Month: January 2016

What Goes Up, Must Come Down

By Kas Gardner

I’ve never run a 15 mile race before so at least at the Folksworth 15 I was guaranteed a PB, even if this race has the reputation of being the hilliest in Cambridgeshire.

The Folksworth 15 is put on by Yaxley Runners and HQ is a primary school with proper changing rooms and toilets. Plus they’ve put out a shed load of portaloos in the community centre grounds that’s about 50 metres away.

We had to park around half a mile away (some had to park even further away) but Yaxley Runners had organised cars to ferry you from the car parks to the race HQ and were waiting by the race HQ to whisk you back there after you’d finished. read more

Cheating on the Leighton 10

by Jo Sharples

Anyone who knows me, knows my love of the Leighton 10. But after hitting ‘a wall’ 10 miles in on my last couple of half marathons, I decided I also loved 10 mile races. So even though it felt a little bit like cheating, I entered the Fred Hughes 10.

I was a solo LBACer at the Fred Hughes 10 on 24th January. I would say the race offers an undulating (some may say hilly) and scenic route around St Albans. The race being hosted by St Albans Striders always gets their quick runners out and this year it was also the Hertfordshire county championships, so it proved to be a competitive field. read more

Quagmire at Wigmore

And the award for the muddiest Cross Country conditions so far this season go to…. Wigmore in Luton!

With Aylesbury parkrun called off completely that very morning, we should have known better than to expect anything else than a run around a quagmire in the afternoon. As the majority of the seniors arrived midway through the juniors, it was immediately apparent that the area around the tent village was already “spike ready” so the course was probably far worse!

With the older folk standing around, moaning and wondering why we keep turning up to these things, the juniors were already out showing us how it was done and braving the conditions on the course and making it that little bit more muddy for all those to follow. read more

Big Efforts Near Biggleswade

Big efforts near Biggleswade – Beds/Bucks County XC

by Colin Postawa

So last Saturday I embarked on a short trip to Shuttleworth for my second ever XC race, and no more “just testing this out” excuses so a top three was definitely on the cards this time. This was the joint Cross Country County race for Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Having only been a club member since October, the first thing myself and fellow club newbie Amy F noticed was just how many LBAC members seem to turn out for these events. If not running, then vocally supporting other members or taking pictures. The XC scene also seems a lot more welcoming than your average 10k event, maybe the format helps with families being able to race in their respective category’s after cheering on their little ones….or maybe it is something else altogether. read more

Some Chill in the Air

January’s Stag Trophy race is often a mixed up affair with post Christmas lethargy and lousy weather indicating slow times, but sometimes we get a cold still night that allows people to run quickly despite the holiday over exuberance. Although it was a little damp under foot, the conditions were excellent and eight people achieved new PB’s, almost all of which joined the club in 2015.

The turn-out was once again very good with 26 people completing the course and making for a friendly but competitive race. read more