Parkrun, hiking fun and peach schnapps in the Peaks! What happened on the Striders Weekend Away 2015

This month a group of Striders travelled to the Derbyshire Dales for our 'weekend away'. If you couldn't make it, here's what you missed...

As group members began to arrive at our accommodation for the weekend, there was a sense of excitement and apprehension...particularly from a few brave new Striders – and even some non-Striders – who were not quite sure what they were letting themselves in for!

With the help of name badges, a licensed bar and a good northern feed, we quickly got to know some of those faces that we often say hello to at track. The night passed in good company, several drinks and making plans for the weekend ahead.

Saturday morning brought an early start – there was only one wise Strider who placed sleep before running and stayed in bed. Fuelled by croissants and a full cooked breakfast, we headed to Graves Park for the local parkrun. Cathal and Pete bravely attempted to tackle the unrelenting hills on bike – which Cathal is still trying to attribute to his placing behind Jen at parkrun – while the rest drove in convoy.  

On arrival at Graves Park, we pulled on our Striders vests, added a splash of face paint and tried to ignore the laughter from the locals when we asked if the course was hilly. Seeking reassurance from a friendly marshal, we were glad to hear of the downhill start before ‘slight uphill, slight uphill, huge hill, hill of death – and then you’re onto your second lap!’ While the route was somewhat hillier than the St Albans course, we were later to agree that the hardest part was running through the centre of an animal farm with a hangover!

Our northern compatriots warmly welcomed us during the pre-race introductions and even challenged us to a friendly competition with their own Steel City Striders. With Graham Smith in 3rd followed by 1st, 3rd and 4th places in the women’s category, we have challenged them to a rematch at our home fixture later this year.

Parkrun glory was followed by post-run refreshments at the Rose Garden Cafe before we set off on the next part of the weekend – more running! By now, some members were jokingly referring to the scheduled exercise programme as bootcamp. Losing one or two to the more appealing notion of a tour of Eyam followed by tea and cake, the hardier of those amongst us drove in convoy behind Jen – who was to become increasingly skilled at navigation, map-reading and head-counting over the course of the weekend – to Curbar. After enticing Lucy, Emma and Doug away from the warmth of the car, we enjoyed a gentle 10k run along Froggatt Edge – a rocky sandy track with big boulders and impressive views over the surrounding countryside.

A quick shower and lunch followed before we were back out enjoying the scenery on an afternoon hike. Starting from Castleton, the whole group were duly led by Peter up the steep stepped path to the summit of Mam Tor – which, at 517m above sea level, offered dramatic views over the Peak District. We followed the ridge to Hollins Cross, Back Tor and Lose Hill, before returning to Castleton for a well-earned beer – or, for others, a craved-for cup of tea! Our recovery was aided further by a three-course dinner in Eyam followed by lots of cider, beer, wine and laughter!

After the previous day’s ‘bootcamp’, Sunday brought a enjoyably slower start – aside from Graham who, buoyed by the excitement of relocating his lost Garmin and potentially still slightly drunk from the double peach schnapps of the previous evening, decided to take to the hills around the hostel before breakfast.

After checking out, we ventured into Eyam to explore its history, culture and tea shops. As we sat enjoying the sunshine in the village square, we were somewhat surprised when a convoy of nearly 100 tractors drove by – we later found out we had visited Eyam on the day of the Annual Tractor Road Run, which, for the city born and bred amongst us, was a very surreal experience indeed.

Finally, it was time to part ways but we headed back to St Albans refreshed by the beautiful countryside of the Peak District and with new friends, tired legs and lots of hilarious memories. When’s the next one?!

Team spirit, PBs and cake! What the MWRRL is all about...

The MWRRL begins tomorrow! Of course it officially stands for Midweek Road Race League as an accurate description of the running events taking place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings for clubs in the Herts and North London area.

But if you’re still not sure what the MWRRL is all about, here’s what it also stands for…

M is for… Make new friends (and enemies!)

Taking part in the league is an excellent way to get to know your clubmates as there’s time to chat before, during (depending how hard you are pushing yourself!) and after the 10k races. Make the most of regaling your clubmates with your mile splits and race analysis as you’re unlikely to get such an appreciative audience with non-running family members at home!

A group shot from a previous year to be replicated tomorrow in our new vests!

If you do want to run as hard as you can, pit yourself against a similarly-paced rival club runner. Having a rival can push you to run harder (it worked for Seb Coe and Steve Ovett!) so see if you can stay ahead of your running nemesis throughout the league!

W is for… Win! Win! Win!

  

Our trophy haul from a previous year

There’s a friendly rivalry between the clubs and many will be looking to end our recent winning streak as the champions of Division One! Don’t think if you’re not a fast-paced runner that your contribution to the team doesn’t count - where you could finish could push down a scoring runner from another club or you could contribute to the performance of our B or C teams or make up a winning Vets team.

R is for… Run in your shiny new Striders vest!

Wednesday's race will be the official first outing of our new club vests! Please remember you can’t run in the old vest as we are no longer registered to compete in it according to British Athletics rules. If you haven’t got a vest yet, they are available to buy here. If that doesn’t leave you with time to get one for tomorrow please let the captains know when you register to run, or post on the Facebook page or messageboard to see if you can lend one for the first race.

R is for… Race for free!

Paid up members of the club can take part in all races in the league for free. As race entries are increasingly getting more expensive, this offers a cost-effective opportunity to compete and go for a 10k PB without breaking the bank! As the races are held from May to July, it’s an ideal way to see if you can improve your speed and fitness by the final event.

Cake will be waiting at the finish!

L is for… Loads of cake at the finish!

At the end of each race there’s lots of CAKE - a tasty incentive to run as fast as you can so you can get to it first! For healthier eaters there’s also sandwiches and fruit as each host club puts on a buffet for all runners to enjoy at the finish. To this end, we need food contributions for the race we are hosting on 4 June. We need donations of homemade or shop bought sandwiches/rolls, savoury pastries (sausage rolls/quiche etc), cakes/cookies, biscuits etc. Please email Tina at catering at stalbansstriders.com and let her know if and what you are able to contribute.

So if you’re now keen to take part in the league to enjoy the race atmosphere, team spirit (and cake!) these are the dates for your diary (full details on each race are emailed by the road captains and posted on the messageboard in advance)…

MAY 13 STEVENAGE

JUNE 4  ST. ALBANS

JUNE 18 ROYSTON

JULY 2 TRENT PARK

Ahead of the first race tomorrow, here’s some final instructions on what you need to do if you are planning on running.

1. Email Lucy (women) or Joe (men) on ladies at stalbansstriders.com and men at stalbansstriders.com respectively so that we can assign you a race number (don’t worry if you are reading this just before the race and haven’t emailed. Still come along as we can assign you a number on the night but it just makes it much easier and quicker for everyone else if we can do this in advance).
2. Turn up to the race HQ below in good time to park and pick up your race number from Joe or Lucy who will be at the race HQ up until about 10 minutes before the start.  As this is the first race in our new vests we are planning a group photo at 7:30pm so please try to be there for that.
3. Remember to bring your NEW Striders vest and safety pins. 
4.  Run! Afterwards you will be given a ticket with your position in the finishing funnel. Keep hold of this and give it to Joe and Lucy who will be near the finish so that they can record it on the team results sheet.
5.  Enjoy the buffet! Results will appear asap on runherts.com

Marathon Man Jack Brooks' December 14 to March 15 races

Jack Brooks continues to travel with his trainers and Striders vest running marathons around the world. Here's his race reports from events between December 14 and March 15...

Malaga Marathon: 7^th December 2014: After 3 very wet running weekends in Nice, Cleethorpes and San Sebastian it was great to arrive somewhere warm and dry. Over 20 members of the 100 Marathon Club had chosen to run this marathon and there were also plenty of other familiar faces there including Kathryn Hall from the Striders. 19 of us went out for an evening meal on the first night there and it was pleasant to be able to eat outside for a change. The course was fairly flat and included several long out and back stretches.  The first half followed the shoreline, but after 21k we moved inland. I had a reasonably comfortable run and finished in 3:48:14.

Pisa Marathon: 21^st December 2014: There don’t appear to be any good areas for training runs when in Pisa, but when it comes to staging a marathon they put on a fine event with the finish just by the leaning tower and the start only about a minute walk away. I’m glad I ran this race for the second time and can’t complain about a 3:41:30 finish time, which placed me 3^rd in the Vet 60/64 category. If you are looking for a fast, flat course in Italy I recommend this race. Flights from Gatwick are reasonable, food and wine were inexpensive and the locals are friendly (although they’ve yet to persuade me to buy a scale model of the tower). With just over 1,000 competitors the course is never too crowded and pace groups are provided.

Phoenix Year End Marathon, Walton-on-Thames: 28^th December 2014: This was a low key trail marathon comprising 4 out and back laps along the Thames towpath. There were about 75 runners and, as I knew a good many of them, it was great to be able to exchange comments with both faster and slower competitors at fairly frequent intervals. The running surface was a mixture of concrete, tarmac, mud, gravel and grass. Whilst there were quite a number of puddles along the route it was warm enough that the ice in them was already beginning to melt by the time the race started at 9am. We were also lucky that it didn’t rain and that the wind wasn’t too strong. I had a relaxed run and finished in 4:05:54.

Bahamas Marathon, 18^th January 2015: An American friend of mine recently started up a new running club called Marathon Globetrotters and chose this race for the club’s inaugural race meeting. The thought of a week in the Bahamas obviously appealed to quite a few of us. Consequently the members of the club made up about a quarter of the 174 competitors in the marathon. The race started in the dark at 6am at Junkanoo Beach, 3 blocks west of Downtown Nassau. After running through Nassau we crossed from New Providence Island over a large bridge to Paradise Island and after about 100 yards we then crossed over another bridge which returned us to New Providence Island. From there we ran back through Nassau following which we began a long out and back run along the coast alongside some beautiful beaches and sea views. It had been warm at the start of the race, but by 8.30am the temperature was creeping up to around 80 degrees and in the very humid conditions many of us were struggling. I finished in 3:56:10 (37^th overall) and was 3^rd vet 60/64 for which I won a cowbell (apparently the Bahamian cowbell symbolises strength, spirit and endurance). I thoroughly enjoyed the whole week and particularly the marching flamingoes at the zoo and the boat trip we took with Carl Blades of Bahama Boat Tours. It was great to catch up with a number of old friends and to meet so many other like-minded people. Needless to say it was a shock to my system when I returned to zero temperatures in the UK.

Watford Half Marathon: 1^st February 2015: The 2^nd half of the route was different to last year and most people I spoke to thought that it was hillier. My time was 1:45:59, which is my fastest time for Watford Half since 2005. The cold wind was a shock to the system in places, but overall I had a fairly comfortable run.

Valentines Trail Marathon, Stratford upon Avon: 14^th February 2015: The first 4 miles of this marathon are straightforward as one simply runs alongside the canal. The trouble started at mile 6 when several of us weren’t paying as much attention to the route description as we should have and went seriously wrong. Instead of finding ourselves on the edge of the village of Walcote we found ourselves some 2 miles off route. After flagging down a man on a horse and cart we were put right and managed to get ourselves back on course. It was then that we started to encounter some serious mud. It had rained heavily the previous night and parts of the route resembled a quagmire. In quite a few places staying upright was a problem and running was not feasible. After various misadventures I was pleased to finish and wasn’t too upset that my time was only 5:39:30.

Malta Marathon: 22^nd February 2015: The main aim of this holiday was to get away from the British weather. The flight was £90 return and a twin bedded apartment on the waterfront was 50 euros per night. Unfortunately the weather could have been more cooperative as it rained every day. At least it was warm rain! The marathon started outside the impressive Mdina Gate and, after one long loop, headed to the finish on Sliema waterfront. The road surfaces were generally pretty appalling and there was no shortage of puddles along the route. The weather yo-yo’d between sunshine, strong headwinds and driving rain throughout the race. To make life interesting, at 26k we merged with the tail-end of the half marathon and found ourselves having to weave around groups of slower runners at regular intervals. My time of 3:46:21 placed me 248^th out of 645 marathon finishers. For the remaining days of the holiday I managed to squeeze in some really pleasant early morning runs along the waterfront and didn’t get wet once.

Mill Hill Trail Marathon: 1^st March 2015: What better way can there be to kick-start March than to run the muddiest trail marathon I have ever competed in? This race comprised 4 loops of 9k each followed by a shorter 6k loop. It was organised by a friend, Anna Hatton, to raise money for a local hospice and entries were limited to 50 people (most of whom it turned out that I knew). Whilst the course was well marked I still managed to get myself lost once through not paying attention. There was no shortage of hills with the route comprising 2,415 ft of climbing, but the real challenge was the mud. Whether going up or down or even across flat fields the mud was inescapable. This made the event a real challenge, but also fun. I finished eventually in 5:36:21 having had a brilliant day out. Kate, who finished about a minute behind me in Malta the previous week, ran a couple of laps with me and was the subject of constant jibes from her friends about her use of a pacemaker for this event.

Zydeco Marathon, Lafayette, Louisiana: 8^th March 2015: I flew into Houston with Roger Biggs from Fairlands Valley Spartans. Cliff Burgess (a longstanding friend from Waco) picked us up from the airport and we drove to Lafayette along the I10 Interstate Highway taking note of the signs for the Jack Brooks Regional Airport on the way. On the Saturday we did a bit of sightseeing and met up with various friends from the 50 States Marathon Club at race registration. I wasn’t expecting to see anyone else from the UK, but one of the first people I bumped into at the race start was Lisa Walbridge from the UK 100 Marathon Club. She’d won a trail ultra race the previous day and was still destined to whip my butt at Lafayette. The weather on the Sunday morning was perfect for running. I ran the first 10 or so miles with a friendly bunch in the 3.45 pace group and then went ahead of them for a while. At around 23 miles the pace group leader caught me up and it was due to her encouragement and help that I was able to cross the finish line in 3:43:53 (2^nd out of 15 in my age group and 56^th out of 400 overall). On the Monday we drove to Waco and spent a pleasant few days with Cliff and Cyndie Burgess. When in Waco I always visit the Dr Peppers Museum where the café serves the best root beer and ice cream floats that I’ve ever come across. After picking up a rental car, Roger and I drove to San Antonio, where we spent a couple of days visiting The Alamo and exploring the amazing River Walk complex. Contrary to popular belief I learnt that the battle for the Alamo only actually lasted about 45 minutes from start to finish according to eye witness accounts. From San Antonio we drove to Seabrook, Texas via Goliad and the Fannin Battleground. On 20/03/1836 Col. James W. Fannin surrendered to Mexican forces at the Battle of Coleto Creek. General Santa Anna ordered that Fannin and 342 of his men should then be executed in nearby Goliad and it was possibly this event more than the defeat at the Alamo that inflamed the Texan fight for independence.

Seabrook Lucky Trails Marathon, Texas: 15^th March 2015: This event was everything that is good about a trail marathon. It was a relatively small, friendly event with a party atmosphere throughout. The 4 lap course was principally along footpaths of crushed granite between Meador Park and Pine Gully Park. It was mainly flat although there were a few areas through woods where there were some extremely sharp turns. Because of the out and back nature of some of the trails I got plenty of encouragement from my Houston friends, Steve and Paula Boone whenever I saw them. I ran most of the race with a girl whose name I never discovered, but who I called “coach”, because that was what was written on the back of her shirt. There were regular mile markers, but I wasn’t paying too much attention to my pace and was pleasantly surprised when I finished in 3:44:23 (1st in my age group and 21^st overall). I hadn’t realised that this race had also been selected by the Road Runners Club of America to be their State Marathon Championship. It was a pleasant surprise to be advised that I had just become the RRAC Texas Male Senior Grand Master Marathon Champion for 2015. I celebrated with some of the free beer and food that was in plentiful supply at the race finish. On the Monday we spent most of the day at the NASA Space Centre and I can now truthfully say that I have touched an actual piece of rock that has come from the moon. On the Tuesday we flew to Raleigh Durham in North Carolina and stayed a couple of days with good friends Rich and Jeanne Holmes. I also got the chance to see my godson, David October (who is on a soccer scholarship at the University of North Carolina) and take him out for a meal before we departed for Virginia Beach on the Thursday. I noted from the map that we passed an area called Great Dismal Swamp en route. It reminded me of a road called Big Ugly Creek Road that I’d driven past when I ran the Hatfield/McCoy Marathon in 2008. Maybe giving places such inspirational names is a Virginian thing.

Townbank Shamrock 8km race and Yuengling Shamrock Marathon, Virginia: 21^st and 22^nd March 2015: On the Friday we went to race registration and picked up our numbers as well as a number for Rich Holmes (who was due to join us to run the marathon on the Sunday) and then spent a relaxing day alongside the beach. The 8km race on the Saturday morning was a huge affair. It was cold at the start and with over 8,000 runners and chip timing we were sent off in waves. Essentially we ran down one of the main streets in Virginia Beach and then returned on the concrete Boardwalk with a small loop at the finish. There was a fairly strong headwind when we turned to head north up the Boardwalk, but the race was well organised and enjoyable. I finished in 38:17 (5^th out of 118 in my age group and 410^th out of 8,889 overall). It was much warmer than originally forecast for the start of the marathon on the Sunday morning. The marathon course was fairly flat. First we headed south through various neighbourhoods and the Camp Pendleton military base before turning north and heading towards Fort Story military base along some very long straight roads. In Fort Story we ran a long loop passing the site where the original Jamestown colonists first landed in America in 1607. We also passed the Cape Henry lighthouse, which is the oldest still-standing lighthouse in the USA. After this we headed south finishing on the Boardwalk. I could certainly feel that I’d raced the day before, but managed to stay with the 3.45 pace group until about 19 miles. The next miles were a struggle and I was relieved to cross the line in 3:50:36 (4^th out of 42 in my age group and 408^th out of 1,239 overall). On the Monday morning we flew to Sarasota via Newark, where John Wallace (a friend who I’d first met at Liechtenstein Marathon in 2010) picked us up from the airport and drove us to his fairly palatial canalside residence near Siesta Key. John’s wife, Nicole, was away visiting grandchildren, but John was a most generous host and the accommodation he offered us was certainly considerably more luxurious than what I’d provided him with when he stopped at my house a couple of years ago on his way back to the USA from the Isle of Man marathon. On the Tuesday John gave us a full guided tour of the Keys and local beaches and on the Wednesday he lent us his car so we could visit Myakka State Park to see alligators, turtles and other wildlife. On the Wednesday evening we met up with members of John’s local running club and then on the Thursday we took his kayaks out amongst the mangroves along the inter-coastal waterway. On the Friday the 3 of us drove to the beachside apartment we’d booked at Ormond Beach.

Tomoka Marathon, Ormond Beach, Florida: 29^th March 2015: This was a relatively small marathon along a scenic route known by the locals as the Tomoka Loop. Most of the course was alongside water and included unobstructed vistas of 2 rivers, inland creeks and marshes, barrier island dunes and beach as well as some historic sites. The only difficult bits were a 2 mile out and back stretch on soft sand starting at about 19 miles and a large bridge at about 25.2 miles. Once again we were lucky that the weather was relatively cool (for Florida) and I had a comfortable race finishing in 3:45:33 (1^st in my age group and 70^th out of 320 overall). On the Monday morning we drove back to Sarasota and on the Tuesday morning John dropped us off for the long flight back (via Chicago) to the UK.  The whole trip had been a blast and was a great way to start off my 63^rd year.