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