by Adam Haylock
Highlights:
By Sam Dear
I’d been checking the weather every day before the run, hoping and praying that:
1. The recent strong winds would have disappeared
2. It would be dry
3. It wouldn’t be freezing.
While the winds had almost entirely completely gone, it most certainly was not dry, but
conditions were near perfect for me for the half marathon distance. A little chilly before the gun went off, but the misty drizzle (aka mizzle!) always helps keep you cool whilst not getting you completely soaked through.
I ran this race last year and I remembered that I was stood shivering on the start line whilst they delayed the race to allow people in the toilet queue to join us. Even though the race is chip timed so it doesn’t matter where you start they kept us waiting again for almost 10 minutes before finally letting us get going.
Saturday’s Chiltern League fixture took the club out to the wilds of Oxfordshire on the banks of the River Thames. Culham Park was the venue for a breezy Cross Country with some more excellent performances from all those who ran.
The course was mostly firm underfoot apart from the hilly section across the motocross track, but the wind added an extra obstacle as the long drag out half way along each lap was almost directly into the strong gusts making you feel like you were running in treacle, unless you were lucky enough to be able to shelter behind one of the larger runners!
by Gail Duckworth
On Saturday I was representing England in the annual Home international for the 10th time! I can’t quite believe that my first English vest was in 2002 in the W45-49 in Cardiff. The event moves from country to country each and this year was The Republic of Ireland turn to host it. So, 13 years later and in the W60-64 I competed in Dublin.
The format is the same each year with all women running together W35+ with the Men 65+ over 6K. In our race each country can select 4 runners’ with 3 to score. England usually has more depth and reserves are named some of whom travel and then run in the Open race. The men have two other highly competitive races M50-64 and M35-49 both over 8K and the Open follows these.
by Lisa Bowyer
The day had finally arrived! With some preparation under my belt I felt slightly confident that I could get my aim of under 2 hours. This was my second half marathon and the first was in MK in May with a time of 1 hour 57 mins. So with the weather man saying expect “hellish rain” I was expecting the conditions to be tough!
Rocking a black sack, I arrived a the start to see all the LBAC lads ready right at the front on the starting line. They all looked keen and ready to race! “Join us here” they said. I didn’t as I thought I would be the slow one in the way at the front of the pack so went a bit further back (big regret!). I should of started with them and gone to the side and used the field to get my pace. I got stuck in clumps of people and it wasn’t until Tesco that I felt like I had cleared out of a pack and got a good pace going. It’s a nice canal run up to the Three Locks with plenty of support along the way.
