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 

That elusive 3 miles? Smashed!

So somehow, I've survived and managed to make it to week 3 of the ‘Get Started’ course. AKA  – half way. How has that happened? How am I actually managing to run these distances? I’m actually getting better?! Well apparently so – and in such a short space of time as well.

I’m going to backtrack to last week when I went on my first solo run without the Striders and the flatmate (yes – week one I was naughty and couldn’t quite bring myself to leave the house whilst it was heaving down with torrential rain. I hadn’t formed my runner’s guilt back then). Bearing in mind, I’d complained all around the Thursday session, and was a little saddened I hadn’t quite hit 3 miles, I was a determined little soul, slogging my way around Green Wood Park in Park Street. And believe it or not, that Sunday morning I actually wanted to get out of bed and run. There was no runner’s guilt here – I actually ‘fancied going for a run’. (For those who know me well, this is an oddity. Again, I must remind you of my history of sport. It’s not great…) So, iPod in, Nike GPS set, my 80s Casio special on my wrist to time intervals (a rather fetching gold colour) and off I went.  

I must have looked a sight. Sweaty, out of breath, but still managing to sing along (quite loudly) to my running playlist that I had created; the dog walkers and people taking their children to burn off some energy did give me rather a wide berth. However, I did it. 3.24 miles to be exact. I was beyond smug! I’m sorry to everyone I bored rigid that day with details of my run. It is official: I have become a running bore.

So back to the course. Tuesday. Yes, Tuesday. Not much to report here I’m afraid as I was in a poisonous mood and didn’t want to speak to anyone. I’d already stropped at my work colleagues for 8 hours, and couldn’t bear to put the Striders through the same ordeal. So I stayed at home. And felt horribly guilty. My flatmate reported back it was a particularly hard session with lots of hill work – but I was slumped in the bath at that time so can’t really comment. Sorry!

However, I was back in fighting form on Thursday. Abby was apparently poorly (get well soon!) so Julie led our run. More mean streets of St Albans running, more growling, more 'Simon Says' (love that game!) and another 5k smashed. Can I hear a ‘HURRAH’?! 

I was chatting to another Striders member around the course - Cazza - who was full of encouraging advice and helped me block out the pain of running when I was truly knackered. Getting hints and tips is invaluable from experienced runners, and definitely helps me stay focused when the going gets tough. We’re also getting up to 7 minute runs in our intervals. 5 minutes now seem a piece of cake (!) and it shocks me again how quickly I’m progressing. I know, I know, I sound like a broken record – however if I hadn’t joined the ‘Get Started’ course, I’d still be faffing around at 2 minute runs or such like. Or maybe even given up trying to run.

Finally, I’ve just come back from another solo run (with the flatmate this time) and we’ve clocked just less than 4 miles running around the village. I’m not quite sure how we did it, but we did. (Granted, with intervals but there was only a total of 6 minutes walking. The remaining 35 minutes was running.)  So now I’m pushing myself to get to that elusive 4 mile mark. Maybe next week, huh?

Also for next week - I’m still waiting to be taught on how to ‘Spit like a runner’ which was promised last week… all ladylike decorum and poise goes out the window apparently. I can’t wait!

Jemma Western

Puddle! Post! Pedestrian!

So, second week in and, apart from a pulled muscle in my collar bone (yes, I know you don’t need to say anything, only I could injure myself in such an obscure way), I’m feeling pretty good about myself.

This week the Green group saw themselves having to leave the relative safety of the park and run on the mean streets of St Albans. Across roads and everything - yes, it IS as scary as it sounds. Although I did feel for the Amber group who apparently had to do hill training on the Tuesday. Sorry guys, rather you than me.

Tuesday, we met the lovely Julie who will be our run leader for the Tuesday sessions going forward. As an ex ‘Get Started’ member herself, she detailed exactly what we would be doing in our session and instilled the group with confidence. More intervals – running for up to 5 minutes in total with one minute walks around Prospect Road, Cottonmill Lane, Holywell Hill, the Abbey and of course the obligatory lake circuit. The group found itself inadvertently playing a game of ‘Simon Says’ as we ran – bellowing all obstacles that would cross our paths. Starting with Julie, it would then echo its way down the group much to my amusement (they don’t call me Foghorn Leghorn for nothing). What the residents of St Albans would have made of us I don’t know, but definitely kept my mind off the fact I was running for 5 minutes straight. Mileage for that session was 2.65 miles.

Thursday was particularly tough for me. The flatmate was suffering from a nasty cold and had decided she wasn’t going to join me on the session so she wouldn’t exacerbate it. Along with the freezing, drizzly weather I must admit I was very tempted to ‘Bunk off’, stay in my nice warm house and watch rubbish television with her. But apparently you get runner’s guilt very quickly so I soon found myself shivering by the running track at 7pm with calls of ‘Blogger, you’re back’ from the other Striders. 

Abby was our run leader again, and apparently was still as evil as the week before, in the nicest possible way! This time, she got us up to a 6 minute run and up a very steep hill. Although I MAY have complained all the way throughout this run, Abby was fantastic at keeping us going and congratulating our efforts and hard work. We ran for 2.89 miles (so close to that elusive 3 miles.... maybe next week). I also managed to run my fastest mile, so in effect I can already run for faster and for longer, my recovery is already much better and it’s only my second week. Thank you so much Abby & Julie!

I can’t believe what I have achieved already and how quickly my stamina and endurance has built up with running. Of course, having a group of like-minded individuals helps, and the camaraderie is great. Whether you’re growling at each other over a particularly vicious hill (when I say growling, I mean the sound a dog would make rather than being horrible to each other), or encouraging other members who might be struggling that they CAN do this, having this kind of support is not something I would have expected would actually help so much. And what is really great is that there is no competitiveness. We’re all in this together.

The homework for this week is 5 min and 6 min runs with a hill. I think I’ve got my course mapped out and am planning on doing it Saturday morning with the flatmate. And if I think I won’t? That old runner’s guilt is there to chivvy me on. 

Jemma Western

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

'All the gear & no idea'

Hi there! So I’m the new girl who will be taking over the Get Started blog from Kate and will be chronicling my new venture into running over the next six weeks. Before I begin though, a little about me…

My name is Jemma; I’m 28 years old and have always been what you could call 'remedial' at any sort of sport. I was the child who got her pony tail stuck in the cargo net mid-obstacle race at primary school whilst trying to crawl under it. I was the teenager who used to hide from the teachers mid cross country run. I was the older teenager who would feign an ankle injury to get out of 100m sprints. And I am now the adult who has signed up to run a half marathon in October and have absolutely no running ability what so ever. A few panicked expletives do cross the mind at this point.

Luckily, I know a few marathon runners who I pumped for information regarding how I can get myself at a level where I can run 13 odd miles without collapsing. The one piece of advice that they all shared with me (bar buying good running shoes of course) is to join a running club. I must admit, I was sceptical. I assumed the Striders would be full of professional runners and had absolutely no intention of joining until I spotted the 'Get Started' course on their website. So I harangued my flatmate into joining with me and dutifully paid my £12.50 in the hope that I will become 'A Runner' within the next six weeks. And here I am – still standing after my first week and feeling absolutely elated!

So, Tuesday evening at 6:45pm, you would have seen me and my flatmate sitting in her car scared stiff and preparing to run away. This was until we realised that neither of us CAN run and that is the whole point of us attending this course. The nerves were bad as we made our way up to the athletics track in Verulamium Park. There were a number of groups standing around the track and we must have looked a little lost. Luckily, some kindly soul pointed us in the right direction (our first taste of just how friendly and encouraging the Striders are) and we found the other 40 'Get Started' runners.

We started the warm up – running in a large circle whilst stretching (at one point I did feel like I was in a Morecambe and Wise sketch with some of the stretches we were asked to emulate) and I was tired. This then made the panic set in – if I can’t handle a five minute warm-up, how was I going to run around a lake for half hour?! However, I did it. We ran for three minutes and walked for one and I kept up the whole way. 

What also surprised me was that we ran a distance of 2.61 miles (Thank you, Nike GPS!) and I can’t tell you just how proud of myself I was. Helen led our group (the Green group – or intermediate beginner in my opinion) and was fantastic, making sure we all kept up and motivating us to carry on.

Cut to the second session on Thursday. A little more confident this time, I tried not to let the Morecambe & Wise warm-up phase me. This time, our little band of merry runners was led by Abby, who was completing a marathon that week. Again, I managed to keep up and chatted with Abby and the rest of the group as we ran around the picturesque lake and thinking just how nice this all is. Until Abby broke the news that she had actually had us running four minutes to every one minute walk. Normally, this sort of white lie in relation to exercise would make me want to instantly give up, however I was actually none the wiser beforehand and my confidence shot through the roof knowing that I could do this. This time, we ran for 2.5 miles; however there was a little more running involved this time.

It is now Sunday, and I’m gearing up for my first lone run. I’m not sure how I’m going to do without the support of the Striders, so wish me luck. And I can’t wait for next Tuesday to see what I will achieve then….

Jemma Western