This weekend we have a special 'nearly Mr and Mrs' edition of striders spotlight with Ben Scott and Jenna Pickering. Ben
joined Striders in 2013 and, with Amy Heap, was race director of the Stampede
in 2016 and 2017 and the Fred Hughes from 2017-2020. Ben and Amy were Striders of the Year in
2017. Jenna
joined Striders in 2014, having become friends with a lovely group at St Albans
parkrun, and then finally being persuaded to join them at Striders as well
(because there was such a thing as tea night!). Ben
and Jenna met at parkrun in 2013 and plan to get married this year.
Age
69
Occupation
Jenna - I’m
a contracts manager in the procurement team at the University of
Hertfordshire. I run tenders for various
categories. Although I became part of
the procurement team in 2012, I started at the uni itself as a part time
barista in the café there during the summer holidays back in 2004, and somehow have
stayed there ever since!
Ben - I’m
an account manager at a charity. I sell
insight to companies in the food and grocery industry and we invest the profits
into various mostly food-related charity projects. Among other things we’re working with major
retailers to ensure continuity of food supply to vulnerable people during the
Coronavirus crisis- it’s been a hugely busy last few weeks!
Reason you started
running?
Jenna - It took me a few
attempts over several years to start running.
I never enjoyed it at school, and tried to avoid it as much as possible
at university (I joined the Officer Training Corps in my first year and they
were quite into fitness… and I did whatever I could – including having a
grown-up tantrum - to avoid the running tasks!). I tried a few times after uni, but it wasn’t
until 2009 after the end of a unsuitable relationship that I decided to change
my lifestyle a bit, get fit, and give it a proper go. I bought a pair of trainers (which were not well
fitted and gave me no end of blisters) and a water bottle, and followed a rough
couch to 5k programme. I ran fairly consistently
for a while but only ran solo, with no proper training – I rarely timed myself accurately
and just roughly worked out distances using Map My Run. 3 years later, having watched the London
Marathon live, I entered my first 10k, followed a training schedule, then did my
first half, and finally a marathon (Loch Ness) that year.
Ben - I was never very sporty-
long term illness in my teens and early 20s was made much worse by
exercise. When I moved to St Albans in
2010 I wanted to know for sure whether I was still unwell or just unfit, and a
run seemed a good way to test that out (I tried swimming, but it was far too
dull). I went out for 2 slow miles
around Batchwood on April 1st- the first run of my adult life and
presumed by friends to be an April Fool’s joke- and didn’t suffer
afterwards. Over time I began to run
more often and for longer distances, started parkrun and then began to think I
should join a club to include a social element to my running. After a lot of procrastination and worry that
I’d be rejected as too slow, I decided to join Striders in the summer of 2013
which was one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’ve gained huge enjoyment and satisfaction
from running as well as organising some of the Striders races.
Favourite race
distance?
Jenna - I keep changing my mind
on this! At the moment it’s 5k, as I’ve
made some good progress in the last few months, and parkrun is one of my
favourite events. It’s tough, and I
usually hate it at the actual time! But you can get it over with quickly and it
genuinely makes me feel very fit and healthy for the rest of the day – I always
feel so much better for it. I even got a
new PB of under 25 minutes recently (if you count Strava results, as it was
after parkrun went on lockdown).
However, in the past I
loved the half marathon distance, due to its endurance and that you could put
in a lot more speed than a marathon. I
have to admit though, when I first started out, it was whatever race gave out
the best medals!
Ben - I love the feeling of
achievement at the end of a marathon- getting a marathon PB is one of the best
feelings in the world and always induces a feeling of euphoria. But a marathon can be torture if things start
to not go to plan and you still have 25 miles still to go, whereas a half
marathon is a much more manageable and enjoyable distance to actually run.
Favourite running
race/route?
Jenna - Ok, it’s a cliché, but
probably the London Marathon. I love the
energy of the whole day, and how hundreds of thousands of spectators come out
to support you. I’ve been lucky enough
to run it several since 2013, including a Striders place and charity entries. My favourite part of the race is mile 24,
where so many Striders are waiting with the banner to cheer on their fellow
club runners – such a boost and it takes you all the way to the finish line.
Ben - My favourite races are
mostly the ones I’ve achieved PBs in- the spectacularly boring, soul-destroying
Hatfield 5km route will forever have a place in my heart purely because I got
my one and only sub 19 there. A few
races which stand out as enjoyable and memorable even when I’ve had an off day
would be the Snowdonia Marathon, the Stampede and the Berkhamsted Half. I’ve had both great and less successful races at
these and enjoyed them regardless, whether because of the route, great
atmosphere, scenery or combination of all three.
Running goals?
Jenna - It’d be amazing to get a
sub-2 hour half marathon. I managed a new
PB of 2.07 at Berkhamsted this year, just a few weeks before the lockdown. A few years ago, my average time was
2.30! I was hoping to have done at least one more
(flatter/faster) half this spring, but I guess I’ll just have to wait! I have an entry in the Royal Parks Half this
year and originally hoped for a new PB then too, but I am not sure that will be
going ahead now. So, in the meantime, I’d like to carry on chipping away at my
5k time, and putting some more effort in to my 10ks. During lockdown, I’ve only done 6-7 miles and
always at a steady (slow!) pace, chatting with Ben!
Ben - Any time goals seem a
long way off; at the moment I’m just trying to get my fitness back up (and stay
ahead of Jenna) without the pressure of targets or goals. That said, at some time in the future I am
determined to get a sub 24 hour 100 mile race; I’m hoping third time lucky. My longstanding goal is to ensure that the
number of marathons and ultras I’ve done is equal to my age in years- something
I was hoping to attain this year but lockdown has put an end to that for now.
How often do you
train?
Jenna - About 4 times a
week. I usually do the Striders Tuesday
session – either virtually or, in the old days, on the track/lake. A short, sharp 2 miles on a Wednesday or Thursday
(we used to have a 3.5k “UniRun” every Wednesday lunchtime which I was really
into) so I do that as speed work and try and go faster than my 5k pace. I always do a 5k on a Saturday – of course,
this used to be parkrun, but now it’s just a local run either by myself or with
Ben, and I do try and push that.
Finally, on Sundays, I either do 5-7 miles or use that as my long run
day if I have a half or full marathon coming up.
Ben - Not enough! 3-4 times a week used to be my normal
routine.
What motivates you?
Jenna - This has changed a lot
over time. For now, having a distance
I’m reasonably good and improving at (currently 5k) is great motivation. For many years, a 5k was a just a gentle, social
parkrun or “recovery run” after whatever half marathon or long distance I’d
done a few days before. I rarely got
under 30 minutes, until 2018 when I got a single, decent time out of the blue,
and decided to put some effort in and see if I could bring my time down. Now, I enjoy having good, consistent results
where I’m fairly confident my time will be in a certain minute-bracket, even if
it goes up or down week on week.
Oh sorry – ignore all of
that, what I actually meant is that chocolate, cake, or pudding motivates me!
Ben - It was the race day,
social experience which really got me hooked on running- I love the atmosphere
of an event along with the inevitable post-race lunch and drinks. I discovered I was fairly competitive,
and I used to enjoy pushing myself to achieve PBs, as well as comparing myself
against my nemeses (who are all lovely people).
At
the moment my focus is on getting my fitness back and enjoying running for the
sake of running rather than being focused on times- which is something I find
quite difficult! Running with Jenna
helps; she pushes herself which encourages me to do the same. Her rapid improvements in the last few months
mean that she is now officially on my nemeses list.
Most memorable run/race?
Jenna - The Stampede – it’s such
a brilliant atmosphere! I’ve marshalled
once and run it 3 times; twice with a team (Scrambled Legs!) and once solo,
where I got to 40 miles. I loved seeing
so many Striders and familiar faces all the way round, the sense of camaraderie,
and the lovely social aspect when you’re back at the club house with your
teammates waiting for your next turn - or fuelling up on bacon rolls and juice
as a solo runner. It’s all such a great
day, so well organised and upbeat, and I love the pizza party and cheering the
winners in the prize giving afterwards in the club house.
And St Albans parkrun
will always have a very special place in my heart, as that’s where I first met
Ben, and also, after a Striders lake reps session, he asked me to marry him at
the parkrun start line!
Ben - Probably the 2015
Stampede. I had signed up for it
thinking it would be a fun day out, but had no expectations- having taken most
of the summer off training, I intended just to trot around and see what
happened. I was also on-call for work
that day, and had to stop by the scout hut after every lap to check my work
phone for urgent calls- so really didn’t have racing in mind. After a few laps, I thought it might be fun
to try for a sub 4 marathon and then see how long I could last after that but
ended up covering 64 miles and finishing in 3rd place- winning my
first and only trophy. That it was a
Striders race made it all the more special- I couldn’t sleep afterwards as I
was buzzing with adrenaline and happiness!
The day gave me a huge confidence boost and I went on to get PBs at 5k,
full and half marathon soon afterwards.
Organising the event in the following two years was just as memorable
and induced equally sleepless nights.
Injuries
Jenna - I’ve been really lucky
and managed to get away with very few. I
had knee problems for a while back in 2012 when I first started marathon
training, and always suffered with blisters for weeks when I bought new
trainers. The only injury I have had since
was not a result of running – it was a badly sprained ankle when I was walking
home one evening in the dark in December 2018, and I tripped down a pothole in
the pavement. That put me out for a few
weeks, but I was determined to hobble round Stevenage parkrun with an ankle
brace on Christmas Day!
Ben - I’ve had lots of
niggles, both real and imaginary. The
worse was just a few weeks before the 2017 London Marathon when I got out of
bed to go to parkrun one morning and the walk to the car was unexpectedly and
alarmingly painful. It was Achilles
tendinosis and was the first time I’d had an injury which affected my ability to
walk around comfortably. After a few physio
sessions, I managed to get round London, and enjoyed it, but had problems on
and off for several months which really hampered my running.
Other hobbies
Jenna - Walking – whether just a
nice ramble in the countryside or a hike in Wales or the Yorkshire Dales with
Ben. I have settled down considerably in
recent years and running is pretty much my main hobby. I did triathlon for a few years and I do still
like getting out on my bike in the summer.
Back in my twenties, my hobbies were far more extreme! I was a real adrenaline junkie and would
skydive regularly - I did my first jump in 2005, qualified in 2007, and went on
to do over 560 until my final jump in 2012. The main reason I stopped was because I was
shortly going to run my first marathon, and didn’t want to get injured, and
from there, running just took over and became my life.
Ben - I ended up working in
Kyrgyzstan after I finished university which was a steep and wonderful learning
curve- this experience really cemented the fascination I’d had since childhood
in seeing and experiencing some of the world’s more obscure places. Fortunately, Jenna shares my enjoyment of
adventure and travelling off the beaten track.
I love trying different foods- anything goes- and learning languages,
which often proves useful on our trips. I
also like pottering around the countryside and having sedate cream teas.
Guilty Pleasures?
Jenna - Hmm, anything rich and chocolatey! Preferably with a nice G&T and a new
binge-worth series on Netflix lined up!
Ben - Eating
peanut butter straight from the jar, and drinking gherkin juice. Not necessarily at the same time.
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