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Thames Valley Cross Country 2011/12
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Sam I gave an epic account of it a page or 2 back
Sleepy, is a bit harsh that Vet status kicks in 5 years before the mens...I still have over 9 1/2years to bask in open status!
I'll keep my eyes out for who you mean, there are a fair few hotties about this series..i just need to make a better effort chatting them up, rather than those who've finished above me..who are generally grissled blokes!
Non runners certainly don't get the whole lifestyle, that's for sure though
2:50 - hey don't knock it! Can't beat a good ol' fashioned bit of flattery - I'd have said 39 myself! I'll enjoy it as long as I can! 40 is the new 30 so I hear which is good as it's not far away for me now!
SG - me and B met at a xc back in 2005/6 - we vaguely knew each other from training but you know how it is - can't be seen talking to the opposite sex! We got teased for months about the apparently obvious (except to us) "flirting" but hey we're married now so I guess it was worth the banter! In a random kind of way - it's as good a place to meet someone as any! Take her a cup of tea and just be 'normal'! You'll be fine. Chatting someone up is overrated, especially if you're covered in mud!
Personally - I don't really care about names or categories, though I'll be very disappointed if I don't get a free cape when I become a super-vet.
If i thought i had any chance of not being utterly clapped out when I'm 40, I'd be getting hungry about some potential category prizes...but i should probably enjoy the 9 1/2 years before then first
Sleepy, be "Normal" you say? Oh dear...i'll try. I do think post race is my form of an alcoholic high though...something euphoric about that feeling that means you can bound upto anyone.
Nice sentiments if it wasn't for the links (don't think I'll bother checking them out somehow)!
SG - everyone's like that so I wouldn't worry!
Right - we're heading home to be fed lots of yummy stuff and run up and down the hills of Yorkshire. Hope everyone has a lovely time over Christmas and sees the new year in in style- howsoever they choose! I don't normally get much chance to get online when we're away - nieces and nephews to entertain!
Here's to reducing that losing streak in 2012!
Toodle-oo
Done a lot of mileage last week and this...so we'll see how that affects the race on sunday!
It'll either power charge me, or give me a terrific excuse
Well, I'm chasing down Annie, so will run my heart out.
One of our guys has picked up his pace so will be a good battle for 3rd BFR man.
Always aiming for those red SJ vests though...
I don't know what magic she's introduced to her game, but I've gone from always being 2-3mins ahead, to now 1min behind... and I'm not too far off the top of my game
someone said she's done some 30-50mile off road races...that'd probably help!!
Who's away BOTF? Chris? I heard he's done 5 races in about 3 days!!
Phil's racing the day before too...
To try and avoid even more dates would be pretty impossible! The only way would be to have situations like 3 or 4 of the races on consecutive weekends..which wouldn't be good!
I should make Tadley this weekend. Gaffa tape and waders at the ready!
It's a bl**dy long walk for the food though.
After all, we're only talking Handy Cross, Marlow and Burnham. I doubt they'd have many runners between them entering, in fact I'm sure Marlow's entry would be 0, and perhaps only a very small handful from the other 2 clubs?
If it was a Berkshire county championship though, it could well see 4 or 5 clubs each losing 20 or so runners each, and thus making any sunday league race the next day massively understocked!
Cat, don't worry old son, they've moved the food to one of the other halls. Apparently it's a lot closer.
In fairness, after finishing a cross country, the delight can normally enable infinite walking!
All countties have their champs on the same day, there is a lot of organisation to ensure it happens so.
http://www.berkshireathletics.org.uk/xc.htm
http://www.athletics.hampshire.org.uk/events/xcc.html
http://www.bucksaa.org.uk/entry/xc2012information.pdf
Ahhhhh cakes! That'll be me definitely turning up then!
The clashes sound a nightmare - there seems to be so much choice most weekends of the year these days - it's all getting a bit nuts when there are plenty of races nowhere close to reaching their limits. Ben ran a great 10 miler back in September which had an amazing prize but less than 100 runners. Guess there's no way to limit who can organize what and when though.
Shame we didn't know about the champs - could have sent Ben along to join in the fun - but missed the closing date anyway now! There must be a few who'll do run both? Ideal - no - doable - for some! Really impressed that they're all on the same day - that makes total sense in my world.
Talking of Ben - for those who may wonder if he gets "extra" support being in the RAF - he wishes. He's just been asked to run in the Midlands team (1st claim) in Ireland but has had to say no as he's away on a course right now (only during the week) and can't get away in time to get there. He doesn't even get to run in the inter-services xc or RAF champs for the same reason so his season's up the spout a bit. Hey ho - will let him have an extra cake on Sunday!
on that note by the way, I know he's working away for a lot of your remaining time here, but I'll have to try and get at least one training run with him, if he's up for it!
At his pace he must be in massive demand for various teams, but as you say, it must be pretty impossible to get around for the events. It must sometimes be a bit of an ask to get a race of sufficient quality where he's actually in a race, and not just strolling to a few mins win
Phil, had a look through that Berkshire link, and at the entries in already...only recognised one name from our series. Would have probably expected loads from Sandhurst, Bracknell, Reading etc to be entered?
List seems pretty minimal so far, 6 in senior men, but in http://www.berkshireathletics.org.uk/pdf/xc11res.pdf there are 39 runners and familiar names such as Matt Davenport, Will Burkitt etc etc
A lot of people who run for Sandhurst may live in nearby Hampshire?
Hey SG - I'm sure he'd love to - hopefully you'll be able to co-ordinate a weekend where you're both free. I pretty much just let him do what he needs to and fit in around whatever he plans so I'm sure there'll be some time he can do. I know we're in Birmingham next Saturday (15th) then it's the next TVXC, he's thinking of doing the BP parkrun the following Saturday (28th) . Then it's the last xc, followed by another Birmingham race, then a weekend in Yorkshire followed hopefully by watching/Ben running (???) the National xc (25th Feb). Welcome to our world! LOL
So from that I deduce - Sunday 16th or 29th of this month or 12th February are most likely chances but you'd have to check with him as he may have planned other stuff in whilst he's been away this week. I only have our outlook overview here.
Have you done any of the Black Parks - someone mentioned they're pretty much xc?
Did Black Park once... did 17.48, a few weeks after going through 5k in about 17.23 within a 10k...
people do tell me for a park run it's a fast one though...I just got it on a bad day, which sounds like a hard luck story!
I expect someone like Ben isn't slowed a great deal by factors like course and weather unlike the rest of us!
I did the Black Park Parkrun on Boxing day and really enjoyed it, its 1 lap trail through the woods, and does seem like it could be a fast one,! It made a change for me as I normally go to the Reading PR
I will be a Tadley this sunday and Im looking forward to it!
Black Park is a fair course, here is my Garmin track, that is the bast way i can think to describe it. There are no big hills and no sharp turns: the course is really a series of long straight paths, so straight that when you turn just after 4 km you can see the finish cones the best part of half a mile away.
The fastest I have done on the course is 18:06: I did 17:49 on the track and 17:52 on the road within a few weeks of that so it isn't the fastest but neither does it slow you down a lot.
The weather does have an impact on the surface and it does slow down, hard to say how much as I am getting faster so my muddy times in the last few weeks were 18:15 and the 9 seconds seems to be too small so I think I am now faster than 18:06 if it was dry and hard.
The one thing for Ben will be there are no marshalls so he will possibly lead and have to find the course as he goes. It isn't hard but it is just a distraction, it may be best if he jogs round beforehand as a warm up.
PMJ - brilliant advice thanks - I'll show and tell him.
Claire2 - the idea of running through woodland makes it more appealing for me. It'll be my first ever park run so fast or slow I'll enjoy it!
SG - no not much! I sometimes think he's not human! LOL
See you all tomorrow
XC tends to be a bit more, turn up reasonably relaxed having forgotten what tough courses they are, having a rude awakening struggling up some steep/muddy terrain, thinking you're running poorly the whole way round, and then pure satisfaction afterwards, when usually the time comes out as what you would expect!
1 run done, another one later, then Tadley! The race that seems the longest drive wherever you're based!