The athletics/running thread

[Gooner Girl]

Ok - thanks to Harry i now know what a duck egg is, and safe to say, hes certainly not the only one on this forum

[Harry Genshaw]

Bolton has many claims to fame other than it's wonderful football team. It can now add 'Toughest Cross Country Course in the North West' to its list. An absolutely brutal 3 lap course. Am sat here now totally wrecked

[Gooner Girl]

How far was it Harry? Still psyching myself up to enter the Sussex Cross Country league...

[Harry Genshaw]

How far was it Harry? Still psyching myself up to enter the Sussex Cross Country league...

Not sure, I suspect about 6 miles. I knew it was a 3 lap course and after we'd been running for what seemed like months I realised we were coming to the end of the 1st lap! Thankfully, even the elite runners confirmed what I thought - that it was bloody tough. Got a 10 mile recovery run tomorrow that I'm trying not to think about.

When's your 1st race in the SCCL? Would love to hear how you get on..

[Gooner Girl]

How far was it Harry? Still psyching myself up to enter the Sussex Cross Country league...

Not sure, I suspect about 6 miles. I knew it was a 3 lap course and after we'd been running for what seemed like months I realised we were coming to the end of the 1st lap! Thankfully, even the elite runners confirmed what I thought - that it was bloody tough. Got a 10 mile recovery run tomorrow that I'm trying not to think about.

When's your 1st race in the SCCL? Would love to hear how you get on..

Saturday 26th November...

My aims are two-fold.

1. To finish.
2. Not to be last

Seriously, i'm not a runner so not expecting to do well at all. Ask me to Triple Jump? Yeah! I'm not great at it - though was once Sussex County Champion (sounds better then it is, there aren't many Triple Jumpers in Sussex!) but i love Triple Jumping and running has never really been so much of a passion. Its just with all the coaching i do now, i don't get a chance on a Tuesday to don spikes and use the pit to train, but i can pop out for a run any time from home, so doing more of that at the moment then jumping and i reckon Cross Country will be far more fun then road running, though its probably a decade since i last did it...

Just out of interest Harry, i know it does largely depend on the terrain/conditions but how much does Cross Country slow your pace per mile compared with running on the road? Do you know?

[thebish]

How far was it Harry? Still psyching myself up to enter the Sussex Cross Country league...

Not sure, I suspect about 6 miles. I knew it was a 3 lap course and after we'd been running for what seemed like months I realised we were coming to the end of the 1st lap! Thankfully, even the elite runners confirmed what I thought - that it was bloody tough. Got a 10 mile recovery run tomorrow that I'm trying not to think about.

bloody bollox of boobyland!! how can a 10mile run be anything to do with recovery!!! you running lot are simply awesome!

[Lord Kangana]

Awesome?

If awesome's alernative meaning is f*cking mentalist, then I concur, however.

[Harry Genshaw]

Awesome?

If awesome's alernative meaning is f*cking mentalist, then I concur, however.

3 years ago I'd have agreed, now running is the only thing that stops me from being welded to the couch eating my own body weight in Pringles.

Just out of interest Harry, i know it does largely depend on the terrain/conditions but how much does Cross Country slow your pace per mile compared with running on the road? Do you know?

Quick answer is I'm not entirely sure, as I dont tend to race with a watch but looking at my finishing times, I would imagine XC slows me by about 1 and 1/4 to 1 and 1/2 minutes per mile. By the way - no way will you come last. XC tends to attract the full range of ages & abilities. I suspect your general fitness will see you well ahead of the back of the field.

[Gooner Girl]

Mmmmm, i could quite happily eat my own body weight in pringles too. However, now i am only feeding the twins once a day i think the being allowed to eat 1000 extra calories a day excuse might be wearing a tad thin...

As for the coming last Harry, i don't know re X Country League. We have the West Sussex Fun Run League which does attract a full range of ages and abilities but am a tad worried the SCCL might be for slightly more serious athletes. IE - not me! Only one way to find out i guess!

Enjoy your 10 mile recovery run!! Did the leg hold up alright today?

[Harry Genshaw]

Aye, no ill effects thanks. It was my first race since the vasectomy, had a look down there earlier - they're still there thankfully

[Gooner Girl]

Aye, no ill effects thanks. It was my first race since the vasectomy, had a look down there earlier - they're still there thankfully

Having them drop off halfway round might have been a bit embarrassing!

[Gooner Girl]

Just got an email through about entry to the national cross country championships at Parliament Hill. Sounds from their website that last years event was a complete nightmare...

[Gary the Enfield]

Just got an email through about entry to the national cross country championships at Parliament Hill. Sounds from their website that last years event was a complete nightmare...

How so?

[thebish]

Just got an email through about entry to the national cross country championships at Parliament Hill. Sounds from their website that last years event was a complete nightmare...

How so?

she dreamed it...

[thebish]

it's just as well my adidas running shoes have a patented anti-mudstick, mud-repellant sole design, isn't it!

[Gary the Enfield]

it's just as well my adidas running shoes have a patented anti-mudstick, mud-repellant sole design, isn't it!

Oh dear. You fell for the hype.

[thebish]

ok...

I figured there might be others reading this thread who (like me) are frankly boggled by the idea of a 10mile "recovery" run - or the idea of running 5K in under 3 hours... never mind running up and down hills - or adding swimming and cycling to the mix!!

so - I have summat to recommend.

the NHS "Couch to 5K" program. (It's free - your taxes have paid for it!!!)

the idea is to take you from "couch" (ie - total slobdom) to being able to run for 30mins (or about 5K) in 9 weeks of exercise.

you run 3 days a week - and each week it goes up a notch. (for the first week you only run in 1min bursts with 90secs of recovery walking in between!) I am just starting week 5 - which has me running for 3 or 4 bursts of 5mins with 3min recovery walks in between)

in other words - it is gently graded through the weeks....

I can recommend it - because the missus is on week 8 - and had actually NEVER run for more than 5 minutes in her entire life until she started the program - now she is comfortably running for 29mins non-stop.

(I have some catching up to do...)

I DID have a little background fitness - I haven't been a slob all my life - but I have been for a good few years now... but it is not killing me - and I can see I am making progress from week to week.

the way it works is that you download the podcasts - Laura - and load it onto a mobile audio-playing device of some description - and she tells you when to run and when to stop - a bit like having your own personal trainer... (occasionally she says you are doing "great" - though, how she knows that, I am not sure...)

anyway - as I said - your taxes have paid for it - it is free!!! (there is also a very active forum attached where people talk about cramp and what to wear and how to deal with common injuries and stuff!)

all of these running gods and goddesses had to start somewhere!

http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k.aspx

[Gooner Girl]

Just got an email through about entry to the national cross country championships at Parliament Hill. Sounds from their website that last years event was a complete nightmare...

How so?

http://www.englishcrosscountry.co.uk/in ... 2&Itemid=9" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Have you run Parliament Hill in the past GtE or am i getting confused with someone else?!

[Prufrock]

ok...

I figured there might be others reading this thread who (like me) are frankly boggled by the idea of a 10mile "recovery" run - or the idea of running 5K in under 3 hours... never mind running up and down hills - or adding swimming and cycling to the mix!!

so - I have summat to recommend.

the NHS "Couch to 5K" program. (It's free - your taxes have paid for it!!!)

the idea is to take you from "couch" (ie - total slobdom) to being able to run for 30mins (or about 5K) in 9 weeks of exercise.

you run 3 days a week - and each week it goes up a notch. (for the first week you only run in 1min bursts with 90secs of recovery walking in between!) I am just starting week 5 - which has me running for 3 or 4 bursts of 5mins with 3min recovery walks in between)

in other words - it is gently graded through the weeks....

I can recommend it - because the missus is on week 8 - and had actually NEVER run for more than 5 minutes in her entire life until she started the program - now she is comfortably running for 29mins non-stop.

(I have some catching up to do...)

I DID have a little background fitness - I haven't been a slob all my life - but I have been for a good few years now... but it is not killing me - and I can see I am making progress from week to week.

the way it works is that you download the podcasts - Laura - and load it onto a mobile audio-playing device of some description - and she tells you when to run and when to stop - a bit like having your own personal trainer... (occasionally she says you are doing "great" - though, how she knows that, I am not sure...)

anyway - as I said - your taxes have paid for it - it is free!!! (there is also a very active forum attached where people talk about cramp and what to wear and how to deal with common injuries and stuff!)

all of these running gods and goddesses had to start somewhere!

http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k.aspx

The greatest thing that can be said for it is it has got Charlie Brooker running!

[Gary the Enfield]

Just got an email through about entry to the national cross country championships at Parliament Hill. Sounds from their website that last years event was a complete nightmare...

How so?

http://www.englishcrosscountry.co.uk/in ... 2&Itemid=9" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Have you run Parliament Hill in the past GtE or am i getting confused with someone else?!

Aaaaah! That was the National x-country championship at Alton Towers, not the Masters or SEECC which is at Parliament Hill, Hampstead. PH is ALWAYS hellish.

I have run PH for the last 3 years and it it an unremitting, unforgiving 15k of the hilliest, boggiest, coldest terrain I have ever run. It's a three lap course with a field of national (and international) class athletes and I always find myself starting my 3rd lap when the winners are reciving their medals. I'm not alone either.

I hate it. I will, however, probably be doing it again this year.