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Thread: Cross Country 2018/19

  1. #11
    Master Travs's Avatar
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    Good luck Gaz, perhaps see you there on Saturday.

    We are decidedly under-strength for this weekend, my team (v35) may not even be complete.

    Not heard anything about Mansfield so I assume I'm not involved, but I'll be raring to go at Cheltenham for the first league fixture (probably doubling up with the Roaches the following day).

  2. #12
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    Decidedly winter temperatures today at Long Eaton. A flat and very hard underfoot course.

    Felt fairly strong, but only knocked 7 seconds off last year, coming home in 11:22..... last year I was on the opening leg, and chasing a faster clubmate, so I guess I got pulled along a bit. 2nd leg this year, so the race had spread out a little (I caught 2 and was passed by 2). I had hoped to get a lot closer to, if not under 11mins. But I guess I was asking too much.

    Shame we didn't have a full team in the v35's, we were hanging around top 15, but a man short today.

    I think Notts won, Sunderland 2nd, and possibly Leicester 3rd. I think Leeds City were well up there too.

    Hello to GazB, I did see you setting off, and finishing, the anchor leg for Wolves&Bilston. Your runner took a minute out of me on the 2nd leg, and passed me in the final half a mile.

  3. #13
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    Cheers Travs. I did 10.50. The wind did make it hard. We came 10th. Our 2nd leg was our quickest with 10.16, so not surprised. Fellrunners Jason Williams and Matt Lockyer both had quick runs.

  4. #14
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    Well done Gaz....

    I'm not featuring in our team at Mansfield next week. Instead doing the low-key Warwick University XC relays. Another sprint, 3.2km! Although possibly do more than one leg.

  5. #15
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    Cheers Travs. Nice and local for you anyway. And you won't get blown away by 200+ of the quickest runners in the country on leg 1 like me! I've done the Brum League and Roaches double weekend a couple of times years ago. Not nowadays though. But you are a mere youngster - you'll be fine! Shame I can't as Roaches is my local race.

  6. #16
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    Hope the xc went well today GazB at the National relays...

    Godiva came a respectable 29th (5th Midlands team).

    I noticed Keswick had a great run with a Fell-specialists team, coming 14th.

  7. #17
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    Hi Travs. My team were 65th but we were certainly not the best 4 we've got, so OK considering. I did 18.22 for my leg, over a minute down from my best there, but I am 46 now! Driest ever underfoot and extremely well-attended.

  8. #18
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    1st League race tomorrow. Considerable interest in our club towards the XC this year. There's been a bit of a rallying cry from the powers-that-be in the club, that we are not representing ourselves as well as we possibly should on the National and high-level stages. It is less than a decade ago that i believe we won the B'ham league three years in a row, but everything comes in cycles and we are well off the pace.

    Whether the inspirational words will filter through to the high-level guys in the club, i don't know, but everyone is hopeful for a good turnout, and i know our 'masters' group are buzzing about it (although we are only likely to fill the b-team places). Still can't see us overhauling the likes of Loughboro, Birchfield, Tipton, Cheltenham... can't close a gap like that overnight. And there's so many other strong clubs competing... Wolves&Bilston, Rugby&Northampton, City Of Stoke, not to mention the university clubs. Really is a competitive league, and almost a success just to survive each year. But hopefully are marked improvement on the cards.

    I'm "tipping" Tipton Harriers to cause a storm this year and pip Loughboro to the post. If we hit top 6 i'll be amazed.

  9. #19

  10. #20
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    Cracking start to the cross country league today at Cheltenham. Our new recruit, from Somalia, who last raced in anger for the Refugee Team at the world champs against Mo Farah, must have wondered what was going on as we cowered under a biblical rainstorm in a soggy park, half hour before the start. But obviously didn't hurt him too much, as he finished 6th overall.

    Was a fast course with some little hills, a stream crossing, and the downpour had made it rather slippy in places. General consensus was that it was a high quality race, and a great turnout for the league opener (exactly 300).

    As for my own race, I actually ran with tactics and a purpose today, instead of going "balls out" from the gun. Purposely started on the far side away from my club mates, so as not to get dragged into a race from the start, and picked areas to hold back on, and where I needed to turn on the gas. Seemed to work as I caught and beat a couple of guys who are faster than me in training, including a great battle with a clubmate who I knew would be a close race, catching him on the 2nd lap and putting 16 seconds into him over the final lap.

    200th, which is a little down on last year, but happy with the time 38:47, and considering the high standard it's a good day's work. Made a bit of an error, as I thought the finish line was down the far end of the park, near to the start line, so had been saving for a big finish, but turned a corner with I thought about 1km to go, to see the finish line 100 yards away. Probably cost me at least 5 places as I hadn't put the after-burners on yet.

    Managed to be 11th counter so picked up points for the b team. Godiva were 7th overall, which was probably expected, but very promising to see a big turnout (20), and a low aggregate score, and finishing in front of our local rivals such as Leamington, Kenilworth, Uni Of Warwick. Still a way behind Tipton, Birchfield, Loughborough, etc, but a big improvement over last year. Hopefully can keep it up through the season, when it gets colder and harder.

    Good to see the newly promoted teams not just making up the numbers. Worcester swarming all over the place, and I think finished 8th. Cannock doing ok.... I think Telford were a bit off the pace though.

    Hello GazB, I did see you when I was warming up, hope you had a good run.
    Last edited by Travs; 10-11-2018 at 08:47 PM.

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