Stopsley Hill Won’t Stop the LBAC Ladies!

Chiltern Cross Country League – December – Stopsley, Luton

December’s Chiltern Cross Country League fixture came around surprisingly fast since the last one with only 3 weeks since the soggy conditions at Tear Drops in MK.

This month, our usual exceptional turnout of runners was hampered a little by the Lanzarote trip clashing and so we were without a number of the team, but that didn’t by any means stop the performances coming.

In bright, sunny conditions if a little chilly, up on top of Stopsley Common in Luton the crew set up the LBAC gazebo in time for junior after junior and senior after senior to prepare for the third and middle race of the season. read more

International Challenge Number 4

By Chris Large

Back in spring 2016 I received the annual email from Richard Inchley asking if I wanted to go along on the International Running Challenge 2016 trip to Lanzarote.  For those who don’t know about it, it is four consecutive races on four consecutive days each November.  Competitors stay at Club La Santa which is a purpose-built sports resort based on the north side of Lanzarote.  So the answer for whether or not I wanted to take part again was “is the Pope Catholic?!”.

This was to be my fourth experience of running ‘The Challenge’.  It has proved to be a great motivator for me to get fit in the winter months.  Although I try to keep my fitness level quite high throughout the year, this tends to be through doing lots of classes, rather than getting out running.  I’d started to put a few pounds on and this was made worse by the fact that I had a nasty fall off my bike in July, leading me to leave it broken in the corner of my living room.  Trips to the shop in Heath and Reach tended to be by car for that last minute pint of milk, rather than jumping on my bike and heading up Birds Hill.  I had very much lost my confidence and was burning petrol rather than burning fat! read more

Girls & Women take up the baton

For the last few years, the club’s results across the Chiltern League have been heavily reliant on an increasing quality and quantity of senior men earning more and more points to push us further up the table but it would seem that at Teardrop Lakes this weekend the girls really came to the party.

It would be unjust to venture into the report on the races without offering a thank you to all of the volunteers to gave up their Saturday from very early to set up the course, man the car park, marshal the runners and de-rig the course. Some of these people sacrificed their own runs or days with their families to help out. A few of them were not even from our club, so particular thanks go to those guys who were really selfless to stand out in the drizzle all day. Finally, Richard should get a big pat on the back for once again co-ordinating what is actually a huge cross-country fixture that is now regularly featuring international athletes. read more

Marathon PB in Abingdon, although still a lot to learn!

2016 has been really special for me.  I’ve worked really hard and run personal bests at every distance that I’ve run.  I ran my second marathon in Manchester in April; I was pleased with 2.48, but I fell apart big time in the 2nd half and was determined to put it right with an autumn marathon.

After a bit of research (and encouragement from training partner Gary Blaber of MKAC who had already entered) I entered Abingdon at the end of October.

My training couldn’t have gone better. I gradually increased my weekly mileage and averaged 80 through the summer and early autumn.  My results got better and better winning the Bedford 10k, Tour of MK, Northampton Half Marathon and breaking the club record for 10km; I felt ready! read more

Leeds Abbey Dash 10k

By Maria Williams

Well, like the true athletes that we are it was a steak meal and fairground rides in Campbell park the night before said race. With a whole five hours sleep, we set off in darkness along the M1. Our journey of two and a half hours flew by. It must have been all the bitter wind pushing us up the motorway.

We arrived in Leeds to find the car park we were told was a good place to park was closed. After one way streets and road closures, u turns on tight roads and turning right on a no right turn road, we found another car park. This one was filling up fast and the queue for the pay and display machine was bigger than a toilet queue at a the race. It was nearly my turn to put in my money when I realised I was 70 pence short, how embarrassing, though a kind man gave me a pound and I couldn’t thank him enough. Runners are great. read more

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