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Thread: Midland Road Relays

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Travs View Post
    Due to clashes with the Coventry half Marathon, and several people well into their Manchester Marathon training, we haven't been able to put a 2nd team together.
    I find the later excuse pretty week. 2 weeks out from Manchester, good time to get a sharpener in, even if just at race pace. The only positive for not racing is not wanting to travel to limit fatigue/illness, though this varies where your race is.

    Failed to get a HHS team out for the Northern's which is a shame. Trying to wrangle 12 blokes can be difficult. I was willing to run Wilmslow half then drive to Birkenhead to make up the numbers but now don't have to. Sacked off the half as well.
    Nic Barber. Downhill Dandy

  2. #32
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    I take your point, and have to say i agree with it... They could always do a short leg. However i know one of them is chronically injury-prone and looking like he might be turning a corner, and the other guy it's his first marathon, so i can sort of understand their decision. It only actually accounts for two of the missing guys.

    The main issue is the clash with the Cov half which has taken at least a handful of otherwise certs for the relays. And one guy doing a 3-day ultra on the south coast. This means we'd be up to 8-10 runners in the 'b' team, and another couple would then easily be found. But when it's only two or three of us, fewer people are interested in just running as part of an incomplete team.

    Not me though... i'll bash out a long leg and then racing again sunday hopefully!

  3. #33
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    Perhaps unsurprisingly I've had the call-up into the first team, and looks like I'm running Leg 9, a short leg. Quite buzzing about it now actually. Although I highly doubt I'll get the same call-up when the Nationals come around in a couple of weeks!

  4. #34
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    Near enough perfect conditions today. A total contrast to last year when it was snow/hail/wind... if anything it almost felt a little too warm, although it can't have been any more than about 13c.

    After the first few legs, Notts had stormed off into a seemingly unassailable lead, but 2nd placed Bristol&West and 3rd placed Birchfield pulled it back over the short legs, and with a couple to go, all three teams were within 15 seconds. Bristol hung on by about 15 seconds from Birchfield, with Notts dropping back a little. Very early leaders Cheltenham were further back in 4th, with a larger gap back to Tipton 5th and another large gap to ourselves 6th. Another big gap then to the rest, which contained (in no particular order) BRAT, Leicester Coritanian, Shrewsbury, Heanor.

    Not sure on the the ladies but I know the opening leg for Birchfield was fantastically fast and was announced as a course record. I suspect they took the victory.

    For Godiva a steady starting leg had us in 15th (the first legs always seem to be very fast), but we had some good depth today and by the end of the 4 long legs, we were up to 6th, and it stayed like this until the end. I took the 10th leg and was quite comforted to have about a 4 minute gap ahead of BRAT in 7th. Didn't feel very pacy, probably a result of 3 hard midweek sessions, but my time was about what was expected... 19:15 for slightly over 5km. On that course is probably about par for me, current 5km pb being 18:41.... I was comfortably the slowest short leg in a team of guys knocking them out between 16-18 mins.

    So a decent day out, didn't disgrace myself. Doubt I'll be called into action for the Nationals in a couple of weeks though... that will be way out of my league.

  5. #35
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    Was the Nationals today at Sutton Park.

    I was neither involved nor spectating today, but I understand Leeds City won by a couple of minutes from Bristol & West.

    My Godiva boys were 33rd.

  6. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by Travs View Post
    Was the Nationals today at Sutton Park.

    I was neither involved nor spectating today, but I understand Leeds City won by a couple of minutes from Bristol & West.

    My Godiva boys were 33rd.
    I was down there with Valley Striders - we were 45th I think. My first ever run out at Sutton for the 12 stage...absolutely insane!
    Trying to plod up hills every day slightly faster than the day before

  7. #37
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    Yes it's a frightening standard, and a very different atmosphere to your average fell race.

    The Midlands Relays, a couple of weeks before, are an even bigger event size-wise, as there are a lot of other teams there who won't qualify for the Nationals. This means a massive variance in standards. I ran the 10th leg and recall passing a runner from another team who was on their 7th leg!

  8. #38
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    Midlands 6-stage relays this Saturday at Sutton Park.

    I'm running the anchor leg for the masters team. Think we have a fairly strong first team, hopefully can better last year's top 6 position.

    I think the realistic aim for my team is top 10 masters team.

  9. #39
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    Leg 1 for me Travs, for the W&B vets team. Then Ilam on Sunday, which ain't gonna be pretty!

  10. #40
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    A good day at the relays today, in very hot and sunny weather. If it wasn't for having to run, it would have been a lovely day out...!

    Bristol & West set the early pace, but Birchfield Harriers stormed through in the second half of the race with some lightning leg times. When they put a full strength team out, there's not many in the country who can touch them.

    Bristol & West finished 2nd, Notts AC 3rd. Tipton 4th. Cheltenham 5th. Our Godiva seniors 6th.

    My masters team had a solid race, moving up from 17th on the first leg, to be in 10th when I took over on the anchor leg. Despite having a pretty mediocre run (23mins for 5.88km), I manged to put a shift in up the final hill and pinch 9th place from GazB's Wolves & Bilston vets, whilst holding off a determined challenge from Bournville Harriers who were chasing me down (had 45secs on him at the start of the leg, and manged to hold him off by 20secs, despite him looking like he was going to catch me at the turn.

    As for my own performance... about 15secs slower than last year... still it was equivalent of 19:30 parkrun pace, in the heat, and on a hilly course. At my current pace i'd like to think I should be 45secs faster. However the 8 hours out on the LDMT last weekend made themselves known a little today. True to form, couldn't get going in the first 3 or 4 km, then found my rhythm but it was a little too late.

    Hello to GazB and another good time, pasted me again!

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