per k for the first lap, 5:17 for the second lap and 5:26 for the third lap, which roughly reflected how much warmer it was getting as the race progressed. I was pleased with my time of 3:43:55, which was my fastest time since 2010. Graham continued to complete the 50k race in 4:38:55 (not bad for someone who’d been advised over 13 years ago that he’d have trouble walking within a year if he continued running!). Anne-Marie, the Ridleys and I celebrated afterwards in a local hostelry with the other Terrigal Trotters.

On the Monday Anne-Marie took a day off work to show me the sights of Canberra and in the evening we joined the Ridleys and Peter and Angela Wilkes for a drink and an Indian meal. It was great to meet up with Anne-Marie and I still find it hard to believe that she left St Albans over 5 years ago.

I did a number of runs with the Trotters during my holiday including their Anzac Day breakfast run and a hilly 10k time trial. Unfortunately, on my last run with them, which was meant to be a 47k run in the bush, I twisted my ankle and bruised a rib after only about 10k and had to cadge a lift back to base. However, they were an extremely friendly and welcoming club and I felt privileged to have got to know so many of them. It is good to know that Graham and Jo have found such a great club so close to where they live.

Orpington Half Marathon: 11 May 2013: I quickly discovered that my rib and ankle were far from healed and dropped down from the marathon to the half marathon distance. My time was 2:06:08 and it was very painful even once I’d consumed a fistful of painkillers. However, on checking my race records I noted that this was my 100th half marathon so there was a sort of silver lining to this event.

Leiden Marathon: 26 May 2013: Having not run for nearly 2 weeks I was apprehensive as to whether my injuries were healed enough to permit me to run. Fortunately the rib was fine and my ankle seemed substantially better than it was at Orpington. The course was flat and rural, but it was very windy. I managed to stick with the 4 hour pace group up to about 29k, but struggled for the last 13k mainly due to how little training I’d managed while injured. My finish time was 4:12:43.

Luxembourg Marathon: 8 June 2013: This race started at 7pm on a very humid Saturday evening. The organisers appeared to have gone out of their way to incorporate every hill in Luxembourg into the marathon route and the second half of the course was particularly tortuous. Large numbers of half marathon and relay runners also meant that there was considerable congestion at the start and at all of the relay changeover points. Right from the start I felt as though I wasn’t firing on all cylinders and I really suffered during the second half of the race. Nevertheless, the support that all runners received when the race went through the centre of the town and when it finished inside the Luxexpo building was tremendous and the race was generally very friendly and well organised. My time was 4:13:45.

Dodging midges....

Trail Marathon Wales: 22 June 2013: This race started from Coed y Brenin visitor centre in the Snowdonia National Park with a long hill and we soon discovered that the only variations on the course would be the steepness of each successive hill. The wind was really strong throughout the day, but when we found sheltered locations the midges were out in force and they particularly seemed to favour Lucy Stern and me. 

All smiles.....

While Abby Reilly, Fiona Snailham, Melanie Orchard and Peter Rogers disappeared into the distance Lucy, Carol Ransom, Mandy Attree, Luke Hart and I proceeded at a more leisurely pace having decided that most of the hills were too steep for anything but a mountain goat to run up. Some of the descents were also challenging with rocks and tree roots in abundance and we were all happy to cross the finish line in 6:40:03, especially as Abby, Fiona, Mel, Claire Sharp and Alison Ryan were waiting there to cheer us in. On the plus side the views were fantastic and the company was great, but this was a truly gruelling event.

Jack Brooks

Training blog (April-May): Race day – beware the speed bump!

By the beginning of April, I’d been following my training plan for just over four months, and I realised I only had about six weeks to go until my target race: the Edinburgh Half Marathon. 

In essence, I’ve been doing four sessions a week, building interval training (mainly the Striders track session), hills, ‘race pace’ running, parkruns, and long slow runs. This has largely been building up – further, or more quickly – though with regular weeks in which I took it more easily, or licked my wounds.

Best thing to do six weeks before an A race? Quit my job and go on holiday! Running in Chicago and New Orleans made a refreshing change from the streets and fields of St Albans. In Chicago, we ran alongside Lake Michigan, which was beautiful although it’s clearly not called the ‘Windy City’ for nothing. Ever run towards skyscrapers? They’re much further away than you think!

Back in Blighty, I went to cheer on friends at the London Marathon, and was properly inspired by their awesome efforts to keep pushing on.

But with a week or so to go, I began to feel a little niggle. No need for too much detail, but let’s just say it was a pain in the backside. I found it quite tricky to distinguish between slight niggles and actual injuries. Which did I have? I would soon find out.

at mile 13.1...

And so to race day. Edinburgh is a beautiful city, and the course shows it off to great effect, as long as you’ve got time to look up. Starting near the centre, we rounded Arthur’s Seat before heading east along the coast. It was a beautiful day. For much of the race, I had Gill for company, and we were boosted by the support of our spouses in at least three locations (to be clear: we each only have the one spouse).

My target was 100 minutes, and we set off at a fair lick. Along the way, I came close to beating both my parkrun and 10k PBs. And I went through halfway in almost exactly 50 minutes.

Ironically, it was a speed bump that slowed me down. I tripped slightly over one after a few miles, and it was at this point that my niggle turned towards injury. I slowed a bit thereafter, and then achieved the remarkable feat of running every single mile slightly more slowly than the previous one!

I finished in 1:46:09, a time I’m really proud of, and while I know I could maybe have gone faster without the niggle-cum-injury, I also know that my many weeks of training gave me the strength to push through the pain.

And my advice to all readers thinking of taking up a training plan? Go for it. It really helps. Just beware of the bumps along the way.

Richard Sved

Colin's report: Milton Keynes Marathon – 6 May 2013

I am following on from my last blog post about the London Marathon. I said it might be time to find a new marathon. I did not have to wait long to find one. But maybe I ought to have waited a bit longer than I actually did.

The Milton Keynes marathon this year was exactly two weeks and a day after the London Marathon. It was also exactly fifty-two years after I was born. What better way to celebrate pre-senile decay than to spend a morning running round a town several years younger than I am?

The good news: even though the MK marathon was two weeks and a day after the London Marathon, I did not have to get out of bed for MK until two weeks, one day and two hours later than I got out of bed for the London Marathon; i.e. 7am instead of 5am. Very good news.

The bad news: gone are the days where I can run two marathons with a gap of two weeks in between and get away with it! But I had to find that out the hard way. 

Birthdays nowadays can make me look back at what I have not achieved in life rather than celebrating the achievements. So I decided to annihilate such nostalgic regrets with strenuous activity to take my mind off the non-achievements. 

It was a risky decision. If I were not careful, I could end up with another non-achievement to look back on in future years. So really I would have no option but to complete the marathon.

Originally I had entered the MK marathon as a backup plan in case my London Marathon finishing time was not good enough. To be honest, I was reasonably pleased with my 3:11 at London, even if it had been a bit of a struggle (it always is). As a result I would not need to do another marathon for the next two years under 3:20 to get a ‘Good For Age’ time.

So I can say that it was probably just vanity, fear of growing old or an insane belief that I might magic a good finishing time out of thin air that made me do Milton Keynes. Well, I had paid for the place, hadn’t I? And I was not expecting great things. Just to get round really. It might take about three and a half hours, on the other hand I might inexplicably get an undeservedly good time for no reason, a sort of unexpected birthday present. That had to be worth the risk. I had even given myself the option of turning over in bed and going back to sleep on the day if I did not feel like doing it. 

Race day morning arrived, happy birthday to me. It took next to no time to roll out of bed and get to Milton Keynes. There was a bit of an anxious moment, when I discovered they had closed some of the roads near the start. For a few confused minutes I drove in circles around a block of flats. But once out of that little dead-end, I miraculously found the industrial estate with free parking close to the football stadium that was the start and finish of the race. 

A few minutes later I was walking towards the stadium past a 24-hour McDonalds. It had to be worth dropping in there for a pre-race lavatory stop. Miraculously again there was no queue. I need not have worried. Inside the football stadium there were lavatories a-plenty with no real queues to speak of. Likewise the baggage drop had no real queue. So with half an hour still to go till the start of the race I was pretty well ready to go. There were several other Striders there too! 

So there was time for some quick sunbathing while waiting for the start. It was going to be quite a warm day. But there is only so much water you can take on board before the start so I just tried to relax and enjoy the sunshine. 

The race start was in zones with faster runners at the front. It all seemed pretty-well organised really. Before long we were on our way. The first few miles were along dual-carriageways that had been closed to traffic. These took us through the centre of MK before doubling back towards the start, then on a huge loop round the town. After a while the roads gave way to cycle paths but by then the field had thinned out so there was no real congestion on the route. There were plenty of drinks, energy drinks and gels on offer round the course, so even though the weather was hot, there was never a shortage of refreshments. 

After 11 miles I had the feeling of slowing down, that I normally get around 18 miles. Thoughts of dropping out or walking went through my head. I could feel myself slowing down, but in the end I decided it was probably better to slow down and get a finish time than to drop out completely.

After a while I could not take any more water on board, and it was just a case of digging in and getting round the course. There were some annoying bits: arched footbridges over the canal felt an effort to negotiate; a couple of hills after 20 miles needed some will-power to get over. But the stadium finish made up for this, although I could not muster the same sprint finish that some of my fellow runners conjoured up. En route there was some great support from several Striders and local residents, including former Striders’ Chairman Andy Wasdell. 

My 3:30 was somewhat slower than London, but it was a warm day and my legs did not feel fresh. I would definitely consider this as an ‘A’ race next year and maybe do London in fancy dress, depending on how the winter’s training and weather go. I think MK is going to be on the May Day Bank Holiday again in 2014 so, you never know, I may be there again! I can recommend it.

Colin Braybrook

Mid Week Road Race League 2013 – on your marks.....

As the nights get longer and the spring marathons become memories, it’s time to look forward to the mid week road race league. These are the 10k summer races for everyone - young, old, fast and not so fast! As league champions last year, there is a title for Striders to defend, but, just as importantly, there’s also some summer running fun to be had. 

New to this? Here’s what you need to know: 

What’s the MWRRL? The league is a series of five evening 10k races across Herts and Essex for local clubs. Striders are in the top league with five other clubs. Since it's a closed event for six clubs, the races are great for socialising and friendly rivalry with other runners from local clubs. Points are allocated to the top 12 men and top six ladies (and vets). The club with the best points score over the first four races wins the league. 

MWRRL, 2012: will we beat this spectacular Strider turnout in 2013?

Who takes part? There can be up to 500 runners in each race. The races are suitable for all standards and everyone's contribution to the team score helps. Lots of last year’s success was down to new members. 

Where and when? This year’s league starts on Thursday 23 May at Welwyn Garden City, with races at Royston, Stevenage, St Albans and Trent Park, Enfield in June and July . 

Why take part? Why not!? MWRRL has something for everyone. We asked a few Striders  what they enjoyed when they took part for the first time in 2012: 

• It’s a great way to run with friends in new places 
• There’s the chance to chart your progress and hopefully bag a 10K PB or two 
• It’s a fantastic opportunity to meet new people, and cheer and be cheered on by your team mates 
• You get club championship points for taking part, and this year there are more on offer at Royston on 4 June, as a ‘scoring race’ 
• There’s cake at the end! 

Want to know more? Richard wrote about the 2012 races for the blog here.  

Interested? Good! To take part you need to be a fully paid up member of Striders and have a club vest. Watch the forum for details of individual races and for opportunities to car share, and see you on the start line! 

Virgin London Marathon 2013 - Colin's report

This was my 9th London Marathon in a row, and my tenth ever London Marathon. 

The novelty has long since worn off. So too has the speed. So why keep doing it? The current reason is to do 10 in a row. I must admit it is not really that enjoyable for me, but 10 is a nice round number and there are probably not that many people who have done 10 in a row, although I know there are 30 or so people who have run every single London Marathon, one of them having finished all of them in under 3 hours. That I find truly incredible. One of the St Albans Striders, Mike Starr, a former chairman, got to about 20 in a row before succumbing to marathon inertia or incapacity. 

For a few years the challenge of trying to achieve a time faster than the Good For Age threshold of 3:14:59 has been a target. This assures me a London Marathon place for a further two years. Now I am nearly 52 it is getting harder to achieve. I can still just about knock out the miles in training, but trying to achieve the speed is hurting more now. 2012 saw one of my ankles balloon out like an old man’s ankle (thanks for your lack of sympathy, you know who you are!); 2013 saw both legs swelling up like an elephant’s! It was still possible to run on them, but rather slowly: 9 or 10 minute-miling. Quite how I managed seven and a bit miling in the Finchley 20 and the marathon I don’t know. Well actually I do know: I kept my weight down then ran through a bit more tiredness and pain than I used to. Boo hoo. Still, it was never meant to be easy, was it? 

Colin, at a previous VLM

In 2012 I missed the Good For Age threshold by about 30 seconds. Fortunately I achieved it a couple of times later in the year. And I also achieved it in the 2013 London Marathon with about three and a half minutes to spare. I am beginning to think the autumn marathon may actually be a better bet than the spring one. Training great distances in the cold is frankly becoming unpleasant and I am not convinced it is an unpleasantness I want to keep subjecting myself to. So the tenth London Marathon in a row, if I achieve it may well be the last! 

Getting up at 5.15 am for a 10am marathon start is a bit mad really. Maybe I should try to get a hotel near the start next year? 

I would now love to wax lyrical about the festive atmosphere, great crowd support (which there was, especially at mile 24, thank you Striders!) but to be brutally honest the fresh air and nice views at the Kent Coastal Marathon in 2012 were a lot more uplifting to my soul than the treeless desert called Docklands, the dark, dank tunnel on Upper Thames Street, the long toilet queues at the start, the throng of people in Horse Guards Parade, the long wait for the Underground station barrier to open, the packed FCC train home! 

It’s a great event, but maybe I need to find a different one?

Colin Braybrook

(Ed's note: the Good For Age thresholds relaxed since Colin wrote this.....)

Does the perfect race exist? - Brighton Marathon 2013

I hated science at school, mainly because of the teachers and partly because I felt too dumb. So when people get a bit ‘sciency’ about running, it kind of goes over my head (feel free to add your own pun here if you wish).... 

I can just about deal with tempo runs, interval sessions (as long as Mike or Glads are instructing) and steady runs but I wouldn't know a lactate threshold, VO2 max or optimum heart rate if it smacked me in the face. 

But I have decided that maybe there is a formula (could be maths, I suppose) to get your ideal marathon time. Possibly: 

Training + health + race conditions + luck – injury x mental attitude = perfect marathon? 

Training: my training had gone really well until first week of March, slightly smugly I had ticked off all the sessions on my training plan, even in the never-ending snow and ice…until my IT band started complaining. 

Health: No coughs/colds or other ailments since before Christmas and even my son had the decency to be sick over a bank holiday so no runs missed then. 

Race conditions: the Saturday I arrived in Brighton to pouring rain and almost gale force 
winds but they had calmed to a cool, damp morning with a breeze but nowhere near as windy on race day, and the sun made an appearance later as well. 

Luck: hmmm, the choice of toilet queue wasn't my best decision, meaning I started behind the 4:15 pacer, despite wanting or hoping rather optimistically for 3:30 

Mental attitude: patchy! Until my first 20 mile run was feeling confident that I could and would be able to break 3:30 this year. Having a slight injury (or is niggle the correct Strider terminology?) gave me the usual uncertainty and doubts. 

A few days before my mother-in-law said, ‘I don’t think you’ll make it, not with how your legs been, no you won’t get all the way round.’ Now I am allowed to think this but having someone else vocalise it gave me the motivation that I WILL FINISH! 

The race: told myself I would not do the same as last year and start late because of an ill-judged toilet queue but in the words of Britney Spears, ‘Oops I did it again!’(men: you don’t know how lucky you are!!). Maybe I would make up the time? Well I did a little but after 10 miles I knew a PB wasn't going to happen. 

But I wasn't too disappointed. I stopped checking my Garmin, I missed some of the mile markers, I gave my sis a hug when I saw her, I gave lots of small children a high 5 and it was really liberating to enjoy the atmosphere without being bothered by time. 

My hip started to hurt but not unbearably so, at mile 17 .Without the pressure of a PB I didn't mind having to slow down. I passed a man I knew at mile 20 and that spurred me on as I wanted to stay ahead. By mile 22 the pain was worse but I knew it would be more painful to walk so kept running, slowly. (The walk uphill back to Brighton station was almost as bad as the marathon!)  

smiling into the finish

The last 3 miles were full of crowds, cheering, music and general partying which helped and I knew a super-speedy friend was looking out for me. I checked off the beach huts, the West pier, the Grand Hotel, the Palace pier, the big wheel, and finally the finish. I was so chuffed. I remembered to smile as I crossed the line with a miserable looking superman. And it wasn’t even a personal worst!

Conclusion: Before, I said I wasn’t interested in running it if I didn’t think I could get a PB. Now I have changed my mind. Despite the pain, it was a brilliant race. No water bottle, no i-pod, minimal chatting and minimal Garmin checking and it was still just as exciting….but I still haven’t let go of my sub 3:30 dream…maybe I should invest in a she-wee for next year?...Maybe the perfect race doesn’t exist? 

Helen Cartlidge

Jack’s marathons - December 2012 – March 2013

Broadmeadow Christmas Marathon: Stratford on Avon: 8 December 2012: After a fortnight of heavy rain and a week of freezing cold weather the temperature rose slightly for this route description trail marathon, which comprises 3 different loops around the Warwickshire countryside. I was somewhat wary about this marathon as I’d been suffering with a hip injury, but I reasoned that I could drop out at the end of the first loop if I found running too painful. As it was miraculously I didn’t experience any pain right from the start. Even so I ran fairly cautiously, taking my time to enjoy the scenery and being particularly careful around slippery areas. Even though we had glimpses of sun much of the canal was frozen over and I never got that warm. However, it was great to be running pain-free for the first time in 3 weeks. My finish time was 5:13:47. 

Portsmouth Coastal Waterside Trail Marathon: 23 December 2012: This marathon promised water and there was certainly no shortage of that. 894 runners braved flood warnings to run this flat, out and back marathon. The sea was on our right going out and on our left coming back, but the main water problem was that many of the footpaths were waterlogged, muddy and very slippery and I saw numerous spectacular falls as the less wary lost their footing. The beach section of the race was partially shingle and partially a quagmire and it was a tough call to say which provided the easier running surface. In good conditions this would be a very fast course as it is flat and the whole route is well marked and marshaled. Unusually for a trail marathon they also put out mile markers and there is chip timing. I was pleased with my finish time of 4:09:55 and happy that I’d opted to run in trail shoes rather than ordinary trainers. Kathryn Hall also ran and crossed the line in 4:36:42. 

Naples Marathon, Italy: 27 January 2013: Given that most of the first 6 miles of this marathon were along cobbled streets I finally understood why the marathon organisers required so many written indemnities and doctors’ certificates prior to the race start. Those of us who managed to make it past 13k without a broken ankle were able to enjoy an undulating course with some great views of the bay of Naples until we reached about 37k. From then on we had to battle our way through myriad cyclists, dog walkers and family groups along the sea front. Nobody seemed to look where they were going and the race directors made no attempt to cordon off an area for the runners. During that last 5k at least 2 bikes crossed straight in front of me without looking and a woman walked her dog straight in front of me so that I had to stop and then manoeuvre my way past it. Like everyone else who was still running at that stage I spent my time weaving left or right to avoid collisions and hoping that nothing was going to hit me from behind. I can definitely confirm that Neopolitans walk and cycle just as they drive. On the plus side my finish time was 3:53:43 and it was good to escape the snow for a few days. 

Watford Half Marathon: 3 February 2013: Phew! My time of 1:47:04 was faster than for the last 3 times I’ve run this race. 

Genk Marathon, Belgium: 10 February 2013: This is one of my favourite European Marathons and I have now run it 5 times. There is always a large contingent of UK runners there and because most of us are veterans the race director, Micha, refers to us as Dad’s Army. We usually travel to Genk by Eurostar and local train and stay in a hostel right next to the race start. The race comprises 7 x 6k laps. There is one fairly steep hill and a more gradual climb on each lap as well as a long downhill stretch. However, because the route is through very pretty countryside I never find it boring. This year the temperature at the start was around minus seven and for the first 3 laps there were some very slippery areas where the ice had not melted. Given the conditions I was more than happy with my time of 3:52:58. 

Pitsford Water Trail Marathon: 3 March 2013: This is a new 4 lap undulating trail marathon held within the picturesque grounds of Brixworth Country Park, near Northampton. The route around Pitsford Water was well marked and there were ample drink stops. It was very cold for the first and last laps, but we enjoyed some sunshine during the middle 2 laps. Kathryn Hall was the only other Strider there. I finished in 4:12:10 and her time was 4:42:02. 

Milton Keynes Half Marathon: 10 March 2013: It was snowing at the race start and I never really got warm. I had a reasonable run finishing in 1:47:33. It was good to see one of our former Striders Chairmen (Andrew Wasdell) amongst the supporters on the way round. 

Great Barrow Spring Challenge Trail Marathon, Suffolk: 17 March 2013: Heavy rain on the Friday and Saturday had turned much of the course into a quagmire and it took great concentration to avoid taking a tumble. The sections through Ickworth Park and Nowton Park were pretty and snowdrops were everywhere. I ran round with a friend and finished in 5:28:33. 

Run Round the Reservoir Trail Marathons, Northampton: 30 and 31 March 2013: I seem to have a mental block when it comes to back to back marathons and often find that I’ve agreed to run them before my brain kicks into gear. At least there was no serious travel involved between the races, which were both staged on the same course around Brackmills Reservoir in Northampton. The 6 lap route is relatively flat and each lap comprises a mixture of tarmac path and grassy footpaths. Unfortunately there was one stretch of about three quarters of a mile, which was fairly sticky at the beginning of Day 1 and which got progressively muddier and more clammy on the second day. Because the whole route is fairly exposed the strong wind and occasional snow flurries made for cold conditions, but I was quite pleased to finish the first race in 4:10:50 and the second one in 4:34:55. 

Jack Brooks

Training blog - strains & pains, Feb to Mar 2013

“Listen up, kids. I've got something important to tell you..... The training plan and I haven't been getting on too well lately. .....

"I'll admit that a lot of the fault lies with me.... It hasn't been easy.... In the early days, I was definitely much more attentive. Lately, I've missed the odd date. There have been times I've wanted to take things a bit more slowly..... And there's been a real (calf) strain in our relationship. 

“But I'm still learning:

• On long runs, the pain seems to move - it usually starts with a numb left ankle, sometimes a mild stitch a few miles later, and sometimes a dull ache between the shoulder blades after an hour. But never at the same time! Why is that?
• People aren't that interested - I've noticed eyes glazing over even before I've even uttered the words, "would you like to see my training spreadsheet?".....
• If you're worried that you're returning from injury too soon, you probably are - I've had a tight right calf lately, and while I've been straining at the leash to get back to it, more experienced heads than mine have been counselling patience. And quite right too.
• Deep tissue massage is worth every penny - although it doesn't half hurt!

“Training is a constant balancing act between obsession and denial - I've noticed that some other runners are really hard on themselves and are continually pushing themselves to the limits. Is that obsession or overdoing it? At the other end of the scale, it's tempting to convince yourself that you're doing OK when you're actually going through the motions. And then you won't improve much. I find I'm constantly trying to find myself on this obsession–denial spectrum. 

“But most of all, kids, I've learned that this relationship with my training plan is worth the effort, even when the honeymoon is over. Although it's been frosty in the last few days, things are definitely beginning to thaw. And running the Reading Half Marathon last month showed me that we can definitely last the distance.

“It's two months until the Edinburgh Half. I know now that I can do what the training plan tells me until then. Together we are stronger.”

Richard Sved

Striders' cross country season: muddy good fun!

As the cross country season draws to a close, we thought it would be a good time to reflect on what has been a successful and fun six months. From the first to the last race, members have taken part with great determination and team spirit regardless of their speed - proving that cross country really is for everyone. 

Striders ladies at Southerns, Feb 2013

It’s been wonderful to see so many people giving this often over-looked branch of running a go, from our speediest members to some of our Get Started graduates including Caroline Skyrme, Catherine Turney, Jean Webb and Lucy Martin. We’re sure the strength and stamina you’ve all have gained from the muddy courses will lead to many PBs on the roads and track this summer. 

The club’s trophy cabinet is also now bulging as we won Division Two of the Chiltern League, came a close second in the Sunday League and the men’s and women’s teams took gold and bronze respectively at the Herts County Champs – not to mention all the individual prizes won in the leagues. Here’s a quick recap of how it all unfolded… 

OCTOBER

The first fixture of the Chiltern League with St Albans AC teaming up with the Striders for the first time took place in Oxford. Thanks to Linda Powell organising the ‘fun bus’ to take the team to the venue, we had an excellent turnout to face a challenging course. With a metre wide flooded ditch to negotiate, a 1000m long steep hill to ascend and descend and a mile-long stretch of thick, sticky mud to run through, this really was a baptism of fire for our cross country virgins! When Alex McSloy commented after racing that she’d found it ‘harder than the Ironman’ we were worried some may have been put off cross country for good! 

But thankfully the next fixture – the Sunday League at Cheshunt – was a drier affair with the ground much firmer under foot. As a club champs race, points were up for grabs to decide who would walk away with the runner-up spots as Colin Braybrook and Deirdre Heydecker already had the titles in the bag.

NOVEMBER

At the start of the month, Deborah Steer, Gill Jubb, Lucy Waterlow and Linda Powell travelled to the Midlands to fly the flag for St Albans in the National Cross Country Relay and were rewarded with some delicious cupcakes for post-race recovery! The second Chiltern race took place in Shuttleworth where it took Gill Jubb several attempts to explain the not-that-complicated figure of eight course to Lucy Waterlow and Wendy Webster! Twenty-nine men from the club and 16 women took part with everyone battling to the line to make each place count thanks to the downhill into the finishing funnel. 

Later the same day, everyone scrubbed up well, swapping their trainers for dancing shoes to attend the annual dinner and awards - where Doug Bates won the prize for drinking the most shots and DJ Hallam got everyone on the dance floor. The next Sunday League at Grovelands saw Tom Crouch take an easy victory not long after welcoming daughter Kirsten into the world while Pablo Plaza Lastras ran well while sporting an impressive moustache grown for ‘Movember’. 

DECEMBER

The third Chiltern League took place in the shadow of Windsor Castle but one male Strider, (who shall remain nameless!), was a bit too keen for this one, arriving at 10am when his race didn’t start until 2pm. The following week a number of vets took part in the Southern Masters Champs at Claybury where the course had to be altered to avoid a steep hill that was deemed too dangerous to run down thanks to the muddy conditions. Gill Jubb and Wendy Webster also earned their first vests running for Hertfordshire competing in the Southern Inter-counties at the same venue. 

The Sunday League this month was on home turf and a successful event was staged at Verulamium Park thanks to the organisation of Colin Braybrook and Pete Blackaller and the many members who volunteered to marshal. This was the only race in the league Tom Crouch didn’t win this season – but we still had a Strider victor thanks to teen talent James McMurray, coached by Deborah Steer. Striders and AC are agreed that one of the many advantages of our recent link up is that young athletes like James now have a clear path to tread from junior to senior level, while still running for their home city. 

JANUARY

The mince pies and alcohol consumed over Christmas and New Year were burnt off for those taking on the Herts County XC at the start of the month at Haileybury College (or Halle Berry College as some of us came to call it!). It was another difficult and muddy course with steep down and uphill sections but the teams fared well with the men winning gold county medals and the women bronze. 

At the Chiltern League the following week thermal vests were needed (perhaps kitman Gladstone can arrange for us to get some in Strider colours?!) with low temperatures and a strong, cold wind facing the runners in Luton. But the winter weather didn’t deter members and once again we had a strong team performance consolidating the club’s position at the top of division two. The following day, the Sunday League took place over an undulating course in Royston where Tom Crouch achieved another victory and Colin Braybrook put in a heroic effort finishing despite getting a large stone impaled in his shoe! ‘I could feel it digging into my heel in the last mile or so of the race but decided to keep going!’ he said afterwards. 

FEBRUARY 

The last Chiltern League took place on the toughest course yet around extremely muddy farmer’s fields in Wing. Thick, boggy patches throughout sucked many people’s shoes off while some runners got stuck in the mud themselves! Super trooper Andy Maher still managed a smile and a wave every time he passed Strider supporters despite the shin deep mud and catering chief Tina Tremaine went beyond the call of duty to attend, even though she wasn’t racing, to give the finishers some delicious cake. An excellent team performance meant we sealed our place at the top of division two earning promotion to division one next year (where the challenge will be to top the table again against tougher opposition!). 

The Southern Cross Country, rescheduled from January when it was cancelled due to snow, was then held at Parliament Hill with more mud, glorious mud to contend with. Deirdre Heydecker, Gill Jubb, Wendy Webster, Wendy Walsh, Katie Chilton, Amy Tanner, Christine Pout and Liz Walls made up the female team while Gary Warren, Colin Braybrook, Steve Smith, Peter McDermott, Richard Derrick, Kevin Brookman and John Warren completed the 15k long men’s course – a stray dog also joined in for one lap! 

Steve Smith at the National XC 2013

It was then the last Sunday League of the season at Watford where a valiant effort was made to win the team prize – just two points separated us from Trent Park at the top of the table. Cathal Gallagher even took a break from a stag do to take part; Pablo Plaza Lastras towed the start line after only having four hours sleep following a night out in London; while some who had done the Southern XC the day before pulled on their spikes again. Tom Crouch took another victory while Penny Habbick, who has only recently taken up running, continued her excellent Sunday League form as the first female Strider to finish. Unfortunately the last charge wasn’t enough to win the title overall but that didn’t dampen the spirits at the end of season social at the pub that evening. Then at the end of the month, Steve Smith was the club’s lone representative at the National Cross Country tackling a snow-turned-to-mud course in Sunderland. 

So that’s nearly all folks except for the vets Herts Champs on 17 March. From your cross country captains Lucy Waterlow and Ed Blake and club chairman Sheryl Norman, thanks to everyone who has taken part for the club this year whether you were the first or last to finish. Now you can hang up your spikes until the new season begins in October – roll on the track season and Midweek League! 

Lucy Waterlow

PS - If you want to see how the elite fare, the World Cross Country Champs will be on BBC TV on Sunday 24 March.