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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Richard Sved

MWRRL 4, St Albans – Crunch time

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kate Webb

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And then I found I could finish the limerick! 

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

Richard Sved

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Richard Sved 

MWRRL Stevenage - a view from 'near the back'

The train from work at Finsbury Park to Stevenage taking me to my first ever Midweek Road Race League fixture passed through a bleak, torrential  thunderstorm. It felt like the end of days. What had I got myself into?

But after a short taxi ride, I arrived at Race HQ and  felt reassured. Lots of familiar yellow and blue vests, many smiling faces. We run this distance (10k) every week, so why worry?

Our race numbers attached, we jogged gently to gather at the start. For the uninitiated, this was quite a surreal sight. The six clubs in the league all have very bright running shirts, and it looked to me like a group of Grand National jockeys who had all lost their horses.

Even so, we cantered off, helped by a downhill start, through a series of damp underpasses and along a ring road for at least a mile. Wasn't it supposed to be a beautiful valley?

For a while I ran with about eight burly Fairland Valley Spartans runners. Nestled in amongst them, I pretended that they were my bodyguards.

As I am new to this, I have a question: how do you do the 'middle miles'? The beginning is fine because I'm nice and fresh, and the end is helped by a healthy dose of adrenaline, but I'm never sure how much to push it in between. Answers on a postcard please....

Seeking help, I decided to try and find Striders running an even but fairly challenging pace (for me), and was lucky enough to latch on to Peter (King of the Marshals) and Mercedes, with whom I ran miles 3, 4 and 5.

Running can be a solitary pursuit, even in a crowd, and I really felt the benefit of our small team of three, while the many Striders vests stretching in front of me gladdened my (rapidly beating) heart.

And as we ran around a huge park and lake in Fairlands Valley, I remembered to look up and admire the surroundings, which were – at last – beautiful.

The final mile or so was deceptively twisty, not to mention turny. Aware that my final 'spurt' only lasts 50 metres tops, I struggled to know when to push on. Still I got round in just over 48 minutes which I was delighted with, pretty much matching my PB from the St Albans 10K only two days earlier.

This is 'reportage' rather than a race report, but I have to record how awestruck I am by the Striders' perfomances. Tom won the men's race, Vicky won the women's race, we won the men's senior and vets team and the women's senior team races. Six of the first eight men were Striders. All 12 of our men's 'A' team came in under 37:30. And the sheer numbers of yellow vests were only matched by the 'home team'. We were dominant, to put it mildly.

From a personal perspective, I was 39th Strider home, and would have scored some points for any of the other teams, so played my little part in pushing those behind me down the ranking by a place. I'll take that.

And so as we car-shared back to St Albans, Marc, Lucy, Emma and I – happy debutants one and all – basked in our runners' highs and compared notes, first impressions and discussed tactics for the next time. Bring on Welwyn!

Richard Sved 

The Mid Week Road Racing League - a fan's view!

The MWRRL is a series of five evening 10k races in Herts and Essex for local clubs. Striders are in the top league with five other local clubs. Points are allocated to the top 12 men and top six ladies (and vets), with the club with the best points score over the first four races winning the league. We finished 2nd in 2011.

Since it's a closed event for six clubs, the races are great for socialising and friendly rivalry with other runners from local clubs. The ability is quite mixed, with times anything from 31mins to 70mins, and up to 500 runners in each race. 

Striders’ former Chair, Sally Onn, was a great fan, so Tom Crouch interviewed her to find out more.

Tom: Tell us about your first MWRRL race

Sally: My first MWRRL was in Royston in 2008 in terrible wet weather! I turned up with a new friend I had made at the club just in time to buy my Striders vest and get to the start line. I can't remember much about the race, but I was very excited to have my first proper running club vest! It was also the first time I had chatted socially (over sandwiches and cakes afterwards) with the people I had met at the track. Doing the MWRRL was the start of some brilliant friendships at the club.

Welwyn road race, 2011

Tom: What was your favourite MWRRL race?

Sally: That has to be the WGC fixture last year. It was a lovely evening, I managed a 10K PB and finished 3rd lady - my best ever position.

Tom: Which is your favourite MWRRL course?

Sally: The mob match at Trent Park is probably my favourite. It's two loops off-road with a few testing undulations and a great flat finish. Stevenage and Welwyn are more urban, but have great PB potential. The St Albans course is tough, but as the end-of-series show-down it's always an awesome race!

Tom: What was your best league result? 

Sally: I got a trophy for 3rd senior female overall at the end of both the 2010 and 2011 series, which I am still really proud of. As I usually only managed to finish around 6th lady in any individual race, it goes to show that the most important thing is to turn up!

Tom: What do you think is the biggest MWRRL rivalry?

Sally: Well that has to be Striders vs Garden City Runners! When I first raced in 2008 we finished runners-up. In 2009 the ladies won but our men were 2nd. We had an awesome year in 2010 winning the men's, the ladies' AND the overall team trophy. In 2011 we only managed 2nd place, but that certainly means there's some revenge to be had on GCR this summer.

Tom: Finally, tell us 10 things you love about the MWRRL

Sally: Well..... 

1. It's free! 
2. You get to run on some lovely routes in the Hertfordshire countryside 
3. At least a couple of the races will be measured 10ks, so a good chance to go for a PB
4. You’ll be rewarded at the end with excellent refreshments
5. You’ll feel amazing for the rest of the week: you have bagged a race on a school night when most other people were sitting at home watching TV
6. The atmosphere is awesome - friendly marshals and great rivalry with the other clubs
7. You can use it as an excuse to skive off your hard midweek session and do a recovery jog instead (Coach Jubb even allows this on a Tuesday sometimes!)
8. There's a great feeling of bonding amongst the Striders – you’ll feel so proud in your yellow and blue vest
9. It frees up the Sunday morning race slot for a spot of gardening/baking/lying in bed
10. Every single runner can help the Striders to win the title! Trophies and glory await!

Interested? Want to find out more? More details about this year’s MWRRL are available on the forum

RACE REPORT: Third 2011 MWRRL Fixture – Welwyn Garden City: 7 June 2011

The St. Albans Striders showed their class on Tuesday night in a dominant display at the third fixture of the Herts & Essex Midweek Road Race League, division one.  The series of 10k runs pits the top clubs in the region against one another in a bid to win the coveted ladies’, men’s and overall trophies.

Back to full strength after a disappointing spell, the Striders romped to victory in both the female and male races at Welwyn Garden City, picking up maximum overall points on the night and thrashing arch rivals Garden City Runners on their home turf.

The men’s team was brought home by Simon Riley in 33:27, with captain Paul Adams hot on his heels in 33:29.  Ed Blake (33:58) and Blake Vivian (34:35) also made the top ten in a high quality field.  Tom Crouch made a welcome return to racing on home soil with 34:47 showing plenty of promise.  Jonathan Scott (34:51) and Steve Buckle (34:55) took the 14^th and 15^th spots.

Not much further back, the men’s scoring twelve was completed by John Knight (36:26), Gary Warren (36:47), Ross Langley (37:23), Andy Auld (37:50) and John Jones (38:08). 

On the ladies’ side, first home was Sally Onn with a new personal best of 38:47 in third, followed by Lucy Waterlow (39:44) in fifth.  The impressive consistency of the female squad was demonstrated by the Striders packing a further five athletes in the top 20, with solid runs by Zoe Lowe (41:19), Gill Jubb (41:59), Heather Blamire-Brown (42:39), Helen Cartlidge (42:42) and Claire Kremer (43:48).  Anna Styles also ran well to complete the winning team in 44:29 for 27^th.

The fact that the Striders finished ‘B’ and ‘C’ teams in both the ladies’ (eight to score) and the men’s (12 to score) 10k shows the great turn-out that the club enjoyed.  Ladies’ captain and team manager on the night Liz McKie commented, “this was a fantastic race for the Striders and all our runners deserve congratulations for some great performances”.

RACE REPORT: First 2011 MWRRL Fixture – Stevenage: Thursday 5 May

Defending champions St. Albans Striders have made a promising start to their 2011 Midweek Road Race League campaign.  The League pits the top running clubs from Herts and Essex against one another over five evening fixtures in the summer months.  Although finishing only second in both the ladies’ and men’s sections at the opening race in Stevenage, the Striders were lacking a number of their fastest athletes, so the overall result was encouraging.

Leading from the front, men’s captain Paul Adams was first Strider home in 33:15, finishing second overall.  He was closely followed by Simon Riley, who continued his recent run of good form to post an impressive 33:48.  Jonathan Scott, Blake Vivian and Pablo Plaza Lastras also made the top ten in a high quality race. 

Further back but still running well, the men’s scoring twelve was completed by Gary Warren, Grant West, John Ockenden, Stuart Wright, Richard Harry, Matt Ennion and John Jones, all well under 39 minutes despite recent marathons still in the legs.

On the ladies’ side, the first Strider over the line was club chairman Sally Onn in fifth with 40:21 and there were good runs from Zoe Lowe, Heather Blamire-Brown and Helen Cartlidge, who finished 11^th, 12^th and 13^th respectively.  Fast-improving Claire Kremer posted a solid sub-45 time on a warm May evening, with Liz Walls, Helen Varley and Mandy Attree completing the scoring eight.

If you can run a 10k in under 38 minutes (men) or 44 minutes (ladies), the St. Albans Striders would love to hear from you.  Please email men@stalbansstriders.com or ladies@stalbansstriders.com .