Fred Hughes 10

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Comments

  • Last year I was able to park in a sizeable school playground - perhaps I was one of the lucky ones.
  • JARHEADJARHEAD ✭✭✭

    Entered last week,no details yet...are they still to be sent out,only a week to go....thanks.

  • I've not had anything yet either.  I sent the race organiser an email and he said "You will receive your race number and race information sheet through the post which will explain everything." So presumably they are still mailing numbers out.
  • JARHEADJARHEAD ✭✭✭
    Thanks marmite...always nice to know im no alone...been racing for over 30 years and still worry about getting my number...  thx again..
  • Hey thanks cathyw, Little Nemo et al, for warning about the engineering works on FCC. A Bummer image

    Is anyone driving from W or NW London with some space? I am trying to reduce my carbon footprint.

     

  • ShivaShiva ✭✭✭

    lolagi,

    I'm driving up from NW london, mail me to organise 

  • I got the following message from the race orgniser a bit earlier today:

    "All race packs have just been posted. You will receive your race number and race information sheet through the post in the next day or two, which will explain everything. On race day you need to go to the race HQ to collect your timing chip. Please allow time to collect your chip and get to the race start by 9:30 am." 

    See you all on the 20th. 

  • Taking a chance with the post methinks.  Fingers crossed they all arrive ok.
  • I know  a couple of people who received theirs today, still waiting for mine though.
  • Doesn't matter to me now, not going due to the engineering works on the trains.  This is going to be the fifth or sixth race in a row now that I've missed!
  • I'm sure the organisers will tell me that there are nunerous 'good' reasons for the following.  But I still think that it's daft.

    We're told that race packs are being sent out containing numbers and info.  Great so far.   But these packs won't contain the chip.

    Instead,  700+ runners will ALL have to queue up to get their chip,  then scrabble around fitting it on the day.    Maybe not a problem in itself.   But combined with a 9.30am start,  it's going to mean getting up very early for many. 

  • One of many things my mind wandered to on my long run today was what time I'm going to have to leave next Sunday.  At the mo, I'm thinking 7-7.30 which is mad as I'm only in Essex and it's not just the queue for the chip Tim but there's the parking and, for the ladies, the mega queue for the toilet!  Wondering whether to ditch it and just do a long run instead.

  • Exactly why I've ditched it Kazz.  A couple of people kindly offered me a lift but I'd have to leave about 6:30!  I can do 10 miles off road locally at a more civilised hour.
  • Luckily St Albans is only about 30 minutes from me on a Sunday morning.

    Number arrived today, hopefully weather will be an improvement on Luton!

  • My house is one mile from the start and I'm not looking forward to the start time, so I can feel some sympathy for some of you that are travelling!

     If you are walking from City station, look it up on Multimap and make sure you go the quicker way. i.e. walk down camp road and then drakes drive, not down hatfield road. Will save you a good 10 mins.

  • There aren't any trains running into St Albans station until after the start. The only way to get there by train is to use St Albans Abbey. There's a train (from Watford Junction) that gets in at 08:22 which I think leaves just enough time for the 2 mile(!) walk to the start. I have gmapped the route below if anyone wants to give it a go. If I can't get a lift this is my last resort...

    [u]http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1543731[/u]

    At least you'll have a good warm up!

    image

  • Best we all meet at yours and follow you to the start. then eggy.... hope you've got a big lounge... image
  • Sorry to disagree with you eggy, but hopefully this will help.  If you drop down Ridgemont Rd, then Grosvenor Rd to London Road from the rear exit (platform 4) of the station, it's only about 1.1mile so even quicker than Camp road way.

    Station to Drakes Drive

  • True true, ignore my initial advice. I thought finding the back entrance of the station might be complex and get a few people lost, but I guess it's not too difficult if you use your brain!

    I'll be walking down London Road to the start myself.

  • Are you doing this one then Holly? Pirate top?
  • Number arrived today - hope everyone else has got their's now.

    See you all on Sunday. 

  • No, Trickster. I've one leg bandaged up at the moment, otherwise I would do.  Might be tempted out of bed to support though.
  • Tim,

    I tend to agree with your comments on chips.

     However the reason that all race organisers do this is that they are charged for the chips if they are not returned. Usually about £7.

     For those that run, they can corrall them after the finish and make sure they aren't released without having returned the chip. If they sent them out in advance, then those people that didn't turn up on the day and there are always quite a few (especially this time of the year with Novovirus and other lurgy doing the rounds)  would then need to be chased for their chips or a cheque for £7. The organisers probably see this as enough hassle even if everybody responds positively straight away BUT they won't so it will continue for a while AND they will no doubt have to write some off and pay for them themselves.

     So in the end they just decide to make sure everybody collects on the day and then get tough at the finish.

     It does cause big queues before the races and early starts don't help, but you can understand why.. I am sure there will be a few runners who will arrive tight on time and will have to forego the opportunity to get chip timing. So long as you have your number you can still run but without a chip you won't get an official time - but then you all got new stopwatches for christmas anyway image

  • Got a lift - hoorah!

    Got my number - hoorah!

    Now I've just got to drag my unprepared body round 10 miles... image

    Understand what you mean about the chips, BtB. I suppose the only other way would be to assume a certain percentage won't return them and put up the price for everybody to cover it.

    5 days to go, good luck everybody image

  • Depending on the parking/toilet queue I may forego the pleasure of then queueing again for my chip and run without.  So I won't get an official time or make the finish list but it'll be a cr*p time this year anyway so it doesn't really matter much one way or t'other.

  • I may not bother to queue for a chip either. 

    As Brooks points out,  I've a quality watch.   Previous comparisons between chip and watch have never been more than 1 second different.  That's good enough. 

    The official results don't interest me a jot

    Just having fun and running reasonably well.

  • I've no idea of what pace to aim for over this distance.   Help.

    Over recent months,  pretty much all my running training has been treadmill sessions of between 3 and four miles long.    When the gym's not too hot (it's horrid now as the aircon's broken) and I'm feeling good,  I can cover this kind of distance at 8.00 per mile pace.    Normally, I run faster outdoors than indoors,  so could probably run sub-8.00 per mile outside over these shorter distances.

    My only two outdoor runs in the last three months have been the St Neots (Nov 07) and Bedford (Dec 07) Half Marathons,  both of which I ran at 8.18 per mile pace.  But they were undulating and in fairly grim weather.

    I feel that I should try and run St Albans somewhat faster than the 8.18 per mile Halves.  But would 8.00 per mile be too ambitious?    I'm worried that I could perhaps sustain this for five or six miles but would then 'crash and burn'.

  • Are you the same Tim that did the Paris Marathon 2 years ago on a whim after telling everyone that you weren't going to? If you are, I say go for the 8 min. miling cos I think that's what you're going to do anyway!

    This one is almost completely flat so I think if you've managed 8:18 on 2 hilly halves you should be OK doing 8:00 for 10 miles. I'm no expert though and I myself will be shuffling along at the back in 11 and a bit miles if I'm lucky.

    Good luck image

  • Little Nemo

    I did the Paris Marathon in both 2005 and 2006.   In 2006,  I went over to Paris with a streaming cold, etc.   And you're right,  even the night before I'd decided not to run.  But I changed my mid on race-day morning.

    With regards to St Albans,  I honestly haven't decided on pace.   What's made it really hard is the gym conditions.   If it had been cool,  I'd have done a trial run  at  8.00 per mile pace over a decent distance, to see whether I 'burnt out'.   But run's much over 3 miles on the treadie are impossible in the current heat.  

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