Quote Originally Posted by mr brightside View Post
A troublesome outing today at the Rusland 5; 5m/1000'. I went for the wrong race, the course didn't suit me, but i've got a plan for next time.

Arrive at the same time, but junk the 5m fell race and enter the 1.75m senior race at 2.45. Whilst i'm waiting i'll enter the 90m heats and hopefully the final, run the 800, and before the fell race run the 200.
Really? You didn't write this from one of the clubs you used to go to, did you?

Running an 800m before a fell race is really asking for trouble. There are two main types of 800m runner: those who jog around the first 700m, only to produce a blistering last 100m, and those who don't have a strong sprint, so will run a fast first 700m to try to steal it from the fast finishers, so there is never a slow race. On top of this, there is the 'boxing-in' and the elbows and argy-bargy that goes on down the back straight where there are no officials to see it.

Quote Originally Posted by mr brightside View Post
That said, the Rusland sports track is the only track i've ever seen with uphills, and the only one where you could easily crock and ankle on a hidden stone. They basically just mow a loop into a field, and a straight for the 90m sprint, the loop looked to be 200.
My 'reward' for winning the 13 and under 800m at my school sports day was to run the 800m, for the School, at Belgrave. (That's Belgrave Comprehensive School, Tamworth, not Belgrade, Yugoslavia - as it was back then.) It was after school, and on the edge of the busy A5 so there was plenty of leaded petrol fumes to inhale.

What I remember most, however, is that the grass track had been painted onto the side of a hill that was around 1 in 10. And yes, you're ahead of me, the last 100m was all uphill.

The 800m is a really hard race at the best of times, but on a hilly grass track it should be treated with the upmost respect