Leighton Buzzard Athletic Club

Lesson 1 – How to run a 20 mile race

On Sunday Amy Inchley travelled down to Surrey for the Spitfire 20 mile road race at Dunsfold Aerodrome, where they film Top Gear. She planned her run beforehand based on running at her marathon pace of 8:15 all the way and if there was energy left at the end she could pick up the pace a touch to build a bit of confidence.

The rural two lap course contained three hills that were distinct but not horrendous between three and eight miles. The weather was just about perfect for a long run, although somewhat dreary for the few spectators who had come along. It was a relatively small field for the event with only about 270 runners, and Amy started near the back as she was in no hurry to kick off. read more

Sunday September 4^th saw five Leighton Buzzard teamsters making the short trip across to Bottledump roundabout to tackle the first race of the famed Tour of Milton Keynes!  The day started well with a good bit of cloud cover smearing the sky and providing great running conditions.  Despite Saturday evening beers, the spirits were high and all felt well prepared for the 6.75 mile jaunt around Tattenhoe Park.  The course was a relatively flat affair that promised quick times, but with continuous gentle undulations and a few hair-pin turns to break the stride, it did push the runners to bring out their best! read more

Last Friday saw 11 finely tuned athletes from LBAC head up to Blisworth near Northampton for the Blisworth Friday 5. This race used to be a very popular one with club members "back in the day" and so we thought that this year we would support it by making it our club five mile championships.

The course is a pretty challenging one with some significant ups and downs in the first 1.5 miles and then it undulates a regularly right up to 4 miles before a relatively fast finish.

There were three ladies who made the journey up north and it was made worthwhile for Amy Inchley as she took the ladies club title with another new PB of 36:48 and 13^th lady overall, depite the challenging nature of the course. Jane Sauer's training has been significantly reduced recently due to work and riding commitments, but she still made it up to the race from Berkhamsted to complete the course in 38:33 before Helen Crossland finished in the bronze medal position recording 61:58. read more

Last Wednesday saw Bedford Harriers host the Doug Anderson 5K in Bedford Park. This race doubled as both the club and county championships as 11 LBAC members made the trip up to the middle of Bedford.

The running conditions were practically perfect as it was a warm night with a very slight breeze. This helped contribute to a number of excellent times and PB's for many people.

On the ladies front, Amy Inchley finished first in a time of 21:25, which was a PB by a significant distance and saw her chasing Chris Williams all the way in his first ever 5K as he finished in 21:06. Behind Amy, Jane Sauer was also delighted with her new PB of 22:40 as she finished as 5^th V35 which pleased her even more. The third lady was Fiona Towell who only made the start by the skin of her teeth and finished in 27:06. read more

Thursday evening saw sixteen club members head over to Fairlands Valley Park in Stevenage for the 3K road relays. This annual event sees many teams from clubs all over the area competing over an unusually short distance in teams of five for the men and three for the women.

The route is pretty simply a lap of Fairlands Valley Park, which is predominantly flat but the small inclines that there are make you pay if you've started off too fast as many do! The weather was dry by the evening but the earlier rain had left the paths slightly slippery. read more