Going Down to Liverpool to Not do the County Champs

This weekend it was the county championships. I’ve done the counties many times before, mostly in Surrey, sometimes in the East District of Scotland and for the last two years in Cheshire. I’ve been reasonably successful in all of them but this year I decided I wasn’t interested.

The main reason was that I was concerned that running too much on mud would be detrimental to my achilles and, whilst it’s pretty much fixed, I have been training hard lately and it has started to ache a little. Had there been a Salford team in Cheshire or were my origins Greater Manc or Lanc then there would have been pretty much nothing that would have stopped me turning out but as the lone Salford Harrier in the Cheshire champs it’s a lonely place to be when you’re in pain. Too many years of running as the sole Herne Hill Harrier in Scotland and the North West meant I had very little interest in the event this year. True, for the last couple of years I’ve had good runs and been 2^nd M45 in Cheshire, it’s possible I could have made it three in a row or even gone one place higher, but we’ll never know now.

It was however good to see my colleagues and ex-colleagues doing so well in their respective champs; Tom Cornthwaite and Gary Priestley were 1^st and 2^nd in the Lancs, Joe Bailey took 2^nd in the Greater Mancs with Salford taking 1^st team. Back in Surrey it was good to see my old clubs doing well; Herne Hill Harriers took silver in the mens event with Belgrave bronze, also getting bronze in the womens event.

I do enjoy the counties, hopefully I’ll be much stronger next year and will feel more inclined to take part, especially if they move it back past 16 Jan so I’ll be fresh in the M50s instead of hanging on the the M45s, not that the M50s will be a pushover.   

Talking of old clubs it was with some surprise and a great deal of sadness that I heard, this week, of the death of one of the stalwarts of Surrey athletics, Stan Allen. I was only with Herne Hill Harriers for about seven years so I don’t feel qualified to say much about Stan’s athletic or club activities but like any athlete of my era, I knew Stan and Stan knew me. When I first met Stan I was a Belgrave Harrier and there was a bitter rivalry between the teams. Despite my twenty three years shared between the clubs I never really got to understand why this was and it almost stopped me from joining Herne Hill when I did, for fear of upsetting people at Belgrave, in the end I decided my future was more important than people getting upset over triviality. Despite this rivalry I personally always had a good relationship with members of Herne Hill Harriers, though it was a bit shaky with Geoff Jerwood for a while when he pushed me off the track in a sprint finish – getting back on the track and beating him that day was justice enough. With Stan I was for a while, during the early days, on the back foot, partly because of the club rivalry and partly because I didn’t fully appreciate his sense of humour, but over the years we both showed our endurance for our respective clubs and I found myself in races being cheered on by Stan, unless there was a Herne Hill Harrier nearby. Mutual respect brought us closer together and when I decided it was time to join Herne Hill, Stan was one of the first to welcome me onboard. Sadly my move to Edinburgh meant my contact with Stan was more correspondent than social, but he was a big man in a big club. All clubs can lay claim to people who stand out in the club, but Stan was more than this and his influence on athletics was evident by the many messages I’ve read on facebook. And that’s all I’m going to say, other than, next Saturday’s Surrey League match is set to mark the 125^th anniversary of Herne Hill Harriers, but it’s now a poignant reminder to one of Herne Hill’s greatest. I wish I could be there to help remember him but my thoughts will fly with you.

One of my favourite photos of Stan by Ray O'Donaghue, shows his loyalty to both club and family.

So because I told Carole I wasn’t racing this weekend she seized her opportunity and booked us in to see a pantomime in Liverpool. Yes pantomime that’s right. I used to love pantomimes, but we’re talking 40 odd years ago, I’ve kind of grown out of them a little since then, but Carole did explain it was a Rock n Roll panto, so I happily went along. To make it more worthwhile we decided to make a weekend of it and stay over. Naturally it was training first and I was flying in my run on Saturday morning, made me wonder if I should’ve entered the Cheshires afterall, but luckily I can carry that form over to something else. Then it was off to Liverpool to book into the hotel and wander. We visited the Liverpool museum, which was fascinating, a quick look at Liverpool 1 and back to the hotel to change for an early dinner at Alma de Cuba. The restaurant, along with the panto were recommended by some of Carole’s colleagues, and they were spot on. The food was great and the service matched it, mind you we were in at 17:00 so hardly busy. Then it was off to the theatre to pick up the tickets and enjoy, unfortunately not having the tickets in our hands meant Carole forgot which theatre we were due at, so we found ourselves at a theatre the other end of Liverpool. Luckily Liverpool isn’t that big and we made it back to the correct theatre (thank goodness for mobile phones) in time to get a drink in before the curtain went up. It was Aladdin at the Liverpool Playhouse and straight away I could tell I was going to enjoy myself, rock music, though some was a little suspect, childish jokes and a cast that was having so much fun it made me wish I was an actor. I even got up from my seat, waved my hands in the air when asked and sang along to some classic rock. What a great night. The next morning we were up and out for a run along the Mersey, not the most exhilarating run but at least I was running along a promenade rather than limping like last time we went away. It was a dry run but after breakfast we were in the Tate gallery as the rain started to come down, it was horrible cold drizzle so we decided it was time to head home instead and watch Nottingham Forest play West Ham in the FA cup.

The weather has been particularly bad in the UK these past weeks, but we’ve been sheltered from the worst of it in Cheshire, the grounds soggy and it’s as windy as anywhere else but the flooding hasn’t affected us. It’s not stopped me running, in fact I’ve done some good sessions in the wind, just means I have more kit to wash each week as I layer up.  

I’m still deciding on my next course of action, from a running perspective, I think I might venture back onto a cross country course for my next race but after that I’m going to work out what’s best for me long term.

Written by Roger Alsop

www.rogeralsop.co.uk

I’ve Not Lost That Winning Feeling

No blog last week, it’s been a busy time and when I wasn’t working or training I was painting and cleaning. A week of virtually no leisure time which left me drained by the end of the week. I wasn’t even intending doing a parkrun on Saturday but Carole persuaded me as she enjoys getting up early on a Saturday morning and getting physical.

But before we get into the parkrun, some good news. Following my last blog, where I voiced my opinion on the team medal situation at the BMAF 5k, it appears they have now retrospectively added club team medals. This means Salford Harriers have once again won medals in all male categories; gold in the M35-44, M45-54 and M55-64 and bronze in the M65-74. Most importantly, for me, it means I have become a National Champion again, and also means I’ve been part of a National Championship winning team with all my clubs; Salford, Herne Hill and Edinburgh AC, with the exception of Belgrave, where I only picked up National silver. This one’s particularly pleasing as I’d only been back running for a few weeks, after my injury, and I was still having concerns about my achilles when I ran the race. But I’ve come through ok and it’s time to move forward. Mind you it could be a while before I receive my medal.

This Saturday, I could be found lingering around the start area for the Delamere parkrun, this time with my insect repellent covering my legs. I felt buoyant and reasonably confident that I’d get under 18 minutes on the course, despite the tiredness. As we waited for the start I chatted with a couple of Vale Royal athletes, Graham Miles and Steve Caldwell and I could tell that Steve was one to watch out for, he was also intending to break 18 minutes. When we set off I managed to make a faster than normal start but was still unable to give it everything and once again got left in the dust of those able to start faster. That initial 400m is up, down and uneven and always proves painful on my dodgy ankle. Luckily I’ve learnt to cope with the pain but it does slow me down a little. As I watched the lead runners pull away from me I was thinking that I might stay away from Delamere for a while until I build up my ankle. I reached the relative flat of the Mere path in 3^rd place but Steve had already made a determined effort at the front and was pulling away from second place. I settled into my pace and went past second and after Steve. There was nothing between us pace wise and the gap was proving difficult to close. As we got further into the race my strength started to come to the fore and I gradually reeled him in, then went past him to open up a small gap. But the race wasn’t over yet, Steve showed some reserve, he wasn’t going to just roll over and let an old man take his victory, he came back strong to catch me up again. Now it was a battle of minds! Since my comeback I’ve been running to get fit, this was the first time I’d actually been in a situation where I was competing for a win and it felt a bit alien. It would have been so easy to just give in and let Steve take the win, but that’s not what I preach, or practice. The easiest option is always to give in, but take the harder option and it’s a lot more satisfying. With that thought in my mind I focused on getting my first Delamere win. Raising my tempo a little was enough to create another gap but I sensed Steve wasn’t going to give in so I had to keep that tempo going all the way home. It was tough being back at the front and trying to set a pace that would see me stay there to the end, particularly as we went uphill, but I did it, another parkrun win at another venue. But the best thing about that run was that I now feel competitive again. Sure I’m still a little slow and I’d struggle to beat the best in my age group but I’m gradually getting fitter and I’ve got that desire to win again. I realise it’s too late to do much about getting my speed up for the summer so I’ve switched into strength training mode, ready for the cross country, oh dear that means Boggart Hole Clough!

It wasn’t just me in action this weekend, Ray and Sharon were also running, Ray pacing his son round, and Carole ran another consistent time around the course. Onto cycling, nothing to do with the Tour de France, one of my clients was taking part in a time-trial over 52 miles on Sunday. He’d been looking at 2 hours 30 minutes but ended up with 2 hours and 6 minutes. He’s been coming on well for some time but that shows we’ve been focusing on the right things in our sessions.

These past few weeks I’ve been working with a group of lads and lasses from the Round Table. They contacted me to do them a one off session and ideas for activities to help them prepare for their three peaks challenge. The session was successful and they booked me in for a regular once a week session, which recently became twice a week. They’re a great bunch, we have a good laugh and, naturally, I make them work hard. This week they’re off to do their challenge so I wish them luck. Over the weeks I’ve seen them all improve in fitness and strength but it’ll still be a tough challenge for them.

I’ve mentioned previously that I was contacted by a journalist with regards to older people running. The feature he’s written is in this month’s Runners World (UK edition - not sure if it’ll go global). I haven’t seen it yet but friends have told me it’s quite good. The one drawback being that somebody mixed up the pictures and I have the picture of a man in his 60’s attributed to me, whilst he gets to look quite good for his age, having my picture attributed to him. I’m sure it’s no big problem, people may be surprised when they meet me for the first time but mistakes happen and nobody died as a consequence. The magazine have apologised and are even sending me some new trainers to make up for it, so I’m looking forward to them arriving as my step up in mileage is wearing into my current crop of trainers.

Written by Roger Alsop

www.rogeralsop.co.uk

Just Like Starting Over

When I first started running I had no concept of how fast I could go, so I always started too fast. Luckily my original focus was the 800m, so when I started to struggle that horrible feeling of pain didn’t last too long, though I do have recollections of my first 800m race and that pounding in my head that just wouldn’t stop. When I started running longer distances I’d learnt my lesson and so I would start the races more cautiously. As I had no ambitions to win these longer races I never felt like I was missing out by not being involved in the tussles at the front, but the benefit I received was that as the race progressed so did I, passing numerous people as they started to suffer. It was a great feeling and very encouraging too, for me not those I passed.

As I became a better runner I could no longer afford to take the cautious approach, if I wanted to win I had to get in the mix from the off, even so I’ve been continuously surprised by a number of people who’s ambitions far exceeded their ability, particularly the man in full tracksuit who led the Derby 10k for 200m and then finished about 20 minutes behind me, perhaps the photographers stationed at 180m had something to do with that.

Getting older has meant I’m no longer in that position where I’m fighting for out and out race wins, even if I sometimes surprise myself, so my starts have been a bit more sedate, often I’m well back in the field before over exuberance takes effect and I leave a trail of youngsters in my wake as the race progresses. But, having just started back with two parkruns since my achilles injury, I find myself back where I was 24 years ago. Starting slowly and coming through the field.

It’s not that my heart and lungs can’t go any quicker, nor any lack of ambition on my behalf, it’s just that the ankle area is particularly stiff at the start of a race, perhaps a rolling start behind a safety car or bike might help. It takes me a few minutes before the joint eases up and I start to run normally, rather than limping along, and by the time I’ve got into my stride the head of the field is well away.

This situation won’t last forever, every day I’m able to run faster for longer, the pain in my ankle area gets less and less and my fitness levels increase. But while I’m in this situation I’m enjoying passing people in races, perhaps if I was running 10ks rather than 5ks I might pass more people. One day I hope to be back challenging at the front of the field, particularly against my age group peers, but until that day watch out for a barely out of breath Rog coming past you, just when you thought you’d banished him to the archives.

Last weekend it was the Hollins Green 5k, one of my favourite races, where I’ve always featured highly in the results, since I first ran it in 2010. It was too soon in my racing recovery to put myself on the start line for that, but I notice the Green brothers, from Warrington, had good runs, particularly Andy who finished 1^st M50 in a sub 16 clocking. Instead I chose to try out the Delamere parkrun, where I finished 5^th in 18:39. Still a long way off my best but a 46 second advance on the much easier Edinburgh parkrun I ran the previous week, admittedly I wasn’t encumbered with any kind of costume or carrying a wand this time. The better news was that my ankle survived an uneven course and I was able to train at sub 7 minute mile pace the following day.

Speaking of costumes, my old New Zealand pal, Paul Coughlan, ran a half marathon last week, dressed as a giraffe. I always thought it possible Paul had issues with his height, perhaps that’s why he’s so loud, but this might be taking things a bit far.

Recently I’ve been advising other runners by phone, email, text and by providing training schedules. I have allowed myself to run with some of my slower clients and jogged with Lee on his recoveries, but tonight I’m ready to throw my hat into the ring and venture out on my first training session, for months, with Ray. At last I feel I will be able to keep up with him and justify my place alongside him. Shortly I’ll be running my first proper race, don’t expect any miracles but I’m looking forward to wearing the Salford red & white with pride.    

Written by Roger Alsop

www.rogeralsop.co.uk

Am I Nearly There Yet?

This week has been a particularly encouraging week for me, in fact I’m more than encouraged by the progress I’ve made, I’m amazed. For 10 weeks I had suffered the torment of not being able to run and then last Monday I was given the all clear to start again. I had tried to jump the gun four days previously but realised I wasn’t quite ready. Last Monday night I set out on my first, tentative, attempt to run. For 5 minutes I shuffled through the streets of Northwich, feeling like a pantomime dame with his feet tied together. It was slow, it was painful, and I was embarrassed. After that I thought it would be a long time before I found my running feet, and yet, yesterday, only 8 days on, I ran for 60 minutes over the undulations of Tatton Park. How was this possible, considering the extent of my injuries? Well here’s how I got from where I was to where I am now. It’s not a glamorous story, rather a patient torment and not giving in to the doubts.

Day 1 – Monday 29 April. Today I went to the physio, we talked, she prodded, and at the end of the session she told me to start running again, gently. I went home and later that day I set off on my first 5 minute run. I’ve already said how it went but I was running so tense, just waiting for the achilles to go again. My ungainly attempt didn’t leave me feeling any encouragement and I was left wondering if it was still too early.

Day 2 - Tuesday 30 April. This morning I was working in the gym, but before I started working with my clients I went for a 10 minute run. Surprisingly it felt a little better. I was still a little tentative, a little tense, and a little ungainly but I managed 10 minutes, a little faster than yesterday. When I was coming back from my last injury I started this way but ran twice a day with the aim of accelerating the recovery. It’s a risky method but I decided I was going to try it again, so this afternoon I went out for a further 15 minute run. Again it was faster, further and a little less ungainly. This was the moment where I started to believe I could get back, I just wasn’t sure when.

Day 3 – Wednesday 1 May. Maintaining the daily mantra of further and faster each time today I managed a 20 minute run and a 25 minute run. Still a little painful as I ran but no repercussions afterwards.

Day 4 – Thursday 2 May. Saw me working with Lee Riley. He was doing track work but there was no way I would be able to run 70 odd second laps, so I confined myself to jogging with him during his recoveries. I actually found this run really hard, perhaps it was the accumulation or maybe it was just the stopping and starting, which kept stiffening my leg muscles. I was finding out, during my running, that I was stiff for the first 5 or 6 minutes but then my ankle would loosen up and I could run properly. I decided I would call it a day with the one run today, but then I changed my mind and went out for a 37 minute run in the evening. That was a big breakthrough. During that 37 minutes I felt more like a runner than at any other run this week, things were starting to come together, I was floating along nicely, ok a little heavier footed and a lot slower than normal but I felt like I was broaching the 20 minute 5k barrier.

Day 5 – Friday 3 May. Having made it past the 30 minutes yesterday it was now time to cut back to one run a day, but make it longer, so this morning it was 45 minutes. Again a little faster but I was still experiencing a little pain. I was still so concerned about overdoing it, yet at the same time fighting to get fit for the BMAF Relays. All the tensing was making all my muscles ache and I was breathing a lot heavier than I should be for such a pace. I still felt like progress was being made so I was looking forward to tomorrow’s run.

Day 6 – Saturday 4 May. Carole and I had decide to spend the Bank Holiday weekend out of the country, for some reason we’d chosen Cardiff. Of course, when we’d decided, I wasn’t running, but now I was back into a rhythm and I didn’t want it to stop. We were going to head off early morning so I got up earlier for a run. My body was so stiff I decided if I ran now it would more than likely set me back, maybe I might do something in the afternoon. We got into Cardiff just after 12:00 and spent the afternoon discovering the town. I’ve been to Cardiff before in 1998, for the Inter-counties cross country champs, but then it was a case of bus up from London, race, bus back to London, so I never really got to see the place. I knew it had been developed a fair amount since then but I was surprised with how nice a city it was. Excellent shopping and restaurants/bars, all very close together, and Bute Park (where I had raced before) was a really pleasant park to walk around. Unfortunately all the walking made me feel a little stiff, so I decided to play the rest day card and went for a swim instead.

Day 7 – Sunday 5 May. It was a beautiful morning, perfect for a run in the park, and that was our intention. Before breakfast we were going to run up to the park together, about 4 minutes away, then I was going to leave Carole and try to pick up the pace. But within a minute I was feeling awkward, trying to run at Carole’s pace was putting too much pressure on the achilles so I decided to leave her and run on at my pace, solely concentrating on my own form. Another couple of minutes and I still felt like I was running awkward and I was feeling pain around the achilles. On the verge of giving in and walking back to the hotel, I decided to keep going at least to the entrance to the park, and then suddenly the pain eased. As I entered the park I started gradually increasing the pace. I was nervy, still a little tense, and not at my most comfortable, but I felt better at a better pace than I’d done all week. Not having a garmin I can’t be absolutely sure of my pace but it felt similar to how I’d run in Germany, when I ran a 17:37 5k. I had planned to only run for 30 minutes but in the end I tagged a bit on and did 38, not a huge difference in normal terms but significant enough when you’re on the comeback trail. I felt great afterwards and, thankfully suffered no repercussions. After breakfast we decided to pop out of Cardiff, into the countryside, and visited Dyffryn Gardens. With it being such a nice sunny day it was relaxing to stroll through the grounds and sit in the sun reading the Sunday paper.

Walking was just the thing I needed to enable the leg muscles to keep working and stretching. After a while we returned to the hotel and walked down to the Cardiff Bay Area. I’d heard it had been developed and was interested to see it, but I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so crowded, all the bars and restaurants were chocka. Admittedly the warm weather and the fact that they were setting up a stage for a concert, to celebrate Cardiff City FC’s Championship victory, probably made it busier than usual but it was a nice place to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon. We walked over the barrier towards Penarth and back again, returning to the hotel, where, because it was still warm and sunny, we plonked ourselves on some seats and enjoyed a couple of beers, whilst we waited for the Cardiff City FC bus to drive past, spraying spectators with champagne, whilst one of it’s occupants belted out a karaoke rendition of champione.

Day 8 – Monday 6 May. We were due to leave Cardiff and head home but first the small matter of today’s run. Uplifted by yesterday’s run I decided the time was right to start my speed work and decided on my old favourite the 1,2,3. This time I left Carole at the hotel door and set off on my own. I felt good all the way to the park and was ready to put in some efforts. The first one felt really awkward and slow, I really wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing but I persevered and by the time I was on my 3^rd rep I was feeling more comfortable. I still wasn’t able to go as fast as I’d like to but I was running like a proper runner again. 38 minutes later I was back at the hotel feeling pretty happy with myself. Then it was breakfast and the drive back home.

On the way home we visited Tredegar House and Country Park. This was the scene of Herne Hill Harriers BMAF Cross Country relay victory in 2005, when we surprised the mighty Bristol & West. I hadn’t been back since but the start and finish area still seemed familiar to me and I recalled Dave Robinson flashing past the house to bring us the championship ahead of Bristol & West’s Nick Rose. Oh happy days. Then it was back home and a chance to sit in the garden before the sun went down.

Nice setting for a race, especially when you win.

Day 9 – Tuesday 7 May. A busy day at work but in between client sessions I managed to find the time to do a 60 minute run. It wasn’t as fast as I’d done in Cardiff, but it was over the undulations of Tatton Park. By now the pain around my achilles was becoming minimal and I decided to try another quality run tomorrow.

Day 10 – Wednesday 8 May. I made a big decision last night, today I was going to run my fartlek course. This morning I did it, still not at 100% effort but a little faster over an intense course. Just a slight niggle around the achilles but nowhere near as bad as it’s been this last week. Now I’m really starting to feel confident and can’t wait to try it out in a proper race. Tomorrow is the Mow Cop Killer Mile, but I think it’s too soon, so I’ll leave that for Lee to smash. The big question is no longer can I get round a stage of the masters relay, it’s can I get round fast enough to justify a place in the Salford team. The body is definitely moving more freely, I’m getting faster all the time and I feel that it’s the stiffness rather than my lung capacity that’s holding my speed back. Once I’m clear of pain and stiffness I’ll be able to really turn on the taps and push my lungs to their limit.

       

While I’ve been hiding out in a pair of cycling shorts those that can have been running. One guy in particular just seems to be getting better and better the older he gets, Kerry- Liam Wilson, one of my Scottish rivals from Ronhill Cambuslang seems to be winning everything put before him and last weekend set a pb over the marathon 2:27.20, at Belfast, pretty impressive for a 42 year old, earlier in the week he’d run a 5k pb of 15:02, possibly even more impressive. Well done Kerry, hope to catch up with you soon.

Written by Roger Alsop

www.rogeralsop.co.uk

The National 12 Stage

Last weekend it was National Road Relay day, in this event there are 12 stages for men and 6 for the women. The 6 stage legs are all the same length, same as the men’s short stage,  whereas the 12 stage alternates between long (5.38 miles) and short legs (2.99 miles), the 1^st leg being long and the last being short. As regular readers will know I love relay events and naturally I have a 12 stage history. It’s one of those events where I’d have loved to have been in the winning team, I got close, agonisingly close, alas no cigar.

Running for a club of Belgrave’s calibre and history, they were 12 stage champions in 1934, 1935, 1936, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951, medalists in 1930, 1932, 1933, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1969, it was baffling to see their lack of success during my early years at the club. Clearly the club was full of fantastic athletes in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s and the 60’s didn’t look too bad either but what happened from 1970 onwards? The club I was in seemed to have numerous internationals within it and yet it seemed almost impossible to get everybody out together for the big events. On the one occasion that this occurred they won the Southern 12 Stage relay, in 1990.

Of course in those early days I didn’t really know much about these relays, it was fun to watch the Southern 12 Stage on Wimbledon Common but I wasn’t good enough for the team so I had no illusions about making the National squad. Funnily enough, due to lack of interest, I got my call into the National squad before I got called into the Southern squad, but the call came too late, I had other plans. So I made my debut at Sutton Park, the same year I made my Southern debut, the year the Southern 12 Stage moved from Wimbledon to Thurrock, 1993.

1993 was the year of my breakthrough but it’d been a ‘nothing special’ winter. Coming into the Southern 12 Stage I was handed a long stage and ran solid enough to seal a place in the National event. Come the National event we had some good runners but we weren’t going to set the world on fire so my coach told me to request an early short stage. There were two reasons behind this, eight days later I was competing in the Surrey 10000m and a three mile leg would give my legs a good workout without taking too much out of me and early in the race I would have other runners around me enabling me to race rather than time trial. The manager allowed me to run 2^nd leg and I was to take over from Steve Halliday, a 1500m specialist who had run the 4^th fastest long leg in the Southern event. I was expecting a lot from Steve and pictured myself being handed over to somewhere near the front. Steve was in the lead for a while but it appears he went off course and lost a good chunk of time. As runner after runner handed over in front of me I started getting concerned, perhaps something had caused Steve to drop out! But then Steve appeared and handed over to me in 18^th position. I ran a pretty good leg, 14:40, but only managed to pull back 3 places. Still I was happy with my run, which proved to be our fastest short stage, on the day, and remains my fastest time around the circuit. With Steve’s incident, Kassa Tadessa was our fastest long stage, 22 seconds faster than Steve. Notably our 2^nd fastest short stage was former Commonwealth Games silver medallist, John Gladwin, with 14:50. Shaftesbury Barnet were the winners on the day, with a team that included my, current, Salford team mate, Paul Simons. Belgrave finished in 35^th position.

In 1994 I managed to get a short stage at the Southern 12 Stage and blessed with my favoured 2^nd leg I brought Belgrave home in 2^nd place, managing to run the day’s 12^th fastest short stage. Things were looking good and I was keen to get another short stage at the National event, once again the manager obliged. Sadly Steve had now given up competing so it was Kassa who was our lead off man. Kassa had real talent but even I was surprised when Kassa came storming up the hill in 1^st position. Some people hate this scenario, and I can understand why as it is a pressure situation, being at the front of a race knowing faster people will be hunting you down, but I love it. Put me in the lead and I’ll do my best to maintain position, which is what I did here, for about 5/6 of the course. Morpeth’s International, Terry West, caught me with about a mile to go but, instead of going past me, he just sat on me. This was a surprise as I’m sure he was capable of pulling away, perhaps he’d given so much to get up to me or didn’t know who I was so didn’t want me to sit on him and kick past at the finish. Whatever reason, we ran hard together along the bottom section before we turned into the hill, then he went for it, leaving clear space between us. I came in 2^nd, having run 14:43, which was 10^th fastest for that stage and Belgrave’s 2^nd fastest short stage, behind Darren Mead’s 13:49 (2^nd fastest of all). Kassa had run the 9^th fastest long stage of the day but with our next fastest long stage being two and a half minutes slower we understandably drifted down the field to finish 34^th, still an improvement on last year’s position and, more importantly, I’d been given a taste of what it was like to lead the National 12 Stage and I wanted more. Swansea Harriers, after three consecutive 3^rd places were winners this time.

In 1995 we finished 31^st in the Southern 12 Stage and failed to qualify for the National event. This was the only Southern 12 Stage I missed between 1993 and when I left Belgrave, in 2005. The National event was won by Blackheath.

In 1996 I was in great form for the relays. I ran a very good long stage in the Southern event and was looking forward to the National, even tempted to try a long stage this year. Unfortunately other’s weren’t as keen as me and we failed to turn out a team. Bingley were this year’s champions.

In 1997, despite recovering from a strained heart, I ran Belgrave’s fastest long stage at the Southern event, but once again, despite qualifying, we failed to send a team to the National event. The year Salford won the championship.

1998 was the last time the Southern 12 Stage was located at Thurrock. I went out with a good short stage. But once again we qualified yet failed to send a team to the National event, won by Birchfield. I’ll admit I was getting a little frustrated, I loved running in the big events but we’d consistently failed to turn out teams for the National 12 Stage and the Southern and National 6 stage. I considered joining another club but my coach talked me out of it. Then I got injured, thought it was the end of running for me and took the rest of the year off.

Having started back running in December, I was surprised how quickly I got back to reasonable fitness in 1999. I managed to make the Southern 12 Stage team, on a short leg, at the new course in Milton Keynes. I think we surprised a few people by taking silvers. We had almost a complete new team, many of whom had arrived whilst I was injured. This brought a new atmosphere to the club, we were no longer a club that wasn’t interested in major championships, we now believed we could make a difference in them. Nevertheless, come the National event a number of the Southern team were missing and we finished 31^st. Still at least we were there and we’d improved on our position from last time we were there, but there was still work to be done before we could get into the top 10. My 15:08 short stage, once again on stage 2, showed how much fitness I’d lost through injury, but I was still good enough for Belgrave’s 3^rd fastest short stage, behind Mark Miles (13:49) and Kassa Tadessa (14:50). This was Tipton’s year.

More newcomers joined before the 2000 event and it was getting harder for me to make the team. Only a bronze medal at the Southern event but we improved dramatically at the National, finishing in 17^th. I was still on short stage duty but this time on leg 6. My 14:59 was an improvement on last year and meant I was Belgrave’s fastest short stage runner. It was Salford’s win this year.

The 2001 Southern 12 stage at Milton Keynes provided us with more medals as we once again took the bronze. I was on 1^st long stage duty and ran one of my best legs, despite having my heels constantly clipped by the WSEH B runner. I don’t know if it was deliberate, but it was a bit annoying and went on far longer than you’d expect for an accidental kick. Leading up to the National event we were all excited, all the top Belgrave runners wanted to turn out and we thought we could win. I wasn’t sure I’d make the team but I did with one place to spare. It was a difficult decision as to who our 12^th man would be and when the decision was made it was tough for the number 13 runner. Two days before the big day, Paul Evans pulled out. Frustrating but we still had a great team. Unfortunately our original reserve couldn’t make the trip so we had to put number 14 in instead, but there was so little between numbers 11-13 any two of us could have made the team.

Kassa was back in the team and took 1^st leg duty, but unbeknown to us he was not 100%. Despite being up with the leaders he had to stop repeatedly to vomit and trailed in a lowly 35^th, 2 minutes 16 seconds behind the leaders. That’s a big gap but not insurmountable. Richard Ward, Paul Freary, Rick Hayman, Justin Chaston and Kevin Nash gave their all for Belgrave and at half way we were up to 4^th place and only 49 seconds behind the leaders. Mark Miles was our next man out and he ran the fastest long stage of the day to arrive at the handover in 1^st place. I’d given up my favoured 2^nd leg for our younger runners but that meant I was in my favourite position, 1^st place. I’d never felt pressure like it, we were leading the 12 stage with only 4 stages to follow mine and I was only 10 seconds ahead of Tipton’s Seb Shepley. While we were waiting to start I heard Bud Baldaro telling Seb how to beat me, but that didn’t bother me, it just made me more determined not to let the team down. Three miles later on I handed over to Spencer Barden, the relief was enormous, I’d done my bit and hadn’t let the team down, in fact I’d increased our lead over Tipton to 21 seconds (I ran 15:06). With Spencer, Rob McHarg and Alaster Stewart we arrived at the 12 leg still in the lead, 35 seconds ahead of Tipton. This was just what Lee Hurst was waiting for, he’d been thinking about how he should cross the finish line for the traditional front page photo on Athletics Weekly and surely a runner of his calibre wasn’t going to surrender a 35 second advantage. 15 minutes later it was all over, we finished 2^nd to Tipton, by 6 seconds. How could that happen, I still don’t understand it. I can only assume that the pressure I felt increased significantly with each leg. Lee was a great athlete, far better athlete than me, and in his prime but the weight of expectation must’ve been a heavy burden for him that day. It wasn’t all down to Lee, if we could each have pulled out another second on our legs we’d have been victors by 6 seconds. It was a disappointed Belgrave team that headed down the motorway but, despite that I was happy to be in possession of a National silver, I’d been around longer than most of the other guys and unlike the other long time Belgrave runners, Justin and Kassa, this was my biggest achievement to date. Sure I was disappointed but it was better than 35^th or not turning up. Besides my personal disappointment was still to come.

The following year manager, Alan Mead, was determined not to lose again. The team was strong and the win came, a victory of nearly six and a half minutes. Unfortunately for me I was the one who was in the position of consideration for the 12^th man alongside Charles Herrington and despite bringing the team home, on last leg, to our first victory in the Southern event for 12 years, it was Charles who got the nod. I’d been reserve in previous events and it’s not nice, I’m a doer not a watcher, but this time it was particularly galling knowing that I could have run minutes slower than I was capable of and still won a National gold, not that I would have run slow. It was a long day for me but I did get to run last leg for Redhill, understandable it wasn’t the same as running in the Belgrave team and my time of 15:18 shows that. To be honest it didn’t make up for missing the biggest day in my Belgrave life and I shouldn’t really have done that but hindsight is a great thing. I don’t blame anybody else for my lack of inclusion, I should have run better at the Southern event, though I ran a pretty good leg, it’s always tough to make those decisions and there is always somebody who is going to miss out, it just so happened, on this occasion it was me. At the age of 37 it made me realise I’d had my opportunities for Belgrave and it was unlikely I’d ever make the 12 stage team again, so I made the decision that next year I was going to run the London Marathon.

2003 and we won the National 12 Stage again. Once again I was, surprisingly, in the running for a place. The marathon training had brought me into some good form and I’d had my best run in the Southern event, bringing the team in 7^th on leg 1. But with the team we had available for the National it wasn’t good enough and I was once again travelling reserve. Yes it hurt, but after last year I’d written myself off so the pain wasn’t quite as bad.

At the grand old age of 39 I was surprisingly back in the team for our 2004 challenge. I wasn’t even in the running for the Southern event until I shocked everybody by winning the Wimbledon 10k in a 31:56 clocking. That gave me a short stage for the Southern event and I duly ran my fastest short stage at the event. Come the National and I was in the team, another short stage, but as I’d proven I could hold my nerve it was down at leg 10. I took over more than a minute and a half behind leaders, and eventual winners, Aldershot and 3 seconds behind, eventual bronze medallists, Salford. I made no headway, my old training partner and friend, Kevin Quinn, pulled Aldershot further ahead and Duncan Mason took Salford a further 3 seconds clear of us as my 15:15 was the best I could muster. We eventually overhauled Salford and I became a twice silver medallist.

And that was the end of my National 12 Stage career to date. The following year I switched to Herne Hill Harriers and never made it into their National 12 stage squad. Now at Salford I would have been in their squad, not really sure if I’d have made the A team, who went on to finish 3^rd in the Northern champs (run in conjunction with the National event this year, due to earlier cancellation) but I definitely would have made the B squad. And who should surprise everybody with a win this year, my old team Belgrave, much changed from the team I last ran in, to be expected after 9 years.

     

This week sees the London Marathon. This year I only have one athlete I have trained for this event, but I have a lot of friends who will be running it, so good luck to all of you, run well and enjoy this special occasion. Of course it’s not been the best preparation for a marathon, following the awful events in Boston last Sunday and ongoing as the hunt is on for the suspects.

As for my current status, with regards to running, I’m almost there, I’m at that difficult point where you keep feeling that it will be one more day and then it’s not quite right so it’s another day. This next week will probably try my patience more than the last eight, but patient I must be, even though my presence is requested at various races.

Written by Roger Alsop

www.rogeralsop.co.uk

Busy Doing Nothing, It’s A Pain In The Back

I like that song, reminds me of watching those old movies during my childhood, of course they weren’t so old then. For those who don’t know the song here’s the first verse:

WE'RE BUSY DOING NOTHING,

WORKING THE WHOLE DAY THROUGH.

TRYING TO FIND LOTS OF THINGS,

NOT TO DO.

WE'RE BUSY DOING NOTHING,

ISN T IT JUST A CRIME?

WE'D LIKE TO BE UNHAPPY,

BUT WE NEVER DO HAVE THE TIME

Simple but very truthful, I’ve met plenty of people who seem to be busy doing nothing.

Unfortunately it’s also how I feel about myself at the moment, I’m busy doing nothing, or rather I’m busy but unable to train. I’ve had a few issues with my back and hamstrings over the last couple of years and last Tuesday I was taken out of the game again with a back twinge. It seemed innocuous enough when it happened, a short sharp pain in the lower back and I stopped what I was doing, but it seems to be taking a long time to heal. It’s getting better day by day, but I just know by experience that it’s not quite right yet.

What caused it? I’m in absolutely no doubt that it has been caused by love, my love of cross country to be exact. Two weeks ago I was at Boggart Hole Clough slipping and sliding my way around one of the muddiest cross country courses I’ve been on. For four days following that experience I had aches in my lower back. One week ago, ache free, I ventured out to Leigh for another cross country race. This course was much more to my liking but there was a short section, a mini Boggart Hole Clough, that I struggled on and then just as I was making a long dash for the finish I slipped whilst taking a corner and nearly came a cropper, it’s that moment where I managed to keep my footing but clearly put undue pressure on my lower back that I believe is the culprit for my latest lay-off.

I’ve not done anything other than mobilisation and some mild back strengthening work and I had to miss making my debut at the Northern Cross Country Championships this Saturday. That was a bit annoying, but, judging by the reports I’ve heard and the pictures I’ve seen, was probably not a bad thing. Today, Monday, I was hoping I might be able to start jogging again, but the tell tale signs are still there and I need to be more patient. Maybe tomorrow, hopefully as I have two client fartleks booked on Wednesday. At least it’s only my running clients that have been affected, I’ve managed to work through with my gym fitness clients, even if it can be a bit painful at times.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard you train, these little incidents can catch you when you’re at a weak point. I’ll admit I have been negligent on my lower back exercises, I will do better. But don’t think that I’m giving up on cross country, my relationship with cross country is a bit like a marriage, we have our glory days, though they seem to be mostly in the past, we have our arguments, but at the end of the day we’ll still be together for better of worse – though I’m not making any promises of returning to Boggart Hole Clough this winter.

Thankfully Salford’s Men’s team didn’t suffer any consequences from my absence as they ploughed through the mud for 5^th place. The Ladies also acquitted themselves well with 7^th. My mate Ray, who had to drive up on his own, as I felt unable to stand around for a long period of time, also had a good run, making the scoring team for Chester Tri, in 528^th place.   

Hopefully next time I write I’ll be back doing what I do best. And to ensure I end on a positive, at least I missed running in some pretty horrible icy conditions. As I’ve often said, if you’re going to have an injury or an illness, at least have it when the weather’s rotten.

Written by Roger Alsop

www.rogeralsop.co.uk

The Nightmare On Boggarts Hole Clough

It was an, almost, unique weekend for me, on the rare occasions where I’ve raced on both days the shorter Saturday race has helped me to a good race on Sunday. However, just because it’s happened on those rare occasions, I don’t go out of my way to seek double race weekends. There has to be a compromise somewhere and I do try to put family first, sometimes. Having said that, my relationship with Carole has blossomed to the point that she no longer gets frustrated when I focus my whole day on a race. And it’s a change I’ve taken complete advantage of by choosing to race just about every weekend this winter. She has developed an understanding of my desire to race and is starting to incorporate herself into my race weekends rather than be opposed to them. She’s even starting to enjoy standing around in mud for 40 minutes whilst I slog my way around a cross country course, now that’s true love. Or is it? I receive a post from one of my Pennington Flash pals, Shelle Bradley, who stated that her husband had run a race alongside another lady but, instead of going through the finish line with the other lady, he had turned round and gone back for Shelle and shared her finishing time. Now if that isn’t true love I don’t know what is, but no matter how much I love Carole, there is no way I’m ever going to share her finishing time.

I hadn’t originally planned to race both days, I had thought the cross country race was on Saturday, luckily one of my Salford team mates reminded me the race was on Sunday. So this prompted the idea to go to the Congleton parkrun, on Saturday, after all it was time Carole ran it. I’d also persuaded one of my clients, Katy, to go along. I’ve always thought that Katy and Ray were about the same standard, now was a chance that I would be proven correct as Ray and Sharon were also planning to go along.

The week prior had been pretty dismal, weather wise, this, combined with the fact I had a busy gym week with clients, led me to do my quality sessions on the treadmill. It was great for getting my legs turning over faster as, despite warm ups, warm downs and recoveries between reps, I was comfortably running 10k in 35 minutes. But the down side is that treadmills make my calf muscles tighten and no matter how much I stretched or rolled them they were still a little tight on the Saturday morning, still it was only a parkrun, not that important, until Malcolm Fowler turned up!

I hadn’t wanted a hard run but there was no way I was going to let Malcolm get the better of me again. But it wasn’t Malcolm I had to worry about today as he damaged his hamstring somewhere around the course, I wasn’t aware at the time I just kept pushing to the finish as I knew Malcolm would pounce if I slowed and offered any sign of weakness. But the run was won by Tom Bush, another local rival. He and his wife, Olivia, just seemed to have a bit more pace than me, on the day, as I finished in 3^rd place.

Carole and Sharon both had good runs but as I jogged around after the finish I saw Ray and Katy coming towards the finish, neck and neck. My theory proved I was intrigued as to who would come in first, and then Katy kicked. With only 2 seconds between them I’m looking forward to lots more inter-client showdowns.

So Sunday and Boggarts Hole Clough was the setting for the Manchester Area Cross Country League. I’ve never been there before but I guessed it would be a tough course. Still it’s all good strengthening work for me. On arrival I started checking out the course but when it got a bit muddy I decided it could wait until the first lap. As I walked back to where all the athletes congregated I bumped into James Jackson, James and I competed against each other on many occasions in the Surrey League, back when we were youngsters, when James moved up North he joined Salford Harrriers, but he hasn’t run for them for some time. Looks like he’s rekindling his competitive spirit and thinking about getting back into the Masters running scene. It’ll be some team with my old rivals from London, James and Paul Simons, plus the current crop of talented oldies and the addition of my mate Rob Tudor. So look out for Salford.

Just before the start of the race I went for a short jog and ended up getting my left leg entangled in a bramble, as the bramble untangled itself it ripped some interesting patterns into my skin, brilliant 4 minutes to the start and I’ve got blood oozing out of my lower leg. This reminded me of my comeback race, three years ago, I was just heading to the start line of the National Cross Country Champs when some idiot ran his spikes down the back of my leg.

Then we were off and I was immediately swamped by a horde of faster starting runners. The first part of the course was winding through boggy grassland and I was caught in a big huddle of runners, having my pace dictated to me. I could see Graham MacNeil up ahead and about to pull a big gap on me, but I figured that three laps would pull me through the field. The 2^nd part of the course was through wooded trails, and this is where I got caught out. The trail was so narrow and twisty and yet covered in thick sticky mud, with tree trunks running through it. I was in danger of having my shoes sucked. This was real hell for me, I really struggled through this patch and it even stopped me dead at one point. Back to the first part of the course and I managed to get into my stride, the field having elongated. I was passing people all the way round here but dreading the muddy patch I now knew was coming. Second time around, although bad, I managed to navigate the tricky muddy part by adapting my style to that more akin to a ballerina (I don’t have the most attractive running style at the best of times but I was grateful Sid Sacks wasn’t here taking photos of me. Then it was onto the 3^rd lap and, although my legs were no feeling tired from all the races, training and ballet practice, I was still picking people off. As I navigated the mud this time round I remember thinking how horrible this was, I may not be a star cross country runner but I do enjoy it, however, frankly, this is one course I could never grow to love. I pushed hard towards the finish but had nothing left to sprint with at the end.

Despite what I thought was a bad run, I finished in my highest position in the league, 27^th and 2^nd M45. This is probably because loads of people didn’t turn up, having raced Boggarts Hole Clough before. I’m currently lying 2^nd overall in the M45 section. No chance of winning that as Rob Downs has won all the fixtures, but I do have a chance to slip down, the scoring is based on your best 3 races so I’m sure the likes of Ian Wetherall, Malcolm Fowler and Dave Lockett will have a say in that, they haven’t finished 3 races yet so the last race is crucial. With Dave missing out today it also gave me maximum points in the Salford Harriers cross country Masters champs. So I do have a chance to win that competition after all, but I’ll have to beat Dave to do so. Although I genuinely hated the course at the time, and probably for a couple of days after that’s actually the sort of thing that will make me turn up again, I can’t have a cross country course be the master of me, I have to master the cross country course. I’m not saying I’m in a hurry to return and I’m not promising I will be back, but don’t rule me out.

This week’s been quite interesting. On Monday I was interviewed by a journalist who is writing an article on older runners, for Runners World. I don’t know when it’s coming out, nor how much of what I said will make the final article. But it was an interesting chat. The other big event of this week is my birthday, today. And what treat did I line myself up with….a double fartlek, Katy in the morning and Ray in the evening. Thanks to everybody who has wished me a happy birthday and don’t let the cold snap get you down.

Written by Roger Alsop

www.rogeralsop.co.uk

Planning 2013

I’m not one for making new year’s resolutions, but the start of a new year is a good opportunity to look back over what has occurred the previous year and to decide what I’d like to achieve for this year. I’ve had some loose plans for a while, but now it’s time to start firming things up.

But first lets take a look back at 2012. This time last year I didn’t have much to look back on, despite winning a 10k, at the end of 2011, and 7 parkruns, 2011 had been my least successful year to date. But instead of letting this get me down I was determined 2012 was going to see me back winning medals. Straight away I was in the mix with a respectable 17^th in my first race of the year, and first cross country race for 10 months, at the Cheshire Cross Country Championships. I placed 2^nd in the M45 age group, which was good considering the depth of Masters talent in Cheshire, but the down sides were that there was only a medal for 1^st and I was about 2 minutes behind Ian Wetherall, who took the medal. Consistent training saw me gradually improve as I took more parkrun victories and then, in full flow of training for the European masters 10000m, I took my first medal in 19 months, a bronze at the Masters 5k championships. Still improving I took another bronze in the 5000m at the Masters track and field championships. All was looking good for the Europeans, but then disaster, I tore my hamstring, which put paid to any ambitions in Germany. However thanks to the physio and my own strengthening work I was back in action earlier than anticipated and, although far from my best, I managed 9^th place in the European Masters 5000m.

It was while I was injured I had time to reflect on my running over the last few years. I’d joined Herne Hill Harriers when I turned 40 because I thrive on team spirit, at the time Belgrave had no interest in Masters athletics but Herne Hill had a solid team of old men. When I joined it tipped the scales and Herne Hill’s Masters started winning national masters events. But less than a year later my work asked me to consider relocating to Edinburgh. It wasn’t a tough decision to make at the time, but it was tough leaving behind the team mates, other running friends and all the races I was familiar with. Whilst I retained membership of Herne Hill, and won a number of national medals with them, I was also able to represent a Scottish club, Edinburgh AC. This helped me to survive some dark times by using my training and racing as a means of keeping strong when other things weren’t going my way. But then came a further move, back to England, and back to my childhood county of Cheshire. Whilst I was still a member of Herne Hill I was unable to count with a more local club, and I didn’t want to leave Herne Hill because they were my mates and besides, with all the recent upheaval, I wasn’t altogether sure how long we’d be in Cheshire. There followed a tough three years of running very few times for Herne Hill and being the only Herne Hill runner in the races I entered. Despite that I didn’t feel too lonely as I soon managed to make friends with a number of runners from various local clubs. But the team spirit was missing from my life and the other thing I felt I needed to help me to improve was regular cross country. So in Germany I decided it was time to move on, to a more local club, but which one? I looked at Vale Royal, Sale, Altrincham, Salford and Wilmslow but it was Salford that stood out to me as the club I was most likely to settle into, even though they were the furthest away. So I left Herne Hill after seven good and successful years and joined Salford. So far it seems to have been a good decision for not only have I enjoyed being a member of Salford but I’ve been made welcome by a fantastic bunch of athletes and supporters and to cap it all won a BMAF silver as part of the cross country relay team. As we look forward, as a club, to 2013, there is the possibility of much more success for Salford and I want to be part of it.

Finishing off 2012 with half a cross country season and, in particular, tasting success at Derby, has left me feeling pretty confident about 2013. I know I’m not the best runner in Britain, in my age group, but I’ll always give my best and when I’m at my fittest I can be up with the best, also when I’m surrounded by team mates giving as much as me that makes us a strong unit.

The last few weeks of December saw a lack of cross country running for me, probably a timely break as too much can wear you down. I was anticipating a training consolidation period but then I ended up doing 3 parkruns. I’ve already mentioned, in a previous blog, that I turned up for the inaugural Congleton parkrun, well that was intended to be my last race of the year. But things don’t always work out and Ray twisted my arm to go along to week 2 at Congleton. I wasn’t really in the mood but a wet, windy, miserable and muddy parkrun was better than the alternative, a wet and windy hill session on my own. So what did I have to lose? The answer: my 2012 100% parkrun record as local M45 rival Malcolm Fowler turned up and took me to the cleaners. Well I’m not bothered about statistics, winning streaks will always come to an end and I certainly wasn’t going to lock myself up in a room for the rest of my life so I was never again beaten, but it was a bit disheartening to be beaten by another M45, even if it was by one of the best M45s around. At least Malcolm didn’t take my course record, though he sits above me on age grading, due to being a year older than me. The following week I turned up again for Congleton’s 3^rd parkrun, again I wasn’t intending to do so but Carole was keen to run one. As it turned out Carole was in bed sick with man flu but as I’d arranged to go with Ray I decided to go anyway. Once again Malcolm was there, which meant I had a challenge on my hands, much better than a lonely hill session. This time both of us got stuffed by a youngster from Stoke, who became the first sub 17 minute runner and took my course record from me. But I ran my fastest time around the course, retaining my M45 record, finishing a few seconds ahead of Malcolm, though Malcolm still retains the top position on the age graded league. Beating Malcolm was a timely boost to my confidence as I saw him as one of my main challenges for the M45 title in the Cheshire Cross Country Championships the following weekend.

On the way back from that parkrun Ray and I were discussing our goals for 2013, which turned out to have a number of similarities. This led to my thinking about what else could I add to our training to make our goals happen. Then it dawned on me, something I loved doing, was very effective, but I’d neglected for a number of years – fartlek. So the next day I purposefully went out and designed my own fartlek course, which starts close to my house and finishes close to Ray’s. 12 repetitions ranging from 40 seconds to just over 3 minutes, featuring 5 hills (in Cheshire!) and varying lengths of recovery, the shortest just 15 metres. I ran it hard that day and have since used it with one client. I ran it hard again today and I love it, can’t wait to try it out on Ray.

So onto my 2013 goals. Well the first one was to have a good run at the Cheshire Cross Country Champs. I felt I had a chance of 1^st M45, but so did others, including Malcolm Fowler, who’s name is listed more times than anyone else I know in the history of medal winning at the Cheshire Champs. The race took place last Saturday, at Reaseheath, a course that was 1/3 suitable for me and 2/3 not very suitable for me. But I wasn’t going to let that get in the way, I’m working on improving my cross country running and little by little I’m improving. I know I’ll never be a Mike Deegan but I can be a better Roger Alsop. Despite making a schoolboy error, thinking the start was 2:30 instead of 2:15 (thanks Ray for the timely reminder) I managed to get to the start line nice and relaxed. As we headed out I was nicely positioned alongside Malcolm, but with James Noakes (another M45) and the possibility of another M45 ahead of me I wasn’t going to focus solely on Malcolm, so when Dave Alexander, an M40 of some repute, went past me I tried to go with him. Into the muddy field and Malcolm came back past me, after that he pulled away to a convincing victory. I struggled to cope with the mud in those fields, during that first lap, and a group of runners containing Graham MacNeill, 1^st m50, James Noakes, Tom Bush and a couple of City of Chester guys (one of whom I think was M45 Duncan Harris), pulled a gap on me. I was on my own as I tried to find the best way through the mud.

It was hard work in those fields but towards the end of the lap we were back on firm ground and I got a little respite. Out of the woods I was still looking at a largish gap to the group in front of me. Malcolm was way ahead so it was a certainty M45 gold had gone, particularly with his cross country reputation. Knowing that last year there was only a medal for the age group winner I could easily have given up at this point but I wasn’t about to, I’m striving to improve in these conditions and the only way that is going to happen is if I work hard in my weak area. So I relaxed and pushed. It seemed to work, I was finding it much easier to plough through the mud, I still had the odd moment of instability but I appeared to be gaining on the group ahead. The gap was getting smaller and, upon reaching the firmer ground again, I got some extra vigour. I sailed past 3 of the guys before entering the woods, passed another couple just after the woods and soon there was only Graham MacNeill up ahead. Graham was going well and it took me a while to reel him in but he came in all the same. I had about half a lap to go, I wasn’t going to let anyone come back to me. No looking back, just forwards and push all the way. I maintained position, finishing 14^th, a disappointing minute behind Malcolm, but I felt like I’d managed to kick off a demon. With a little more work maybe I’ll make a cross country runner of me yet. Once again I was 2^nd M45 so went home without a medal, only to find out, that evening, that someone had decided to hand out other medals and there is a Cheshire M45 silver medal with my metaphorical name on it.

So with my first, almost success, out of the way what are my plans for 2013: I’ve still got a way to go on finding my cross country feet but I’ve some time and a number of races to go before the one that matters, the BMAF Champs. Two years ago I was 2^nd M45, what I’d give to beat that, but it won’t be easy (if it was easy we wouldn’t be doing it, is something I keep telling my clients, at least I practice what I preach). I’ve decided against the European indoors (too much going on at that time) and I’ll probably miss the track completely this year (though I might think differently about that later). I really want to help Salford to some national gold medals this year and I’m thinking about venturing into Europe for the non stadia championships. Other than that I think it’s time I did some 10ks and possibly a 10 mile or half marathon. With BMAF championships very much in mind, both for myself and Salford, I think that’ll keep me pretty busy. I’d also like to gain selection for England again.      

But with the hard training comes the possibility of injury and I’m conscious of a little niggle in my left knee, again. So better get those victories in before it goes again.

I should say well done to my Salford colleagues for all the success they had in Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Middlesex championships. Proving we are a great club of great athletes – we just need a few more in Cheshire.

Written by Roger Alsop

www.rogeralsop.co.uk

A Weekend of Two Races

This weekend I did a couple of things a little different to what I normally do on a weekend. Firstly, I raced both Saturday and Sunday. This is something I’ve only done twice before. Mind you it wasn’t the same as racing both races flat out as the 2^nd thing was that I paced a race. I’ve never, officially, paced a race before, though I was once asked if I would like to pace a group of runners in the Edinburgh 10k, I had to turn it down as I was working that day, so this was going to be a unique experience for me.

So as the title suggests, lets separate this blog into two parts and concentrate on Saturday first. On Saturday Salford were taking part in the 3^rd race of the Manchester Area Cross Country League. I’d run the first one, finishing 39^th and 5^th M45, but missed the second one due to my training trip to Spain. This weekend we were racing in Wythenshawe Park, a place I’ve not visited before. Heading off to the venue I was fairly confident that it would be less muddy than the Heaton Park course, but this illusion was quickly dismissed as I checked out the course, skipping through muddy sections followed by sections of waterlogged grass. There was also a stream crossing, I ‘m wary of stream crossings they always offer an opportunity for a catastrophe to occur. Despite the conditions, which were definitely not to my personal preference, I was feeling oddly confident. I’d perked up as the week progressed and was keen to make a more robust effort in this race than at Heaton Park.

Unfortunately, in the preceding Ladies race one of our Ladies had come a cropper at the stream crossing and had broken her wrist. But I didn’t let this get to me, when I’d surveyed the course I’d leapt over the stream like a gazelle and landed sure footedly. I lined up for the race, right on the front line, but there was no countdown, just the noise of the starter. I was caught mid jiggle (if you don’t know what that means, watch the video) and quickly swamped by a mass of athletes as we headed out on the short lap. I got into my stride and started picking my way through the field, I could see Graham MacNeil and Dave Lockett up ahead of me, both rivals for ‘old man of the week’. And then before I knew it there was a pile up as a group of runners went too wide and hit the tape. I’m sure one went a over t and I could see that Dave had been affected slightly. My poor start meant I had time to adjust my line to avoid becoming embroiled in that. Dave was quickly into his running and pulling away from me at a rapid rate. As I watched him vanish into the distance I waved goodbye to any chance of catching him in the Salford veterans standings for this year’s cross country championships. So I switched all my attention on Graham, it was time to win the battle of the ‘redheads going slightly white’.

As we continued on this first lap I seemed to be matching Graham but not making any headway on the distance between him and me. I was finding it tough as I slipped and slid around parts of the course, there was very little of it that was firm, but I kept my focus on Graham all the same. Despite the slipping and sliding I was making my way through the field and managed to pass my team mate Billy MaCartney on the way to the crowd area. Coming round the encircled crowd was a real fillip, hearing all the Salford mob, and even some of the Vale Royal mob, cheer me on is always uplifting and I seemed to find my stride again. As I crossed the start line, for the start of the first of the two larger laps, somebody shouted I was in 40^th position. Not bad I thought and quickly passed team mate Howard Mead to equal my position from the first match. Now I was on a MacNeil mission, can’t have him beating me, he’s over 50. Not only that but there were 3 Wilmslow runners, who all looked like they were masters, lined up ahead of me. They’re a strong masters club so I couldn’t afford to let all 3 finish ahead of me.

This was the lap we encountered the stream for the first time but I picked my spot and landed perfectly and up the other side without a hitch, just as another Wilmslow athlete came past me. I latched onto him and it was a good move as he dragged me round past his team mates and I’d got the better of Graham at last. I felt good but, hang on a minute, wasn’t that Dave up ahead. Still with a gap but it now seemed achievable, especially as I had this Wilmslow youngster helping with my pacing. Back round to the crowd and more cheering, I was still with the Wilmslow guy and Dave was getting closer. A few hundred metres later I’d pushed for it, seeing Dave up close I’d made my move to pass him, uttering some encouragement as I passed, after all he is a team mate. I also seemed to drop the Wilmslow guy but just before the stream crossing he’d gone back past me.

As we came to the stream the Wilmslow guy leapt and was away. My attempt was a little less graceful as I jumped like a buffalo shot mid flight by Bill Cody. I landed with my right foot ankle deep in mud and as I tried to move forward I fell forward smothering my knuckles in mud. By the time I scrambled back up the Wilmslow guy was long gone and I had a group of runners, including Dave, hot on my tail. I got back into my stride and pushed for home. Entering the woods I took a sneak back to see where Dave was and nearly missed the turn, but once out of the woods it was plain sailing, although I did have a fast finishing Tom Bush hunting me down. I finished 29^th, 3^rd M45, and my win over Dave gives me a fighting chance in the Salford champs.

All in all I felt I ran well, the two M45s to finish ahead of me were over a minute clear of me but that doesn’t actually concern me as much as you’d think it would. I know there’s a lot more to come and the cross country is just a stepping stone for me. My victory over Dave was fortunate, I don’t think he was at his best on the day, but it does give me a little hope for the rest of this championship year. As a team we’d done well, but we can do better. Home for a shower, my kit was straight into the washing machine and it took me 20 minutes to get all the mud off my legs.   

It had been a reasonably mild day but overnight the temperatures dropped, far from perfect for an early morning start on Sunday. Sunday was the day I was due to pace Lee Riley to his 6^th world record as he tried to duck under 46:04 in the Wrexham 10k (carrying his 40lb pack). I was to be at Lee’s for 8:30 but as I scraped the ice off my windscreen and stretched my aching legs I wondered if I’d be any use to Lee at all and wouldn’t it be more sensible to go back to a warm bed. Still a commitment is a commitment and I never let anyone down. So I set off through the icy back lanes and arrived at Lee’s in plenty of time. The rest of the team were already there; Jacqui (designated driver, sandwich maker, holder of the scales and Lee’s publicist) and Llorenc Sales Ferre (a young Spanish athlete from Stoke AC who would act as 2^nd pacemaker and cameraman).

Off we headed for Wrexham, but as we drew close the sky turned darker and there were occasional showers. A quick circuit of the course, in the car, showed it was relatively flat, a bit narrow in places but a good surface, however there was one bit still affected by the flood that had occurred the previous week, giving us a big puddle to traverse with muddy patches just after it.

Back to the club house we went through all the admin of setting a world record, weighing, photographing and the witnessing of everything by officials from the club. I have to say the race officials were very helpful and willingly gave up their time during a period that was very busy for them. I’d worked out all the k splits for our attempt, based on beating 43 minutes (Lee’s goal) but also what it would take to beat 46 minutes, which was all we really needed to do, but there were no k markers, only mile markers. Still 7 minute mile pace would give us 43:something so that was all we needed to achieve.

And then it was time to head to the start. A minor issue as we struggled to get Lee’s pack as tight as possible but we got there in the end. The organisers had allowed us some space at the start, which was much appreciated but as the race set off we did find it difficult to settle into position for the first mile as it was quite congested. We didn’t panic and settled into a pace which seemed quite comfortable and yet fast enough. I’ll point out here that I didn’t use a garmin, I like to run how I feel and I’ve worked with Lee for some time now, gaining a good understanding of how he’s running. I knew he’d gone off too quickly during his 5k record, only a few weeks ago, and suffered for it towards the end, but I was feeling confident Lee could handle this pace. Still even I was a bit surprised when we went through the first mile marker in 6:19.

Oh well no point in worrying about that now, I checked how Lee felt, he said he was good. We still had a good way to go but we settled down, I put the faster first mile down to having to accelerate as we passed a number of people who had gone off too fast. I felt the 2^nd mile was slower and more consistently paced, and it was, 6:21. Wow, we were 1 minute 20 ahead of a schedule that would see us smash the official world record, so we had plenty in hand. Still if Lee felt good lets keep it up. At this point Lee was thinking sub 40 but I told him to wait until 4 miles before considering that, I felt if we pushed too hard now we would lose it all in the last two miles.

Lee did feel good but that 3^rd mile was slower at 6:46. Still not complaining it was still faster than our schedule. At all these mile markers Llorenc would sprint forward to the marker and film Lee and myself crossing the line, he’d then get me to shout the time into the video recorder. There was no marker for 5k, which was a bit of a shame, but I’m confident we were close to Lee’s world record time for that distance, and I wasn’t worried we were going too fast. Lee was looking good, sure it was hurting and there were signs of fatigue but I could see that Lee was on for this, he had his race face on.

During the next mile we passed through the puddle and the muddy patches but still Lee forged on and although slowing, slightly, it was still a sub 7 min mile. I can’t recall exactly what the time was for this mile, I was too busy providing motivational pep talks to Lee to let it sink in. However, with just over two miles to go we were around two minutes ahead of schedule.

The 5^th mile proved a tough one, Lee went outside of the schedule, 7:05, but we still had plenty in reserve on our schedule and then a further 2 minutes and more on the official world record, so we could afford this. Lee was looking tired, I could see that he was working hard to maintain pace and I was a little worried that he could run out of steam, but this wasn’t a marathon and, although I don’t know how it must feel to be carrying that weight around, surely we couldn’t drop more than 3 minutes in the next mile and a bit. Even so I wasn’t going to chance it, I gave Lee every bit of motivation I could, all the stuff I know that works for me when times are tough.

Lee rallied, we reached the 6 mile point with a 7:01, surely we couldn’t fail now. I urged him on over those final 346 metres, making sure it was a sustained effort rather than an all out kick too early. As we reached the line Llorence and I drifted to the side, we didn’t want to get in the way of the timekeepers or mess up other runners times and we certainly didn’t want a post 41 minute 10k time attributed to our CV’s (at least not yet), but we heard the officials shout out 41:24 as Lee passed the line. A fantastic New World Record, breaking the previous one by 4 minutes and 40 seconds. That’s Lee’s 6^th different world record distance, I haven’t kept count of how many he’s actually taken, he’s broken his own time on occasions, but of course he still holds all 6 distances at the same time (400m, 1 mile, 5000m, 10k, Half Marathon, Marathon).

Apart from the time I paced Lee, in a time trial, to equal the mile world record, which he subsequently broke, this was my first time pacing Lee to a new world record. I have to say it felt good to be a part of it, I’ve been working with Lee on these records for about two years now and we’ve become quite close. It means a lot to me to see Lee achieving each one, though usually I’m away when he does them, so it was particularly good to be a part of this record attempt. We went through all the post race weighing and officialdom, once again thanks to the officials for their assistance and then it was off to consider what next!

The video will be edited and Lee will be posting it on youtube, along with those of Lee’s achievements that are already there. Plus the Wrexham 10k organisers can boast that it had a world record set on their course.     

Written by Roger Alsop

www.rogeralsop.co.uk