Everything you ever wanted to know....

....about running and Striders, but were afraid to ask!! 

Thursday saw the first ‘Essentials’ session at the King Harry pub and offered a chance to marvel at Mike's incredible knowledge of all things run-related. In a fantastically comprehensive session, fuelled only by assorted bar snacks and a drink or two, we learnt all about Striders and how to go about improving our running performance, including: 

• The different seasons in the running year 
• How Striders’ runs and training sessions fit into a training programme 
• How you can help Striders and get involved in the club 
• How a training diary (and blogging) helps 
• What it takes to win the club championships (or at least be in contention) 
• Why it helps to have a running buddy on a long run (to pass the talk test) 
• And why men shouldn’t run in boxer shorts...... 

And what did I take away? Finding out that I might be just 12 months into what could be at least five years of continued improvement if I put in the training was really encouraging. I suspect that actually winning the club championships is a very remote prospect for me, so I’ll be focusing my efforts on identifying some A, B and C races, building Striders’ sessions into a training plan and seriously considering a cross country race or two (I still bear mental and physical scars from school races). 

While it might take some time to stop consulting my Garmin at regular points through a 5K parkrun, I am reassured that it will take a spectacular shopping spree to come close to becoming St Albans’ equivalent of the Imelda Marcos of running shoes! 

The next session is scheduled for 18 October, at the end of the current Get Started course. For anyone looking to learn more about getting to grips with their training, achieving their goals and understanding how Striders can help (and how you can help Striders), it's not to be missed. 

Kate Webb

Strider in the spotlight – Emma Halldearn

With the third Get Started programme about to get underway, we check back with one of the ‘graduates’ of the first course to see how they are getting on.....let's hear from Emma

1. How long have you been running and when did you join Striders? 

I joined Striders through the first Get Started programme organised by Becky and Helen in September 2011. I have always done a little bit of jogging here and there, but never really been sporty. At that point my weekend long runs had got to 3 miles, and that felt like an extremely long way at the time! 

I thought about joining the Striders on numerous occasions but after seeing what I assumed were Striders ‘bouncing’ cheerfully around Verulamium Park, I couldn't pluck up the courage to just turn up on a Tuesday / Thursday session. 

I saw the Get Started course advertised on the Striders website and registered myself straight away before I could wimp out. From day one everyone at the club was extremely friendly, supportive, organised, and lots of fun. It’s been onwards and upwards since then! 

Emma in the Striders spring handicap

2. What’s been your best moment as a Strider? 

My first real goal was the St Albans half marathon in June this year. I had never imagined I could run 13 miles so I was pretty nervous before the race. I wasn’t actually sure I’d get to the end! 

Running a race in your home town, wearing your race vest, is just the best feeling. I couldn’t count how many times someone shouted ‘GO STRIDERS!’ and every bit of support puts an extra stride in your step. I remember at one point feeling more popular than the two men dressed as bananas behind me! 

To cross the finish line, in a time more than 10 minutes better than I expected, and hear over the tannoy ‘…and yet another Strider crosses the finish line’ – was simply brilliant! 

3. What’s your pre-race ritual? 

Mmm, probably a million trips to the loo along with every other runner before a race! I’m not sure I’ve developed a ritual yet, but eating breakfast and not having a hangover is definitely a good start! 

4. What’s the most useful piece of running advice you've been given? 

I’m not sure who told me this - Gladstone or Jack - but the one piece of advice I use on a regular basis is: ‘Pain is only temporary’. I can’t tell you how many hills that has got me up, or how many last miles it’s got me through. 

5. Who is your sporting hero? 

Like the rest of the world I've recently been Olympic mad, so Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah at the moment. I was lucky enough to see them win gold at the stadium. So inspiring! 

Emma (r) with Lucy, and a couple of race medals

6. Where do you keep your race medals? 

I have only collected about 6 so far, at the moment they are hanging in my dinning room. I’m trying to collect enough to decorate the Christmas tree this year (although I think I’ve got a fair few races to get that far!). 

7. What’s your favourite local running route? 

I love the country routes in and around St Albans, I try to keep it varied and Thursday night group runs explore so many different routes around the town. I sometimes think I have to keep up or I’ll never find my way back home! 

8. What’s your next target? 

I’m currently training for my first marathon – Amsterdam on the 21 October this year. I’m up to 18 miles at the moment and only a few weeks until tapering begins. After that, I’ll probably relax a little on the distance training front and bounce cheerfully around Verulamium Park! 

Jack's marathons - August 2012

Northumberland Coast Trail Marathon: 19th August 2012: (Marathon No 296): Unlike most marathons, the start time for this one is determined by the tides as there are several long stretches along beaches. The race starts on the beach at Alnmouth and proceeds north mainly following the Northumberland Coastal path until the turnaround point at Long Nanny Bridge, just south of Beadnell Bay. There are spectacular views along the whole course and the route goes through Boulmer (where Linda Powell advises that she was carousing in the Fishing Boat Inn, not knowing that a marathon was about to go past the pub entrance) and Craster and then past Dunstanburgh Castle. The sea is rarely out of sight. 

It was very hot for the first half of the race, but as we turned the sea breeze picked up and the going became easier. Alison Campbell and her family were manning one of the drink stations and her brother Mike (who occasionally trains with the Striders) was well ahead of me. It was good to see some familiar faces. I thoroughly enjoyed the race and was also pleased with my time of 4:40:58 given the nature of some of the terrain. My performance was good enough to earn me the first male vet 60-64 trophy. The train to Edinburgh stops at Alnmouth, and the race start and several B&Bs are only just over a mile away from the station so this is a race, which is easy to get to by public transport. The race director is seeing if he can get a permit for larger numbers next year. If you like trail marathons this is one that I can highly recommend. 

Thames Meander Trail Marathon: 25th August 2012: (Marathon No 297): A number of us take turns in guiding a blind runner, Paul Watts, around marathons. I have previously taken him round three road marathons, but I was apprehensive about taking him round this trail marathon. The Thames Meander starts in Kingston Upon Thames, runs through Richmond Park, follows the Thames towpath to the turnaround point at Putney Bridge and then returns along the same route. When I ran the race last year I thought that the paths were in fairly good condition, but when you are responsible for someone who can’t see anything in front of them you become much more aware of every stone, root and obstacle in your path. Fortunately we managed to avoid any major trip hazards, but one thing we couldn’t avoid was the torrential rain, which thoroughly drenched us on the return part of the race. The hot meal waiting for us when we finished in 5:33:27 was extremely welcome.

Jack Brooks

A bit of digital inspiration

Missing the Olympics already? Can’t wait for the Paralympics? I’m with you. For me, the sense of excitement around London 2012 built from the first sight of the Stadium during the Striders Olympic Relay. But it was something else to be able to watch elite athletes in action. I’m fairly sure I was not the generation that was meant to be inspired – let’s call it a happy side effect.

These were famously the first digital games, so we will be able relive some of the highs and lows, laughs and gasps via the net – which means we will always have the chance to see Mo Farah running away from things - and the Mayor of London stuck on a zip wire - and no doubt over the next couple of weeks the Paralympics will offer up some amazing stories and memories. 

But the net’s also there for inspiration and more, so to harness the spirit of the games as we head into the autumn .... check out these links: 

Our very own Lucy Waterlow finds out how Nell McAndrew improved her marathon time to under three hours in London this year.

Relive Dave Wottle’s run in the 1972 Olympic 800m final ....he’s the one in the hat... talk about getting your timing right. 

And when someone else has put it so much better, a motivational quote or three.... 

Happy running! 

Jack's Marathons - June and July 2012

St Albans Half Marathon: 10 June 2012: This is one of those races where I can track how my times have got progressively slower over the years (1995 = 1:30:01. 1996 = 1:35:41. 1999 = 1:35:47. 2000 = 1:40:47. 2002 = 1:41:21. 2008 = 1:51:43. 2010 = 1:50:53. 2012 = 1:48:50) At least my time this year was over 2 minutes faster than my time 2 years ago, but the trend is still clearly visible. However, it was great to see so many Striders taking part and there were some excellent Striders performances by both men and ladies that far outshone mine. 

The Holly Challenge Trail Marathon, Lightmoor, Shropshire: 16 June 2012: I don’t think that I could have been totally compos mentis when I signed up for this 31.4 lap race. It started to rain as I left the Travelodge in Wolverhampton and continued throughout the race. On the first time round I discovered that each lap contained one very steep muddy hill, one long, but gradual hill and one short hill. There must have been some downhills as well, but these didn’t really register with many runners and everybody was convinced that there was more uphill than downhill. It defied logic. Another matter for speculation and discussion as the race progressed was whether or not the water level in the two lakes we ran between would rise high enough to flood the narrow footpath running between them before we finished. Given how hard the course was I was satisfied with my time of 4:16:44. The medal was also nice, but far more attractive was the engraved pint glass filled with Pimms that I received as I crossed the line. I returned to St Albans with a substantial chunk of Shropshire caked to my legs. 

Hamsterley Forest Trail Marathon, County Durham: 1 July 2012: Having run the St Albans 7 mile mid-week road race on 28 June I wasn’t sure how my legs would cope with the steep hills in the Durham Dales. I started off cautiously and ran the first couple of miles with one of the girls I’d run with at Druridge Bay Marathon in May. The course comprises an out section followed by 3 laps and then a return stretch of about 2 miles to the finish at the Visitor’s Centre. We quickly discovered the 2 major uphills in the first half of each lap. The consolation was that a good proportion of the second half of each lap was downhill. I finished in 4:21:00 satisfied that there were still quite a few people behind me and pleased to have completed my 100th different UK marathon in one piece. This was yet another well-organised marathon put on by the North East Marathon Club. I’m now looking forward to running their Northumberland Coast Marathon in August.

Summer Enigma Trail Marathons 1 and 2, Milton Keynes: 7 and 8 July 2012: I knew July would be a tough month with 5 marathons in the first 4 weekends and it was the Enigma marathons that I was dreading most. The course for each marathon is described as 7.5 scenic laps around Caldecotte Lake. Unfortunately, the large puddle we had to run through on each lap was much deeper on the second day than on the first and my left shoe developed a Donald Duck squeak that became increasingly irritating as I grew more tired. Each lap had plenty of twists, turns, puddles and undulations, but this is still definitely not my favourite lake to run around. It was good to see another Strider (Kathryn Hall) beating me in on day 1 finishing in 4:15:19, but she had more sense than to turn up on day 2. Instead, on day 2 there was a fresh influx of runners to add to those of us demented enough to run both races. My times were 4:21:35 and 4:50:15 respectively placing me 20th out of 45 on day 1 and 26th out of 40 on day 2. 

Fairlands Valley Challenge Trail Marathon, Stevenage: 15 July 2012: For me this local event is one of the highlights of the year with the added bonuses that we rarely get rain while we are out running the Challenge and that the scenery is breathtaking. This year there were more Striders running the various distances than I can recall since I ran my first one in 1996. Steve Smith and Liz Walls ran the 50k route. Gary Warren, John Jones and David Perry were 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively in the 18.7 mile event, whilst Gladstone and 7 other Striders completed that distance at a more leisurely pace. In the marathon Ross Nugent (called back from Sweden to assist with Olympic Security) was 24th, Nick Bradley 44th and Jonathan Milne 104th. 7 of us (Petra Grosse, Peter Rogers, Abby Reilly, Fiona Snailham, Kathryn Hall and her cousin Caroline, and me) ran round together with plenty of photo stops and consuming copious amounts of bread pudding at the check points. We had a brilliant time and a thoroughly enjoyable day in spite of the mud. 

Konigsschlosser Romantikmarathon 2012, Fussen, Bavaria: 22 July 2012: This was one of the most scenic trail marathons I have run. From Fussen the route takes runners through the Hopfer Forest, round Lake Hopfensee, across the floodplain of the river Lech, along the banks of Lake Forggensee, across lush green meadows and past the royal castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau before returning to Fussen through the Schwansee woodlands. Unbelievably, with Austria and the Alps only 5 kilometres away from Fussen, the organisers managed to devise a fairly flat course and the views changed every time you turned a corner. There were plenty of cows with cowbells to add support as runners made their way towards the finish. Everybody I spoke to thoroughly enjoyed the event although it would have been even better if the rain had held off and produced a few less puddles. My finishing time was 4:13:32. Most important is the fact that Fussen is a beautiful town in which to celebrate post race. 

This was my 295th marathon. My aim is to run my 300th in North Carolina on 4 November, so I am now allowing myself a few weeks of rest before my next race. 

Jack Brooks