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The Marathon Championship is contested over the calendar year and awarded for the best performances over the distance. The lure of the Marathon distance seems to have decreased this year with only 47 events recorded but I am sure Paul Barton has a few more he is keeping quiet about!

The Grand Prix Leagues also are concluded at the end of the year. The tables have now been updated and the tables are now available on the website.

Craig Palmer, again, took the Eagles crown in another closely fought battle but was clear of the following pack. Michelle Morris managed to hold off Jeremy Day to take the Ospreys trophy while John Decesare ended up scoring more bonus points than Nicola Bowerman and ran out winner of the Falcons. Barry Dacckombe's determination held off Becs Fleckney and a late burst from Bobby Riddaway to claim the Herons top spot and Fraser Geddes claimed the award for the Kingfishers. Despite the competitive nature of you guys, and gals, there were less GP qualifying events than in the past and again we did not need to bring the Hawks table into play.

I have been working on the reordering process to create leagues for the coming year. This involves taking into account results that did not contribute to last year's position such as our 3 events and any events new members may have participated in before joining the club. Hopefully this will produce a balanced and competitive set of leagues reflecting previous performances. Some may find themselves in a lower league than last year but the aim is to start the year with equal size leagues of 22 people. Provisional leagues are shown below.

Eagles

Ospreys

Falcons

Herons

Kingfishers

Hawks

Name

Score

Name

Score

Name

Score

Name

Score

Name

Score

Name

Score

Tim Harris

Mark Rouse

Barry Dackombe

Paresh Aatkar

Peter Jr Benedickter

Alison Parker

Craig Palmer

Katie Ruditis

Richie Jones

Ian Ballard

Peter Benedickter

Sarah Gutteridge

Stephen Hartley

Andy Bierton

Giles Shorley

Fiona Owen

Max Dillon

James Prestwich

John Mitcalf

Warwick Browning

Bobby Riddaway

Niki Rouse

Jamie Holmes

Joe Walters

Phil Holland

Jonny Oakley

Tony Cole

Annie Page

Brendan O'Mahoney

Adam Potter

Paul Owen

Dave Coker

Jo Aatkar

Stephen Morales

Pat Godfrey

Grant Archer

Steven Upton

Sean Graham

Garry Biddle

Amy Farr

Neil Warren

Sally Sawkins

Paul Farmer

Martin Davey

Jeremy Lewis

Rebecca Fleckney

Terry McHugh

Sarah Allonby

Mark Waine

Nick Jones

Mike Petty

Steve James

Terry Down

Andy Wood

Jason Moore

Nicola Bowerman

Philip Horan

Sam James

Mark Folker

Steph Palmer

Martin Beare

Jeremy Godfrey

Keri Withers

John Kenyon

Kyrstin Fairweather

Sofia Aatkar

Tom Hopper

Caroline Gilby

Richard Pillinger

Keith Morgan

Rick Hollingsworth

Liz Kirtley

Jeremy Bell

Dan Karaiskou

Theresa Jackson

Ian Orr-Campbell

Annette Bell

Haydn Leaker

Mark Billington

Phil Wolstencroft

Andy Atherton

Julie Pritchett

Laura Johnston

Liz Miller

Paul Barton

Richard Stanley

Sarah Thomson

Dave Stanley

Caroline O'Mahoney

Conor Clarke

James Handley

Richard Jones

Mike Bannister

Philip Mead

Val Von Arx

Claire Jones

Michelle Morris

Claire Fisher

Steve Phillpot

Martin Godin

Ben Parkes

Sue Jones

Terry Stanley

George Arbuckle

Ross Henson

Deborah Pedley

Alfie Karaiskou

Ben Stoneman

Jeremy Day

Shaun Kirtley

Rob Cook

Mark Fisher

Liam O'Connor

Alison Graham

Simon Read

Jason Theobald

Leigh Pilgrim

Nick Tillett

Alan Browne

Philippa Jamieson

James Down

Ed Druce

Nicky Double

Jim Dodds

Robbie Craig

Warwick Payne

Steve Stanley

John Decesare

Alex Anstee

Mark Brockway

Denise Browning

Ed Watts

Fraser Geddes

Dave Sedgley

Chris Burkett

Alex Ash

Rose Biddle

Stephen Mullens

David Cook

Kaylee Denton

Theresa Riddaway

Jane Cook

Geri Foreman

These show the points gained during the first few events of the season but will not include bonus points until things settle down. As there will probably be some adjustments made as we find out who is, and is not, renewing their membership.

I have also been updating my annual Age Related calculations and the updated table can be found here.

Out for my regular post Christmas event - after a very frosty drive in the dark to the old village of Stansted Mountfitchet.

This walk has only one checkpoint and a different route every year. The frost meant that for the early part the paths were mostly frozen - but once the sun warmed up the usual Essex mud appeared.

I reached the checkpoint in about 3 hours 15 m - despite a short bit off the correct route which meant I did at least 26 miles. Then in the last third there were several miles of extra muddy paths, including a diagonal climb up a recently ploughed field! But was feeling strong towards the end - and was pleasantly surprised to finish in under 7 hours - 6h 55m.

NHRR hosted Race 4 on a new 5.5 mile course at Standalone Farm in Letchworth. In many respects this was more of a trail race so most opted for studs or trainers instead of spikes. On paper the course was quite flat though many legs would disagree. There were a few interesting festive quirks – getting changed in a stable and having some quizzical Llamas at the race finish. Tim Harris bossed the race from the start to produce a fine win which tees him up nicely to win the 3C’s Individual League on 11 January at Dunstable. The rest of us harried and chased across farmland mildly distracted by a ‘shotgun shoot’ at halfway.

Going to one of my many weekends in Leicester for pool. This time decided to stay sober and do my first park run. Was thinking sub 25 solid as end to first 40 mile week but secretly hoping 21 22 as first 2 numbers on way to sub 40 10 again next year.

So was chuffed when run keeper said 23 when crossed line as pushed it up the finish hill. Even more happy when official result posted 22.57. Happy days. No injury reaction. Onward and upward.

Flat traffic free 4 lap course around Battersea park. They run a series of events throughout the year which may be of interest to some flyers

There were 83 finishers so I think we two Flyers should be pretty proud of ourselves. We both started at the back and had to pick our way through a very congested start. Conditions were obviously very dark but were also wet, muddy and foggy. Great fun!

After 9 months of barely running and trying to sculpt a Paul Owen-like tummy, I made a decision to run the Valencia Marathon. This was entered right at the beginning of the year as my goal race, but I had barely run all year due to a long-term on-off achilles injury which went again towards the end of the Dunstable XC in January. Unfortunately, the result of an ill-advised cortisone injection 15 years ago during my footie days. Word of advice kids - don't do it!!

Having had a couple of aborted comebacks already, I was determined to take this one nice and steady and so the 5 weeks before the race involved 2 interval sessions, zero tempo runs, 8 mile off-roaders with Satnav and 4 longer off-roaders with the SMC and the achilles seemed to be functioning properly. OK and being Scottish, the race and flights were paid for, so hey why not!

Only goal on the start line was to get round pain free. I completed the first 10K with the 4-hour pacer, but then Avicii and Calvin Harris on the ibox juke thingy got the adrenaline flowing again. In the back of my mind I thought about picking up the pace at various stages, so made a decision that if I felt comfortable, I would up the pace slightly every 5K. This was how the race progressed, first half in 1:54 and second half in 1:47, feeling comfortable throughout and no ill-effects either during or after on the injury (touch wood....)

I must say this race was fantastic, one of the best start / finishes I have ever experienced at the Palace of Arts and Sciences, a course as flat as a pancake, scenic for most of it and great crowd / entertainment throughout. Highly recommended.

Massive well done to Nicky Double also, who was competing with me for who could run a marathon on the least training. She definitely won this one, including no long runs since London in April! Fantastic achievement and great to see her massive smile at the end. Job well done for both methinks!

Given Friday night’s fireworks we thought it best to avoid Ampthill Park, so the juniors had a choice of events on Saturday morning; Bedford Parkrun or the Chiltern League round 2 match at Keysoe.

5 juniors made the trip to Bedford. Aaron Potter was first junior Flyer home and couple of PBs were bagged,

It was great to see a Flyer leading the field in the Chiltern League, it a tough league and just getting into the top quartile is an achievement. At half way, with a run through the water jump (yes water jump, the venue was an equestrian centre that was commandeered by cross country runners for the day), Aiden was still in the top 3 and it was only in the last 4-500m that Aiden’s legs tired finishing 13th overall (2nd place in our division) ; more porage and a few more training runs and the problem will be solved.

Toby Batram was another runner who gave all on Saturday. First time I’ve seem Toby too tired to finish with a sprint. Toby grabbed 47th overall, despite only being a minute and a half behind Aiden, but that gave him 12th place in division 2, so our 2 man team finished 2nd on our division. One more runner and we’d probably have won it!

A long slow slog with downpours at the start. A tough mental challenge that sends you through the finish at the half marathon point, testing your determination to the max. I think every marathon runner at that point must've dreamed of finishing there and then. I know I certainly did, but pleased I dragged myself round the second half shuffling painfully with a semi smile on my face. The marathon is only held every 10 years so very glad I have 9 years before even considering it again. Well done to boy Barton who came home in 3.45 despite running 3 lake marathons during the week!

I have not run a marathon since 2012, due to injury. Snowdon was always going to be a harsh test, I had ran it twice before each time faster than the last. This time it was a slow planned race. Mentally and physically painful at times, twice I wanted to stop. I concentrated on breathing and my form, read Eat and Run for mental programming before the race and replayed it in my head during those dark times when I wanted to quit. I saved a sprint for the finish and took out about thirty runners on the downhill. I finished strong, but my time was slower than I had planned. Snowdon is always a well marshalled, well organised race. Your bib number has a barcode that your phone can scan, for results. The local support is amazing. This has probably been my best race this year, I fought hard to finish it and although I move like a three legged arthritic turtle at the moment (taking stairs one at a time) I will run this monster next year!!

The other AFF dinosaur ran yet another race, Sedgers eat your heart out! The Taupo Harriers Road champs eventually happened after a few traffic plan hiccups involving too many parked cars on the route for the originally planned day. Anyway, I did get through the hilly 10k event and was not last though by far the oldest runner. Did not get anywhere near my Age Group record of 52:35 set in 2012 and took a leisurely 57:02 this time – how can one lose 5 min in a couple of years. Another race this coming weekend and that will be slow as that is a mile on the hilliest, steepest course I have ever run – refer www.taupoharriers.com

Well now the Taupo Harrier’s race this past Saturday was the annual Botanic Gardens relay – balanced teams run over one very steep sloped, hilly mile, wonderful scenery though. The quickest lap was done by a M45-49 in 5:33, the youngest competitor was a G10 taking 8:38 whilst I – oldest runner M70-74 took 8:40 with which I was fairly satisfied though it was slower than last year’s 8:07min. Age does count!

Light overnight rain and unseasonably warm temperatures ensured this year’s Ampthill Trophy cross country running race which was held in the historic Ampthill Great Park was a fast but challenging one. A strong South Westerly wind gave no respite to the runners on the flat ridge portion of the course and whilst the terrain either side offered protection from the wind, the undulating nature of the course tested all 196 runners who took part.

First off at 10am was the junior races. All of the junior races ran a shortened version of the Senior race, and dependent on age ran 1 or 2 laps.

With 137 entrants, the senior race set off at 11am started by The Mayor of Ampthill, Mike Blair.

The seniors ran 2 x 4km laps and for many this was their opening race of the new cross country season. The men’s race was won by Bedford & County AC, Matt Leach who led for most of the race and looked strong throughout. After the race he said how much he’d enjoyed the event which offered a terrain not found in his training grounds around Cambridge. 2nd was Cambridge University Hare & Hounds Josh Carr and 3rd was Cambridge and Coleridge AC’s Michael Salt.

In the women’s race Victoria Dawes from Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers again led from the start and was never caught, finishing 54 secs in front of 2nd place runner Joanna Hudson. Completing the podium was Luton Athletic Club’s Christine Lathwell, who finished within sight of 2nd place. Mention should also go to Laura Brine who took 4th place despite never previously having competed in a cross country race before.

Both the men’s and ladies team prizes went to Ampthill & Flitwick Flyers who fielded a strong team despite having many of their runners on enthusiastic marshalling duties around the course.
A venue which is admired by all visitors, Ampthill Great Park offered spectacular views across the local countryside and reminded us how lucky we are to have this wonderful open space on our doorstep.

I still regards this as my favourite local race as for me it combines everything about running - hills, off road trails, some fast road and off road sections and some stunning Chiltern views . The Ridgeway Run was established in 1982 by Tring Running Club, and I've run quite a few of them over the years although my last was 2011.

The trick with this race is to start up at the front with ' the fast runners' as the lane is narrow and enables you to get a good head start! By the time my namesake Richard Stanley, Mark Billington and Steve Phillpot had passed me I was up and over that first climb. It was then up the long climb to the Bridgewater Monument and I was seriously worried my lack of training would see me suffer over the 9+ mile course. However, I felt quite strong as we ran along the Ridgeway before descending to tackle Pitstone Hill. A deceiving climb as you think you’re at the top only to see another 200m of climb still to go. The pack of runners who overtook me on the climb were quickly re-taken on the down (not lost that art of downhill running!!)

Out of the woods and back on the road to home, I was tiring badly over the final 2 miles. The runners who I had re-taken on that downhill section now all came back past me - the head was willing to chase them but the legs had long given up! My time of 1.19.52 was over 2 minutes slower than 2011 but I was still pleased with my overall run.

What is fast becoming an annual pilgrimage myself and John Decesare returned to Chester for the 3rd year running (pardon the pun). Our hotel overlooked the start and was full of fellow marathoners so was blissfully quiet unlike in 2013 when we unwillingly participated in an all-night rave at the more central Travel Lodge. We woke to perfect running conditions, the only uncontrollable had been kind. We carefully attached our numbers to our 'Flyers' vest. I remember thinking how good the vest felt as I headed to the start. Unlike previous years your name is now printed below your number to encourage support. The race started and off we set, each with our own personal goals, for me it was to crack the elusive 3:30 barrier. As the fast boys start their return just after mile 14 I saw John Mitcalf so shouted a few words of encouragement (I’m convinced that made all the difference). As the race unfolded no matter which runner I found myself beside (male or female) they all seemed to be called 'John'. Go on 'John', looking strong, only 25 miles to go etc...I gave the thumbs up to spectators at various points but not a single 'Well done Philip, keep it going'. From a personal perspective I executed the perfect race plan. It has only taken me 3 years to finally learn a bit of self-control. I slowed down in the early stages and allowed fellow runners I had struck up conversation with to ease away as we all did our own thing. My focus was to remain disciplined after blowing up at mile 21 last year. As the race progressed I felt stronger, I banished all negative thoughts. No 'This will start to hurt soon', more 'This feels great, I am going to smash it'. At mile 19 I caught one of the guys I had been speaking with at mile 6, he was gone. He said well-paced as I eased past. I then caught another guy at mile 21, the same thing, he had gone out too quickly. I was feeling stronger. What a feeling. I passed the point where I had stopped in 2013 and allowed myself a wry smile. Mile 24 was to be the last test, up the hill, how much time would I lose. I was ahead of schedule so mentally I prepared myself for an 8:10-8:15 mile. I clocked 7:35. Mile 25 appeared, a nice short downhill then along the canal. I swear that was 2 miles, it went on forever. When would the racecourse and finishing straight appear? Finally I was on the grass, as I neared the bend John Decesare appeared on the race course and bellowed encouragement. I had to run around him (this cost me at least 5 seconds, honest)…I could see the clock up ahead, it was better than the one I had dreamed about. I put on a final sprint and crossed the line with the clock reading 3:26:26. My official chip time was 3:26:08. A massive PB by some 8 minutes 10 seconds. I had even managed a negative split by 2 minutes 16 seconds.

After I exited the funnel John approached me. I asked him his time and when I heard 2:59 I was more chuffed for him than I was for me. John Mitcalf had finished just ahead of him by 7 seconds so another sub 3 Flyer. He then explained that I was wearing his vest and he was wearing mine!! John seemed keen to have the results corrected, me not so. Post-race I quickly entered Boston + logged my GFA for London.

Earlier in the year Dave Sedgley asked if I would like to partner him in a pair’s event in September in a RAB mountain marathon, I quite liked the idea. As the time got closer I had to have a "plan B" as my daughter was due to have a baby a week before the event so Nicky Double kindly offered to be on standby!. With no sign of an early baby I made the decision that I would give the race a go and started to get equipped and even attempted some runs with a loaded rucksack. On a Friday morning run with a couple of weeks to go Caroline Gilby said that she must let me know how her first Mountain Marathon went with Dave, however, she thought it would be best to let me know after the event, this didn't build the confidence. Luck was on my side and my daughter had her baby boy on the Thursday afternoon so I was able to get away after having seen them both. Dave, Brian, Haydn and I set off for our trip to Cumbria. My first experience of the weekend was spending my first ever night in a Youth Hostel and also my first night sharing a room with three men. I did, however, get the choice of top or bottom bunk. We got up nice and early and headed to the start, well where you registered, we had a 30 minute walk to the actual start. We got our maps and plotted our route. I have to say despite the mist and low cloud we managed to navigate very well and even managed to find one of the controls that Haydn had missed. We planned the day well and after 4 and a half hours we went past the finish area and on to another control point, this way we knew how much time was needed to get back so as not to incur penalty points. We finished within our 6 hours and found a plot to pitch the tent. Caroline and Haydn also pitched near us but by this point I was quite cold and tired and not very sociable. I slept quite well and the only problem was finding your tent amongst 300 nearly identical green tents when a toilet call was needed in the dark. We started on our 5 hour day on the Sunday with a very steep climb. The visibility was a lot better and we had some fantastic views. We did not cover as much ground but achieved all the controls we wanted to. I had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend and have to say a big thank you to Dave Sedgley for not getting me lost and looking after me all weekend. Yes I will be doing another one and I think I might have talked Warwick into joining me.

My 7th RAB and only the second time I've been brave enough to tackle the solo long score class - most entrants are hard-core nutter types, made of muscle and sinew, and part mountain goat. However, you also have to be able to navigate and plan a route within the time allowed and that's where "little old ladies" like me can have an advantage. I could barely even read a tube map 8 years ago when I took up this mad sport so it's been quite a transformation. This weekend I found myself at times in cloud so thick I could only see a few yards, and with nothing but open fell to cross by compass bearing. My navigation was OK on day one but I got cold and fed up with being battered by gusts of wind that threatened to knock me off my feet and wasn't quite brave enough to go for one more checkpoint down by the edge of Haweswater. With hindsight I could have got this for another 40 points and made the cut off because it was an easy, if long, uphill track back to overnight camp (and that bit of wimpishness was to cost me). The RAB is a friendly event so there were plenty of people to chat to at overnight camp as I tried to replenish calories burnt off, and there were a bunch of other Flyers too (David Sedgley, Denise Browning, Haydn Leaker, plus my hubby and friend and of course Brian Layton). Day two dawned bright and clear and I had points to make up, so I chose a lower route in the hope of doing more running. I wasn't sure if tussocks or heather or scree was worst underfoot, until I met all three together. Having picked up all 155 points I was after, I realised getting back to the finish was now seriously tight and my only option was to risk running along the main road. I got back with 4 minutes to spare - so either cutting it fine or perfectly judged. Over the two days I'd run 33.5 miles up steep fells and across truly tough terrain and I think it's one of the toughest events I've ever done. But I'll be back.

Long score Class 62nd finisher (from 112 starters), 2nd solo female vet 300 points (145 points day 1, 155 points day two)

Congratulations to everyone who attended this morning. It was a tough course, with lots of hills; a perfect introduction to the Cross Country season.

First of all my apologies for the time it took to get back to the car park. Everyone was exhausted after their efforts, so the planned jog back ended up more of a tired saunter. I’m therefore going to enquire into parking at Staples nursery for future time trials.

Some great results today, with Aiden coming home in a very fast time for the 5K, and Aaron and Elise going head-to-head all the way in the 2K trial. Now that most of our juniors have set a benchmark, we’re able to calculate handicaps for the next time trial in a month’s time; when the starts will be staggered. Full results and handicaps for next month are shown below.

Extra session next Saturday 4th October. We had planned another weekend off next Saturday (Jeremy and I are participating in the Bournemouth Marathon festival), but when we checked our schedules, we found there’s still plenty of time to deliver another free Juniors session, in Ampthill Park, from 9am till 10am. I’ll update the website and twitter shortly to reflect this addition. This will be a more traditional XC session, with games and drills and a little time on ‘heartbreak hill’

This was a great fully off road half marathon which was up hill for first 3 miles, undulating for the next 7 and then more undulating for the last 3 with some tricky twisty turny sections with lots of tree roots for the last couple of miles.

Ended up running with Keri from about 3 miles and had a great run. We were both surprised to see Richard go past us as about 10 miles having been way ahead of us. 'Don't ask' he muttered as he went past. 'Did you get lost?' I asked and the thumbs up confirmed that.

It was a fully marked course (for most of us!) with marshals (very supportive) in various points. Two water stations with jelly babies at the second one which were most welcome.

All in all a great event with tea and cake at the end and all for £6. I will back next year!

A small group of Flyers headed over to Royston for the Harvest Trail Half Marathon. I had not done this before but thought it would be a good pre-Bournemouth half warm-up. At only £7-50 it is also a bit of a bargain. The course is described as undulating and that is true for the first half but they save a tough hill for later in the race. I ran most of it, catching up to a Beds Harrier that I had been chasing, but when the gradient kicked up further my jogging and uphill shuffling was no longer gaining time so I walked a bit and stretched my legs with bigger strides.

There were a couple of field crossings where shoes end up doubling in weight with mud, apart from that it was mostly on scenic trails with a couple of country lanes where you could pick up the pace a bit.

Definitely not a PB course but a good test before the cross country season and recommended for a race to do next year.

What a fantastically fun trail run. Really top-notch. This was our first outing since our climbing trip to the Bolivian Andes over the summer - very welcoming and well organised, really scenic, great balance of 'hill interest', very friendly marshals, great facilities, high quality cake and tea at the end and perfect weather, all for £6 with a cheque in the post. Faultless value. Richard enjoyed it so much he ran 15 miles instead of the half with a group of 20-odd lemmings in an extra 'navigational' loop... mental note to keep an eye on the route markers ESPECIALLY when you're having a great time! Thanks to Shaun from Keri for keeping her company - Richard now wishes he had stuck with you too!

PS - And thanks to the Flyers for helping us keep fit for our climbing trips, originally one big motivation for joining the club 3 years ago, but running has now taken on more of a life of its own! Our trip to Bolivia scored a couple of climbing 'PBs' in terms of technical grade (we climbed an Alpine 'AD' grade route on the stunningly beautiful Pequeno Alpamayo - 5407m) and altitude on the awesome Illimani (6462m - at 21,200ft, the 15th highest mountain in the Andes). We know all this won't really mean anything to non-climbers, but our fitness from running meant we were the first rope-team up of the day on each peak we climbed, which although not a race, certainly felt like an achievement at the time. Now looking forward to the Chiltern Hills around Tring next month!

Arrived at this race a little nervous, having not done many races this year, due to my marathon training plan. The idea was to use this as a final training run for my forthcoming Berlin Marathon and therefore was not intending to run at race pace. I met up with Dave Coker and it soon became clear we were the only two flyers that had turned up. This was a little disappointing as it is a well organised race on mainly country roads, a little undulating granted with a cheeky hill around 8 miles, but otherwise a very good race!. Dave was as nervous as me as he had not raced for a while either and wasn’t sure how he would get on. We both set off together at a pretty steady pace and it was a pleasant change to be able to have a good chat whilst racing, it felt like an SMC training run!. At around 6 miles Dave obviously got a bit bored with the conversation and decided to up the pace and scamper off. I was very tempted to go with him but decided to stick with my plan and run at a slower pace, however, I could always see him and new that he wasn’t too far ahead.

I felt fairly comfortable all the way and even managed to run up the last hill without walking which was an improvement from last year!. Both myself and Dave were happy with the times we got, all things considered, and it was a good confidence booster for Berlin although I did run a little faster than marathon pace (sorry George!!).

Great team event- thanks to the boys and girls who made it a great weekend. Definitely up for more of these events, would thoroughly recommend to anyone thinking about joining in.

If 'Bring on the Gimp' is the uber S&M comment, then bring 'Bring on the Harris' has to be the athletics equivalent. Having avoided the first 3 races in this series due to issues with fatness and fitness, resulting in my running going further to dogs**t, I thought it was time to man-up and enter the bloody thing. This was very swiftly followed by a re-think whereby I binned the running element of the event and handed the baton to Tim - thus we entered a 'team'.

Things immediately went downhill at registration when we were awarded race no.1, a number that most, us included, wouldn't want. No Phil Holland or Jason Moore, generally both ever-presents at this event, meant that Tim had no-one to chase in the first run of 3.2 miles.

He convincingly dispatched the field but selfishly didn't grant me a sufficient lead for the 10 mile bike leg. Fading light and clueless bike riders made for an annoying bike section but I handed over to Tim in second place, unfortunately too far behind the leader and with only 1.6 miles to play catch up.

Tim set the quickest run splits on the day and being first team we won a bottle of plonk, which Tim magnanimously handed over to me as the self-declared team manager. The other AFF lads having bigger cojones than me and hence competed as individuals.

A light relief and enjoyment for the weekend with the Beds Road 20.5 mile time trial. started off from the Cardington Sheds, straight out to Henlow and back.

Weather perfect, nice and warm, sun was beaming out, very tough course, a few hills in keeping you on your toes!. My task was to finish in under the 1hr marker and came home in pleasing 56 mins

Big Cow 2015 ETU Sprint Distance Triathlon Championship Qualifier - Saturday 13 September

Mixed emotions over this. First time racing in an attempt to qualifier for a European finals representing GB. No matter how much preparation you do and build yourself up, on the day, when you see the top guns show up, you just go into negativity. However sometimes you just have to get on with it and hope for the best, as this was the last qualifier event, places were very limited and apart of me realised game over before I had started, however another part said, maybe some of these were just here to race?

Anyhow, gave it a go went out as best I could. I remarkably survived the swim of death, kept well clear of trouble (middle of the swim was just terrible)

T1 wasn't the greatest, struggled to get wetsuit off over the bulky chip timing system, so lost a few sec's but was soon away. Bike was pretty good, although being a lot more of us and the added traffic made going at your full potential difficult and dangerous as over taking was more difficult than normal.

With the bike wrapped up and very few who over took me, I felt confidence on the run. Apart from almost tripping over my bike in T2 I was away quite quick on the run. First lap saw me competing with the elite athletes that were almost done, made me work harder before giving one last final effort.

I finished off about the same as usual only a slight PB but 11th in age group, which for a qualifier is pretty good in my books, however for my task, probably not quick enough......

Saturday 6 September I ran in the Kinloch Challenge off-road quarter marathon as the last event in the Taupo 30; three quarters in three months. This one took a staggering 1:04minutes (under the hour last year) whilst the Tauhara off-road took 1:20 – but is a killer – and the Taupo road run took 0:57:30. As a result this weekend I have been dropped from the running teams in the Red Stag Relay but instead have to walk; the thought of race walking 5km off-road frightens me – must be getting old.

Red Stag Relay - I ran the Red Stag Off-road Relay in the Redwoods at Rotorua for the umpteenth time this past Saturday and still feeling tired on Monday, wonder what causes this? Did a non-startling 28:22 for the 5km about a minute slower than last year and was the oldest runner but by no means the slowest on the course, in fact I was only third slowest from the Harrier Club. Not too bad as I had been walk-training to partner the Harrier’s 77 year old star walker but there was a team switch at the last minute when one runner could not run but could walk – I did my best but 5k at full thrash is a huge ask these days

It seemed a good idea at the time to enter the Dunstable Downs Half Marathon Challenge. I’d just completed my first marathon and the fact it was a trail run following a map and directions surely meant it was less of a fast paced run. However, on the day the route was actually marked thereby removing the need to use the map and instructions. So three weeks later with little running I set off on what turned out to be an enjoyable trail run through the South Bedfordshire countryside. Overall a great race, but more of a physical challenge than a navigational one!

Middle distance (800m swim, 32.5km bike, 7.5km run) - 2 hr 13 mins. My first tri and loved it! Beautiful sunny day for it. Friendly and relaxed atmosphere throughout. I was slow on the swim (as expected) but made up a lot of ground later. I may well be investing in a flyers tri suit for next season!

I was the only Flyer in evidence at Swineshead, a race I last ran 13 years ago when it was my first ever 10 miler. There's a great friendly atmosphere and for once the description of "undulating" is actually true (normally it's shorthand for seriously hilly). The course follows quiet country roads, with one stretch on a long concrete track through Melchbourne park but there's only one real hill at 4 miles. Having not trained much recently I was only aiming to beat 1h 20, especially as it was a warm day, but I surprised myself by feeling strong and was pleased to overtake two women in the last couple of miles who had passed me earlier on. My fourth road race since I hit my new age group, and my fourth club record.

19 Flyers turned out on an ideal evening for running to test out the accuracy of my Handicapping Spreadsheet. Handicaps were based on times recorded over the last 12 months taking into account previous Center Parcs time trial, other 5K events (the times for which were scaled to allow for the more difficult terrain ) and half of any 10K times. Discarding any times that were non-typical. Finally times were rounded to the nearest 15 seconds to give a number of start waves.

We had a wide spread of abilities ranging from Martin Ball, with an ambitious target time of 40:00, through the bulk of runners with targets around the 24 minute mark and on to the fast guys (Tim, Paul & Craig), with target times of 17:45. Runners were shepherded to the start line before their appropriate start time by Ann De Winter, where Dave Stanley did the countdown to their start.

First man home was Alex Anstee in a run time of 21:30, more than a minute ahead of his over generous target time. After a gap, there commenced a trickle of runners through the finish until a definite spurt of runners as the handicaps began to unwind, culminating in a sprint to the line between Ian Orr-Campbell and Phil Whiteley. Tim Harris, with a run time of 17:41, recorded the fastest time of the night and also was closest to his target time.

Name	Target_Time	Start_Wave	Finish Time	Run Time
Alex Anstee	22:45	17:15	38:45	21:30
Ann Clarkson	32:30	7:30	39:30	32:00
Dave Sedgley	34:15	5:45	39:41	33:56
Liam O'Connor	25:00	15:00	39:45	24:45
Caroline O'Mahoney	31:00	9:00	39:48	30:48
Laura Johnston	30:45	9:15	39:55	30:40
Tim Harris	17:45	22:15	39:56	17:41
Alison Parker	30:15	9:45	40:06	30:21
Paul Farmer	17:45	22:15	40:17	18:02
Giles Shorley	19:30	20:30	40:17	19:47
Craig Palmer	17:45	22:15	40:52	18:37
Jonny Oakley	22:15	17:45	40:55	23:10
Philip Mead	23:45	16:15	41:01	24:46
Shaun Kirtley	24:15	15:45	41:16	25:31
Phil Clarke	21:00	19:00	41:47	22:47
Katie Ruditis	24:00	16:00	41:51	25:51
Martin Ball	40:00	0:00	41:55	41:55
Phil Whiteley	23:45	16:15	42:06	25:51
Ian Orr-Campbell	24:30	15:30	42:06	26:36

Many thanks to all of those who helped with recording, marshaling or just encouraging. Without your efforts we would not be able to hold these events.

That is the last of the Center Parcs Time Trials for this year. Next month we return to our Eagle Drive course for the dark and windy months of winter. Hope to see you all testing yourselves there.

Last week Chamonix played host to five mountain ultra-marathons with 7500 competitors. The big daddy of them all is the UTMB a 168km race that follows footpaths and trails through the valleys and passes that loop around Mont Blanc. With 9800m of ascent it is normally a route that walkers do in 9-10 days. However this is a single stage foot race and has grown into an event that attracts huge crowds and elite athletes from around the world with the winning time usually below 22 hours. For the rest of us mere mortals we have 44 hours to get around before being timed out. Having done my qualifiers, got through the ballot and received my race number, I was planning to get close to 30 hours. However a torn hamstring in late July and four weeks of no running meant that simply getting part way round would be a good result. My plan became one of taking it easy and seeing how far I could get.

The race starts in a very packed Chamonix at 17.30 on Friday evening. By 22:30 we had had 5 hours of torrential rain, I was exhausted and contemplating making an early and embarrassing exit. However, I wasn’t injured and decided that if I slowed down a bit then maybe I could get to the next aid station and get transported back. Fortunately the rain stopped and my descent off the Col du Bonhomme saw me move up through the field and my spirits lifted somewhat. Overnight we continued into Italy and dropped down to Courmayeur at dawn where hot food and drop bags help to ease the pain. The route then continues up the southern aspect of the Mont Blanc massif before crossing Grand col Ferret and into Switzerland. I was definitely getting tired now and so took a 20 minute sleep on the floor of the next food station. By the time I began my second overnighter, I had covered 130km and climbed 7800m and was now committed to finishing – even if it meant taking the full 44 hours. Dropping off the mountain towards Vallorcine, I was starting to think another sleep would be a good idea as the rocks and tree roots seemed to be getting more difficult to negotiate. However I stuck on the tails of 3 runners who did not share such fears and once again I banished any thoughts of a slow and tedious end to the race. From there we had only one more mountain to go and whilst others were becoming zombie like, I focussed on getting to the finish as soon as possible in order to get a shower and some sleep. The result was that my feet and quads got trashed but I passed another forty competitors – mostly on the punishing 1200m descent into Chamonix.

So in the circumstances a successful outcome. I would not say that this is an event that is jam-packed with pleasure, but it is an iconic race and well worth doing. The atmosphere is great and the location fantastic (albeit dark for most of the time). With four under my belt this year I am done with ultras for 2014…. but maybe could be tempted for some shorter ones next year.

My first attempt at a marathon saw me taking on the lesser known Guernsey Marathon. The attraction was that it is limited to a few hundred runners so no hanging around for your wave to go and we could visit friends on the island. The weather was perfect, dry, warm but not too hot. In fact it was the only dry day over the bank holiday weekend!

The route starts with a big hill to get out of St Peter Port and then mostly follows the coastal road around the island (just the once in case you wondered). The views if you took them in were fantastic and lots of history passed by as we circumnavigated the coastal road. The first half went well, but my lack of training came to the fore in the second half as my IT band and calf’s started to flare and seize up resulting in an alternating walk/run. The final section through the industrial part of St Peter Port was probably the hardest, but encouragement from marshals and spectators got me to the harbour front and I found the strength for a strong finish. As an introduction to marathons this was everything I needed, a good time (for me), an enjoyable experience and the incentive to train properly next time!

This was my first serious Triathlon after a poor winter of training, multiple injuries and far too many business lunches. Having salvaged the spring period to get into some kind of shape I thought I'd give this race (essentially in my back yard) a go.

I found the swim tough going and was down on where I'd hoped to be. My friend and nemesis, Martin, was a minute and a half ahead. This kept me focused on the bike and on the familiar flat A421 I managed to put in a sub 1h bike split and draw level with Martin. We entered and left T2 together. On to the run and it wasn't long before the veteran master of endurance put the hammer down and I was powerless to respond. I did the best I could to stay in contention but failed to close the gap finishing two minutes behind in a respectable 2h 14mins.

My "A" race for the year. Probably the busiest weekend for triathlon, but my choice was made early for MK Big Cow, although slightly more expensive, even on a bad day, you still have a good race! great support, plenty of marshals, and most important, an accurate course............not to mention a good chip timing system

I won’t send you asleep with a report. The swim was 3 mins quicker than last year, bike was quicker by about a min and the run was standard survival. My finest hour was coming out the lake, wetsuit straight off, found my bike and then my mind went blank...............the whole routine I had no idea, fortunately did not last for long and eventually out on my bike. The part I need to learn more is getting rid of the sickness feeling on the first 20mins on the bike, may gain more speed.

Anyhow, 5mins knocked off, and good training ready for the qualifier sprint race.............very happy

It was hot and the course was hilly but a good route that is mostly on private roads through the grounds of Luton Hoo. The race adjudicator was introduced to the runners as Beckney Fleckney, but turned out to be Becs. Joking about the name mistake aside, thanks to Becs for giving up a morning to do this - races don't happen without volunteers helping out!

We picked up First Female Team at the French OMM (which stands for Original Mountain Marathon) in the Alps near Morzine last weekend. They even had a real podium for us to stand on for our brief moment of glory – got a touch of vertigo being perched up so high.

For readers who haven’t waded through all my previous reports, mountain marathons involve two days in the hills, with all your kit on your back for an overnight stay at a remote campsite (tent, food, water, spare socks, waterproofs and that totally essential camping item – earplugs). You get a map and a list of checkpoints at the start and have to plan your route to collect as many points as possible on your way to the overnight bivouac. There’s time limit of 6 hours each day, and time penalties kick in hard if you misjudge your return.

My partner doesn’t navigate so it was all up to me read the map and plan. Really she was very brave to come back again, as last year I made a bit of hash of it (it took a long time for the scratches and scars to heal from fighting our way through forests in the Jura mountains after missing a turn). This year we started at 1810 metres and our highest checkpoint was at 2270 metres (with lots of ups and downs in between) so proper alpine mountain terrain, and luckily on day one the weather was good enough to actually see the views. Plenty of amazing wild orchids and other alpine flowers also helped take my mind off the pain of some of the long hill slogs (and some of these were tough and relentless). I was really chuffed with my nav on day one – I was spot on with every checkpoint I chose – apart from one where the description read “small knoll”. On climbing to the top of a knoll in the right place, I looked back to see the electronic recorder on a boulder 20 metres away. I kind of talked Gail into doing one more checkpoint than she really wanted to do, convincing her it was only 5 mins off our route back – which it was as it was a downhill run – while slogging back up was different matter. By this time it was just a question of getting to the overnight finish without incurring penalties and losing those hard-won points. I knew Gail would kill me if I’d beasted her only to miss our deadline but we made it with around 8 mins to spare and all our 230 points intact.

Unlike mountain marathons in the UK where being hardcore is all part of the event, the French organisers are kind enough to pick a camp site near a bar, with toilets and running water out of an actual tap. And even better - cold beer. They also lay on a bonfire and some fiery Chartreuse to help soothe the aches. My small green tent was home for the night.

Day two dawned bright enough for us to strike camp in the dry. We were woken up at 5.30 and headed off at 7 am after coffee and porridge cooked in my super-light primus. Another map and another 6 hours, but knowing how tired Gail was I chose a pretty low level route along a river valley into Morzine and through forest rather than up over the peaks. This proved sensible as the relentless rain started to fall and didn’t stop, and at least we were mostly below the cloud, until the final climb back to the finish. Again I was quietly pleased with my route choice and navigation, apart from misjudging the climb up below one ski lift. Here the nice green hillside proved to be head-height ferns and vegetation making for a really exhausting scramble. We were both cold to the bone, wet and tired by now but after a change of clothes, I rather forced my partner into picking up another couple of checkpoints before heading for the finish. And as it happened, it was a good thing I did as the women behind us were going for it and finished just 8 points ( or less than one “dib”) behind us.

I guess we covered around 30 miles with many 100s of metres of climb, but what I most enjoy about these events, is the combination of physical and mental challenge, and the complete escape from any kind of normal life. Totally crazy, but also totally sane.

Long Score Class: Day 1 230 points; Day 2 170 points; Overall 400 points, First Female Team

This weekend I completed the Questars Adventure Race, which combined running with mountain biking, kayaking, along with a healthy dose of map reading and strategy. The race started and finished in Tring and took in parts of the ridgeway and surrounding areas as you navigate your own route from checkpoint to checkpoint, amassing a different number of points for each one which is usually based on how far away from the start it is or how steep a climb to get to it. The time limit for the race was 5 hours and in that you need to visit at least one checkpoint of each discipline.

GPS watches aren't allowed so I don't have an accurate record of the distance covered, although using trusty pen and paper later to map the route I took it was around 16 miles running, 25 miles biking and 2 miles on the kayak.

I managed to score 555 points, although was deducted 4 points for finishing late, but that was in part due to the fact that an innocent member of the public who in his haste to let me past on the cycle path as I was bearing down on him got his pedal caught in a wire fence which nearly sent him flying over his handle bars. Once I had put him back on his bike and extracted his bike from the fence I ended up finishing just over the time limit.

While I knew the run and bike would be ok I haven't had much kayaking practice apart from a very brief trip while on holiday in France a few years ago, and my lack of technique really showed as one by one I got overtaken on the water, so definitely something to work on for next time. Strangely I found the navigating easier than I thought, although I did manage to make a couple of mistakes which cost me time and also missed an obvious checkpoint which would have gained me an extra 40 points.

Out of 75 competitors in the novice category I finished 12th, which I didn't think was too bad as that included teams as well as individuals (who on the kayaks go two to each boat so definitely have a speed advantage there).

Almost ideal conditions for a 'blast' round Centre Parcs on Thursday night for the monthly 5K time trial. A select group of 8 saw 6 record their PB times for the course. Katie Ruditis set the early pace though the first 2K but found the hills testing as Shaun Kirtley passed and then went on to be the first Flyer back

The next time trial will be Thursday 7th August. The format will be the same for next month, and for the last Center Parcs TT in September we'll be having a handicap.

Good turn out from the Flyers on a warm evening for running over a course ideal for PB's. Phil H brought the Flyers home in a very respectable 33.34 only days after a triathlon! Terry was the only Flyer to complete the East Midlands series of races finishing 11th overall. For myself, another learning curve on the road to recovery. Thought i'd managed a quicker time than at Brackley only to finish and find it was 8 seconds slower - obviously, too busy chatting at the start!

Mixed feelings over this, during the race, mentally and physically I was on fire, everything, (including the weather), transitions etc went to plan, and for the first time ever on this particular course, I managed sub 20mins on the 5.5km run, (it’s one of those small little challenges to make you work slightly harder)...........and yet with all this, I was still almost 3mins off my target time. I’ve been training for this for a while, plenty of training and still just can’t find that 3 mins. Just got to keep going, one day the work has to pay off

Another weekend of self harm – this time a 100km run over the mountains in the Lake District with 7800m of ascent (and more punishing descent). The route seems to take in most of the area’s mountains and basically follows the Bob Graham Round (although our course was 3km shorter and had 400m less ascent). As such I had in mind that a 24 hour finish would be a good target. Conditions were good (dry under foot and in cloud for only the first third) but I somehow lost 2 hours over the middle section between Bowfell over to Scafell and down to Wasdale where the rough terrain and too much caution took its toll. Time was regained on the northern section up and down Skiddaw but not enough to get inside the magic 24 hour mark. There are two other races that run simultaneously – a short course of 48km and the long course of 73km. As such there were about 250 competitors in total, and everyone seems to think it is a well organised event. Over the course of the day I came across a number of people attempting to complete the BG round and even got overtaken by a seasoned fell runner practicing for the Joss Naylor 70 – I think that is 70 peaks at the age of 70!

I decided to enter the race on the night as Terry was running it as part of the East Midlands Grand Prix Series. Unfortunately, Terry wasn't feeling well and in his words struggled round in 29.20. For myself, coming 2 days after the Chicken run, a very slow start saw me pick off runners in the later stages to finish in just outside of 38 minutes. A rural course but fairly boring - nice downhill to 2 miles but a horrible mile climb back up to 4.

With the D-Day 70th anniversary taking place this year it seemed a good time to dip my toe into racing abroad. This half marathon has been associated with the annual D-Day events for many decades and attracts a good international field of athletes. This included super-fast Kenyans and other Africans, as well as a smattering of Britain's. Amongst these I met the Wrekin running club who make the regular trip to Caen for this and the marathon which starts further along the coast.

The start was at the Pegasus bridge, captured by British army during the night of 5-6 June 1944 after landing nearby in Horsa gliders. Runners were arriving from around 7am ready for the 8.45am start, and pipers played bagpipes in honour to the wartime piper. As the start time approached we made our way across the bridge and prepared to head off on our 13.1 mile run to Caen.

The route took us through a series of villages along closed roads and in each there was a good reception from the residents and most offered a band playing renditions from the Eagles to Queen. With a field of 4,000 they would have a constantly changing audience (plus the marathon runners later). Regular water and wet sponges were provided at alternative spots every few kilometres. Even with the early start and being slightly overcast it was extremely warm and humid, so the water bottles and sponges were very welcome.

A recurring issue with a developing blister on the sole of foot meant I had to make two stops to apply Compeed blister plasters to relieve the pressure. These provided temporary relief and enabled me to keep up the pace, however by the time we reached the outskirts of Caen this had passed. With the knowledge that there as only a few miles to go the incentive to keep on and I picked up the pace and as I was on the home straight I spotted Sophie cheering me on. I crossed the line in 1:57:52. This was three minutes slower than my PB on the Bedford half last December, but the two blister stops would have wasted a bit of time.

After crossing the line we passed through several marques, the first provided water, cola, fruit, chocolate, cereal bars and yoghurts. Then the second handed out the t-shirts and goodie bag, the final provided tastes of local produce including cheese, cider and apple juice, a welcome finishing gift. In summary this was an extremely well run event and surpassed anything I have so far experienced and one I would certainly run again.

This was a great place to race, all in the grounds of Winston Churchill's birth place Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. A scorchio day and to finish off a splendid day a 4 min PB from last year. Overall day position 596 from 4029 starters. Happy Bunny

Swim 00:15:07, 750m open water. Bike 00:39:38, 20km, Run 00:25:54, 5.4km, Total 01:27:14.

This was a last minute decision to enter this event as my usual Thursday nights activities of rock climbing was cancelled due to my buddies wanting to watch the start of some football tournament

I grabbed my bike from the shed wiped of the dust as it's not been used up until this point this year.

From start to finish I loved the informal relaxed atmosphere the brilliant summers evening added to this.

I have learnt over the past month that St. Albans is one of those races that when people talk about it they do it in the manner that a mechanic would backward whistle and exclaim "Ooh, it's going cost you." when looking at your car. "You do realise it's very hilly don't you" said the guy in Sweatshop or "Yeah, you are running a half in June? Why?" said everyone else .. etc. etc.

So, with wild abandon I decided to do it anyway .. and .. they were right, so I apologise profusely to them. The course is mainly just hills and the "flat" sections are sparse and usually just there to act as punctuation to the hills.

Combined with the hills was the maddening heat and it was a good combination for lots of otherwise fit looking people to be laid up by the side of the road or just being ground down and running at a snails pace. There was almost an atmosphere of grim determination in the runners to get the job done.

When I was attempting to catch up between groups of runners, I found most people were huddling under the road underpasses that acted as water stations (and they had doubled the water stations) frantically taking on more water and gels before journeying out on the trek to the next one like oasis's.

Overall, a fantastic race and one I will do again due to some masochistic side of my personality, with the only downside being the poor security guards having to rustle all the runners from the bushes when someone decided 20 toilets would be enough for 4000 runners to use before a half marathon. Logistical own goal there I think.

I will be one of those people doing the backward whistle when asked if they should run St. Albans in future, but, do it anyway.

I was up north last week visiting my family so did a couple of races. The Newcastle 5k park run was around part of the town moor, yes there were cattle about and in a large field of 520 runners I found some form and finished in the seventies, 2nd in my age category in 20:59. Pleased. Then off later to see Kings of Leon at St James’ Park.

On Wednesday my son persuaded me to do a fell race in Lyme Park, 12 miles south of Manchester. I have done one fell race before and after running and paddling through a river decided that was my one and only. However this one had no rivers to cross and had a better name The Boars Head fell race as opposed to the silly name of Whaley Waltz .

There was water but it was RAIN, register in the pub-only £3, walk up a hill then off for 7.2 miles of fun. Really enjoyed it--- 403m. or 1322 ft. of climbing. I was poor going down but finished in one piece after dodging sheep and atmospheric low cloud to finish in a slow 66:57, 7th in age category. The winner clocked in with 6:30 mileing. Different league up there. Great fun but a long way to go for a fell race.

I had the honour of competing as a GB Age Group athlete this weekend in Cologne for the European Aquathlon Champs. Aquathlon is a relatively unknown multi-sport event which comprises of an open water swim followed by a run.

1K Swim - This was in the marina off the river and although murky it was very calm. With only 27 ladies the start was pretty smooth with none of the usual fighting in a mass start. I started fast and felt pleased with myself for keeping up with the others, that was until about 200m when I then got dropped! I could see a few swimmers ahead so this kept me motivated to try to catch them, however on turning (it was a 500m swim out and back) I realised I was last and then couldn't really see the others ahead anymore. I spotted Mark on the harbour wall walking level with me so this motivated me again as I didn't want to embarrass him too much! At the end of the swim we then had about a 50m swim to exit which was up onto a pontoon, across to the harbour steps and up the steps to the timing mat. My swim time to the mat was 19:20 which given the additional swim and exit, was a PB and good time for me. Unfortunately a good time for me was nowhere near competitive enough to keep up with these ladies, with the leaders exiting in 15mins!!

Transition - With a good 50m run to transition I had plenty of time to pull down my wetsuit and remove hat and goggles. Transition wasn't the quickest as I struggled to get my legs out my wetsuit and also get my trainers on - definitely need more practice with my transitions.

5K Run - This was the flattest run I think I have ever done, 2 loops along the river. I could see that I was closing in on the 3 ladies ahead of me but unfortunately the run wasn't long enough to catch them. I made 5 places up on my run time overall in the ladies but nowhere near enough to close the gap lost on the swim. Looking at the results after I was surprised by how slow my run time was but could see others were also slower than I would have expected. So the following morning I used my recovery run to measure the course and established it was around 5.5K, which would have translated into a 22:35 5K for me - a PB!

As part of my shorter faster races plan for 2014 I entered the Westminster Mile event. Perfect timing after the track stuff last weekend and my first ever Mile race having missed the AFF trip to Ifley Road track last year. I had the goal of getting under 6 mins with 5:50 in my mind.

After arriving there with Annie Page in the pouring rain it had stopped by the start and was perfect temperature but the roads were obviously very wet. It’s a fast flat course starting on the Mall and Finishing outside Buckingham Palace. There were 35 races starting at 9:30 and going on throughout out the day and each race was 5 mins apart.

I set off and felt good and the 800m to go sign appeared in no time and running at that pace the 600, 400, 200 and 100 came really quickly. Pushed hard and my watch said 5:51.

After enjoying the track last year I entered the county champs and decided on 1500m as a warm up for Westminster mile and the 400m.

It was a very warm day and the 1500m was tough but on fresh legs I bagged a 44 second PB @ 5:28.6. Half an hour later it was the 400m and I ran that hard and also bagged another 4 second PB @ 1:09.3.

Even managed a County Bronze medal in the 1500m. You have to be in it to win it. Just ask Paul Owen. Looking forward to more track stuff this summer, its bloody marvelous fun.

The Wheathampstead 10K is a great multi terrain run and it was a surprise that only one Flyer had entered. First started in 2000, the brainchild of a parent to raise money for the local Beech Hyde Primary School. It is now in its 15th year and in the past 4 years alone has helped raise over £50K for the school. This year there were over 650 entries but it is not a PB course and the very hot conditions only made it a more taxing but scenic run. The course follows the old Welwyn to Luton railway line before a 2+K loop with a couple of testing climbs thrown in before returning alongside the River Lea.

Terry was in a lead pack of 5 runners as they passed through 4K but it was on the middle section of the course that the breakaways started. The eventual winner Mark Crabtree from Gade Valley Harriers opened up a 30 second advantage on Terry but as they passed through 9K he was noticeably tiring. Although Terry closed the gap slightly he was unable to pass Crabtree and Terry finished 2nd in 37.05 - a respectable time for the conditions.

So, Denise said to me a few months back "why don't I see what races are on in Cornwall while we are on holiday there?" Why "yes I said, what a good idea!" So we pay our entry fees for the IMERYS Half Marathon - run in the China Clay and Kaolin pits owned by IMERYS, just north of St Austell. The company open the pits once a year for the run to take place- this was the third year of the run, organised by St Austell Running Club, starting and finishing in a local school. The choice was marathon or half marathon and so we chose the shorter distance. You get an idea of the course as the start is 2 laps round the school to spread the field out to allow runners to have a better run up the narrow footpath at the back of the school. I have been recovering from an Achilles injury and as we were on holiday we agreed we would run the event together. All started well!! The course followed a small element of road after a steep climb up the aforementioned path and we kept climbing until we reached the first of the pits. This was advertised as a trail event and great to say it really was with little road apart from a small amount at start and finish. Inside the moon scape that spread out before us were magnificent views. The sun was shining and hot with little breeze in the first half of the run. The race seemed to be for ever going up, culminating in a hill to 4 miles were with Denise a little way behind me I rounded a sharp bend already going up hill to be faced with a slope of white chalk, very wide, with dozens of people walking (both marathoners and half marathoners). Never one to be defeated I ran the hill, at the top stopping to look back for Denise and there was an amazing sight with every one walking up the hill heads down. Yes it really was that steep! At the top of the hill a local senior vet lady mentioned my club vest and said "that's a good Bedfordshire club", to which I readily agreed - fame for AFF in St Austell! The run was getting going now, all sorts of different surfaces, angles ruts and so on. Wonderful views were seen - described in the literature as a moonscape it really did seem like it. We just seemed to be going up and at 5.5 miles, Denise politely asked me to go on and run my own race! I have to say I did do that. The rest of the run was over similar territory and after splitting the races at 8 miles we had some down hill. More climbing at 9 miles and then 3 miles down hill over footpaths and very rutted ones at that. Our times were slower than usual given the terrain and heat: Denise 2 hrs 18 mins and Warwick 1 hr 59. But what a fantastic event and goody bag - a bottle of St Austell Tribute each (well 2 for me then!). We are planning to do it again next May and would thoroughly recommend to anyone else who is in Cornwall mid May 2015.

50 at 50 seemed like a good idea when I hatched the plan soon after my 50th birthday. 50 miles was a big step up from my longest ultra of 35 miles and having bailed on a 50 miler last year, I really wasn't at all confident that I could even finish this. Four weeks ago I couldn't run even 50 metres due to a calf injury but I took this as nature's way of telling me to taper, and once I managed to get round the MK half I decided that I was going to tackle the 50 anyway.

I was probably one of the few people in UK wishing for cooler weather on Saturday - the organisers apologised for lack of apocalyptic weather but it felt hellishly hot in the middle of the day. This certainly wasn't the easiest 50 miler I could have chosen ( the name should have been a clue) as it involved around 8,000 feet of slogging up stony hill tracks in the Shropshire hills, and of course coming down again. The views however were stunning! It also involved self navigation, and luckily I met up with a nice guy called Andy running at my speed so between us we didn't get too lost (only a couple of minor detours). The course was designed as a series of loops so my support crew (aka husband David) managed to settle in for a couple of beers at the pub at 30/40 miles, with blister plasters at the ready. I was fairly confident that if I dragged myself onwards from the checkpoint at 30 miles I would make it, which I did fortified by espresso, flapjack and salty chips, and then the aim was to try and get back before dark. Our pace definitely slowed from a run, to a jog, to a shuffle, with a final breakneck hurtle down a stony path in the almost darkness. I was totally surprised to be handed the trophy for first female as I crossed the line - the first time I have ever won a race outright.

This is a very nice small road race at a slightly unusual distance. Conditions were a bit wet beforehand but fine except for a bit of a headwind in parts during the actual race. No problem to enter on the day. About 2/3 of the field of 90 or so were on the day entrants. All road except for a start on and finish on the HQ playing field. Takes in some of the Oakley 20 course. Quite hilly but also some down hill to make up for it. Nice HQ & very well marshalled. Got – just – under an hour for the 10K bit so was pleased with that. Will put it on the list for next year.

After seeing the A board at the pool when taking the kids swimming I decided to sign up to this event. My swim training was with a couple of 1 year old twins knee high water and my running still on the slow side.

The event started with a bizarre slowest swimmers out first! From the warm pool into the fresh air the up hill straight in to the wind on the cross country course last run on in the 3 counties XC.

I finished 7th overall 5 minutes after Leigh crossed in first place an amazing achievement by him when 2 years ago we were finishing only seconds apart.

We traveled down to Weymouth on Friday to do this race on Saturday morning at Durdle Door. It was a brilliant race with some beautiful sights. It was very windy on the day making running conditions tricky but it was the same for everyone. It reminded us both of Grizzly with some of the hills and trails we had to run but it was worth every second. An enjoyable weekend away and another challenge we can tick off the list.

This was a very nice 10k trail race starting and finishing at Little Gaddesden cricket ground running through the Ashridge Estate. Entries are welcome on the day and there’s a 5k at the same time that a lot of families with children entered. Probably around 200 or so entrants for both races which start off together and then split at around the 1k mark.

Generally nice grassy trails and paths with one very sharp uphill section and one similar downhill. First 10k of any description for some time after injury followed by an operation so I was pleased with this even though lungs felt about to give up on the uphill. It was won with 34 mins so it’s not a particularly slow course. Normal road shoes were fine because of the dry weather we’ve had recently. However you would probably want to think about trail shoes if it had been wet in the weeks leading up and I think in that case it could get quite muddy.

Very low key with nice friendly marshals and some quite inquisitive cows. Water at the finish and a lot of very nice cakes at the charity bake sale. I would do it again and will watch out for it next year.

Sarah Allonby 1hr 6 mins (self timed as no clock at finish and can’t find results anywhere !)

This has been the race that I have been aiming towards since the beginning of the year, and was set up as an out and back over two days with a different route on each day. Having aggravated a knee injury on the Good Friday Marathon it was touch and go as to whether I would even start the race.

My target time for each day was 7 hours, starting at 10am on Saturday in beautiful sunshine. Whilst it was set up as a self -navigation course it was extremely well marked, and I only managed to get slightly lost once. Day 1 completion time 6hrs, 38 minutes, followed by curry and sleep on a school floor.

Day 2, earlier start after a fry-up, set off at 8am. After 10 miles I realised that I had not taken on enough food between the 2 races and was concerned about my energy levels. Fortunately I had found a couple of running partners towards the end of Saturday’s race and we had all agreed to help each other complete day 2, and their encouragement certainly helped. In hindsight, Day 2 had more walking than I would have liked, but it all adds to the experience and will help me prepare better for the next one.

As a rule, most runners did not wear club vests, however I am really glad I did as one of the marshals had run the 10k years ago, and a couple of the runners recognised the vest. It was a great icebreaker

As ever Coach Niki was there to support and provide encouragement. Roll on the next ultra!!

The first bank holiday Monday in May saw me driving nervously up to Spalding in Lincolnshire for my first duathlon. This was advertised as one for novices and seemed as good a place as any to experience the multi-sport aspects without the need to splash about in the water (literally in my case) for a triathlon. Instead of the swim there is an extra run at the start. This particular duathlon consisted of a 3km run, followed by a 10km bike ride and then a final 3km run. Not everybody looked to be ‘novices’, but a good few of us were.

Unlike any other race I’ve been to, there was a near complete reluctance on the part of most competitors to be at the front for the mass start. The run was out along a tarmaced no through road and back to the school which served as HQ and transition point. The run started fast and I managed to keep the leaders in sight with a similar pace to my Park Run PB earlier in the weekend. In transition I managed to remember to put the cycling helmet on before touching the bike (with a Triathlon England observer watching you didn’t want to get it wrong!). The 10k bike section consisted of a number of twisting but fairly quiet country lanes and I'm sure it was scenic, but I was rather concentrating on the bikes ahead of me. Going back through transition was interesting and a bit quicker than T1, but I soon discovered how heavy my legs felt after the first two exertions. This second run felt painfully slow and was nearly two minutes slower than the first and I was certainly glad to see the finish line. My overall time of 51:47 put me in tenth place and second Male Super Veteran. Being in the Fens the elevations were on the modest side and hardly noticeable, overall a great introduction to duathlons and maybe not my last ....

If this run had been held 24 hours earlier runners would have enjoyed near perfect conditions. As it was a day of rain made the course wet and muddy but still enjoyable especially those last 4 hills! For the brave 9 runners who did turn up for the first Centre Parcs run of the season it was a race to get round before the heavens really opened up. Fastest time of the day went to John Ballantyne. This was now the eleventh run around Centre Parcs and both Steve and Val Phillpot have completed the most with 8. Next run will be Thursday 5th June.

While the course record was never in Jeopardy, it was good to have an AFF Team back in this event after a hiatus of a few years.

The record for the old course was held by AFF, but the course was changed in 2011, so we’ve lost that title for now!. The new course is much simpler and really invites a fast time. A record 56 teams competed this year, so in the absence of any Elite Flyers (sorry Jeremy) the team of Robbie Craig, Barry Dackombe, Caroline O'Mahoney, & Jeremy Bell, finishing mid table and 3rd V200 team, was a reasonable result… …especially with ‘Fat Bob’ on the anchor leg.

After the bank holiday disaster at Stanwick 10k I needed another one quickly to get over it.

George informed me that he and Nicky were doing the Hotel 10K at ExCeL arena and it was fast, flat and had a free breakfast afterwards. It sounded perfect.

The race itself was an out and back of 2.5k in each direction from Excel and running both of them twice. It was definitely flat but a few twists and turns and switchbacks and a headwind which became a tail wind on one section.

That said I got into a great rhythm and felt good all the way. George overtook me at 8k (he missed the start as he went to the loo and they started early) and helped drag me through 8 to 9k into the wind and I was delighted to finish in 45:36 which was bang on what I wanted. Onwards and upwards.

After the race you could have as many bacon and sausage baps as you could eat, lots of edible goodies to stuff your bag full of and also a technical Tee and a medal. All for £13. It’s only run every 2 years but I will definitely be back.

So, when is a 1030 race start not a 1030 race start? When the starter starts early at 1025 and I’ve hotfooted it a country mile away to do a pee. Oops!

This is an excellent race though and it is a shame it is only bi-annual. It is run next to the Excel centre in London and ties in with a catering conference being held at the same time. It is flat as a pancake, but a little technical with a few twists and turns. For me, after being out for most of the year with a mixture of persistent achilles injuries and glandular fever, it has been good to just lace the gutties up and be running again, albeit over 7 minutes away from last year’s 10K time.

The crowning glory and a perfect way to finish, is the (FREE) after race brekkie buffet. As much sausage, bacon, mushrooms, yoghurt, water, orange juice, a vineyard full of grapes, loads of other fruits, tea, coffee - the list goes on - as you can eat. Or carry In Nicky's case......

It’s always good to have some amusing tales afterwards and for me it was the sight of Nicky stuffing her bag full of, errr, takeaway grub, to such an extent that she could barely carry it even with 2 hands! And they talk about the Scots........I suspect the others may say it was the sight of me Missing the start or having my running number going missing before the start and being given a time of 57:28 afterwards. Although it certainly felt like that!

Well done to Nicky for more or less equaling her 10K PB 2 weeks after a fast marathon and Mr K, for a welcome return to form and allowing me to act as his windbreak at 8K :-)

A weekend staying at Clumber Park provided an opportunity to experience this delightful Park Run through part of the National Trust estate. The route was on tracks and trails, undulating and with some interesting running through the trees with glimpses of the lake. Well worth it if you are in the area. It wasn’t a PB, but I managed to perfectly time the run to receive one of the Easter spot prizes – not just a chocolate Easter egg, but one with Cadbury’s Crème eggs!

Reporting in from sunny Cape Town where the weather is hot and the running hard. An excellent Easter weekend of running for everyone has taken place.

The Ballantyne family took part in the 5K international Friendship Run on Friday which involved a lot of flag waving by 63 different nations all taking part in other runs over the weekend from the ultra marathon to the 200yd nappy dash. The 5k was lead out by last weeks London Marathon winner Wilson Kipsang which inspired everyone for the races to come.

The start of the half commenced at 0600 which did not leave a lot of time to sleep. The first half of the course was in the dark involving a long 3k hill climb right from the start followed by a number of steep undulations. By the time he sun was up and heating the course it was time for the hardest hill climb for another 3ks followed by a 2k steep descent on steep cambered roads.

With the steep undulating course the legs had gone to jelly by the final 2K's but there was still time for a final hill and decent to the finish line.

With a finishing time of 1.46.31 This course is not one to PB on but is a fantastically organised and supported weekend and one in which all runners should put on their runners bucket list!!!

In short this was a disaster. Hoped to run under 46 but wheels fell off after 2k and had nothing in the legs. Was not wearing my watch which was a blessing so I had no idea how bad it was. Was thinking it felt like close to an hour so when I picked it up and ran a quick last k to get it over I was actually quite pleased that although it was a new personal worst it was not as bad as it felt.

However this is an absolute gem of a race organised by the village of Stanwick who come out in force. Nice circular route which is not too hilly and a cracking downhill last kilometres down to the finish with masses of support. Definitely want to return to avenge the demons from this year. –

A great day out with fab support from the club and indeed the rest of London! I am mindful that I was lucky enough to be pulled out the hat for a club place. So thanks to the lovely Val for organising that and the club for just being there offering such great opportunities!

While a lot of runners were preparing for a run around the streets of London I was off on a jaunt around the tracks & lanes of Somerset. Having done the Forest of Dean 50 and the Dorset Giant 62m the two previous years this was the third in the South West Triple Challenge.

The event started from Wellington Rugby Club (just beyond Taunton) and did a circular route via the Quantock Hills (with views of north Wales) the Brendon Hills (at eastern end of Exmoor) and the Blackdown Hills (just to South of Wellington).

I set off at 8.30am with the first group on a sunny morning and was soon leaving the town beside an abandoned canal - with only 2 runners in front of me. We then followed the banks of the river Tone northwest for a couple of miles, where I had the rare & magnificent sight of a kingfisher - it's bright metallic blue darting along the river. Turning right instead of left along the high street of a village meant I did 400mts extra & was now in amongst all the faster walkers as we climbed the first small hill.

We soon passed through the first check point and on northwards to the first proper climb, Cothelstone Hill - a precursor to the Quantocks - and our first view of the sea with Wales beyond. After a steep descent the climb began again, up Lydeard Hill and along the Quantock ridge - following the Macmillan Way NW for several miles. We then turned north up the ridge over Black Hill and a long descent to the village of Holford and the first indoor check point at 21 miles. After some food & short rest I set off - knowing I was well inside my target time of 22 hours. In fact, if I had continued at this speed I would have been well inside 20 hours - but knew I'd need more rest later.

The route was now a long gradual climb up a pretty, steep-sided valley to the western ridge of the Quantocks. At the top the route was a bit hazy - several of us together were undecided which path to take. I should have gone much further left & some sloppy map reading meant I ended up above the wrong valley. A very steep climb down over slippy grass & loose bracken, plus navigating back to the correct route meant I had probably lost half an hour on those walkers I had been with! A longer stop at Monksilver checkpoint, a change of socks & more food, I was off again on a long stoney bridleway up the end of the Brendon Hills. We soon turned south to the edge of Clatworthy Reservoir. The route used to follow the edge of the reservoir, but due to the wet weather earlier the path was still underwater - so instead we had two extra steep hills!

The route from Clatworthy CP (35 miles) was down the upper Tone valley, and after a rest I was feeling refreshed - so jogged at a fairly fast pace for most of the next 5 miles. It was now nearly 9pm and getting dark so put on my new head torch with its brilliant reactive light - outshining all the other walkers. From Waterrow (CP5 & 40 miles) we continued down the Tone Valley for 2 miles - then up to Ashbrittle checkpoint (43m) where I had my first short sleep, a second sock change & more food. The next section had a few smaller hills - then along a canal - and some more hills. I was feeling refreshed& although I had slowed I was still confident of my 22 hour goal. However, crossing one of the many stiles I somehow pulled a small muscle behind my knee - ouch! I was now only able to walk - for all of the next 10 miles -including the 3 miles of canal, and having crossed the M5, downhill and a riverside path.

At the next CP at Uffculme I was feeling really tired again so another 20 minute kip - this time in a quiet back room of the hall. I was feeling much better now & found I could run again - all along the riverside of the Culm Valley to CP 8 at 57 miles. A small bite to eat & off up the last major hill - only 5 miles to go. I rang Caludie to leave a message that I would be finishing soon. Then along the top of the ridge I started feeling nauseous - tried to jog ahead of a small group - only to stop to check route & get overtaken through the wood. The final climb up to the Wellington Monument is not steep - but seemed to take forever. The descent was treacherous - gloopy mud and soft grass, then very stoney. I tried jogging the last mile through the paths of the town - but could not keep up with a couple of walkers!

I finally finished at 8.24am - so a time of 23 hours 54 mins. At least I'd beaten 24 - but most important I'd finished - to claim my triple challenge badge. Time for a proper sleep!

For me 2014 is about forgetting about marathons and Ultras and even half marathons and concentrating on the short fast stuff that hurts but gives you a massive buzz.

As I have entered the Westminster mile in May and I really enjoyed the track stuff last year I entered the 800m and 400m at this meet with a view to seeing how I would fare compared to my times last year and getting some short quick events into my training.

The races were run based upon times so although running with some kids as well as adults it was well matched. Thoroughly enjoyed the 2 events and got a 10 second PB in the 800m (2:43.9) and a 5 second PB in the 400m (1:12.8) so very happy. I was the only flyer competing and I will definitely be entering some more track stuff. Had muscles aching I did not know exist.

Very blustery day, temperature was just right. Atmosphere was really good. I thought my pacing was spot on until mile 9, when we ran straight into the wind and this really took it out of me, by 11, I could feel my legs weaken, by 12 I was just hanging in there. I tried to finish with a very queasy sprint at the end. I managed to keep in my porridge, but failed to get the time I wanted. Coughing and spluttering over the finish line, got my medal and was pleased to finish.

LDWA type event from Quorn in Leicestershire. This is my annual run/walk over Englands oldest hills - a super but tough course.

Weather was a bit different from last year, when we trudged through deep snow the whole way. Dry & sunny apart from one heavy shower about 4 miles from the end.

It goes over Broombriggs Hill & Beacon Hill as in the Charnwood Hills Race - but then west via some other smaller hills & nature reserves to climb to Leicestershire’s highest point - Bardon Hill. The returning SE to climb to the Old John Tower in Bradgate Park - again part of the hills race route - before heading north back to Quorn.

The start location was changed last year to a school - so the route is now about 27.5 miles - with c. 760 mts (2,500 feet) of climb. Altogether a great day out & a finish time of 7 hours 12 mins - nearly an hour quicker than last year.

Finding myself in North Yorkshire with a free Sunday I decided to enter a local 10K race at North Stainley, just north of Ripon. Driving to the start point I began to wonder what I had let myself in for as the Lightwater Valley turned out to be a small-scale theme park. However, the race was extremely well organised and attended by a large number of running clubs from the surrounding area. Described as a multi terrain race it included a mixture of grass, tracks and short stretches of road. One section ran alongside the 1.5 mile long roller coaster (reputedly the longest in Europe) but as the Park was not officially open there were no accompanying distractions. The 300 or so runners soon settled into their rhythm and I spent the race being shadowed by a heavy breathing lass from Thirsk & Sowerby Harriers. My souvenir blister on the sole of my foot from last week’s Grizzly decided to flare up and any signs of slowing up on my part were met by her encouragement to keep going, on the basis she was using me as her pace maker. Now that’s a first! Overall this was a great race with very friendly and supportive runners from the really competitive to those out for a good time.

A slightly disappointing 1:29:40 and 14th place on what promised to be a PB course, which turned out to be long and run into a very strong headwind at various stages. This was always a means to an end race and not a proper PB attempt, as I was using it to break up marathon training. As a result I did just under 13 miles x-c on Wednesday and a quicker 6 on the Thursday before the race, which did effect me. The race itself is staged on a working but small airfield.The course was shaped almost like a plus sign in the middle and we had to run the loop 4 times. It was very open and they put on 4 races, a 5k, 10k, 1/2 and full marathon. Having to run the loop 4 times was more than enough and the thought running it 8 times for the full makes me shudder. I didn't know who I was running with (in the sense of what race they were in) and did put in a quick first mile which ultimately gave me a time that placed me 4th in the 5k race out of 68 and 7th out of 197 in the 10k.

The laps meant I eventually caught up quite a few of the runners which was ok for me but must have been a bit disheartening for them. The wind picked up and was head on for the final mile of each lap which didn't help. With an average mile time of 6.43 min that should have equated to a high 1.27, but my watch had the course long. Speaking with the other finishers they all measured it 1/3 k long or thereabouts, but hey ho no doubt they will swear blind it was accurately measured etc. Just funny how everyone I spoke to had it long but what the heck, all good training I guess.

I actually hate road racing and especially 10k ( you have to run as hard as for 5k but for twice as long) but while I seem to have some running mojo back I thought I would have a go at the club age group record. I'm sure Leighton isn't the fastest course to try this on (the slog up Shenley hill at 8km is a killer), but it was a lovely sunny morning, well organised and with lots of friendly cheerful marshals. The result was I finished as 3rd woman and beat the old record (sorry Carole) by 1 min and 26 seconds. I guess that means I don't have to tackle a 10k again for a while.

Yet another 5k race this past Wednesday, windy as anything and hard work getting down the short stretch of downhill. Anyway, took it easy and it worked again giving me a 27min 46 seconds finish – even beat that 8 year old that took me out last time.

26 mile LDWA walk/run from the village of Burley. This is a lovely event with wide expansive beautiful views - usually.

Unlike most LDWA events this one is more of an orienteering event - with free route choice between given grid references - usually. But this year, due to the recent continuous rain, the organisers had given us a mapped recommended route - for fear of losing some of us in deep bog.

And this year, although we had reasonable weather for the first 3 hours, it soon became very dark with glowering clouds & then incessant rain which wiped out the views. However, I was walk/jogging with my friends David Peregrine & Ines Braun, so we did enjoy most of it. And we had a few adventures where we had missed the route and had to descend a couple of steep hillsides to get back on track. My time, with David & Ines, was 7hrs 15 mins. Haydn went ahead of us near the beginning - but says he slowed in second half & finished in 7-01.

Yet another 5k race completed here in Taupo. This time the Taupo Harriers Ironman 5k on Wed 26 February, the actual Ironman is this coming weekend when we all marshal the bike course, a long day. Anyway it was a bit warm for a race this week and I was still tired from my big hill climb on the Length-of-the-Lake Relay last Saturday when it took me 39min 39sec to ascend Hatepe Hill all of 6.2K with 150m ascent, our team did get on the podium with third place. No effort was made at all last night so the 5K took a staggering 29min 04sec – this could be a personal worst!

What a great race! The weather was perfect and the course was everything a XC race should be: there was mud, but not too much, hills, but not too many or too steep, boggy bits to squelch through, a ditch to leap and a tree trunk to hurdle. The women had to complete two laps of the course for their 8k race and the men three laps to make their race 12k. The course was good for spectators to bob around and catch sight of the runners in a couple of places on each lap and with Steph Cooper, Niki Rouse's family and my daughter cheering us all on at various places round the course, there was no room for slacking. This race really is suitable for all abilities and if its at Wollaton Park again next year, I'll be up for it.

Four women needed for a team, we came 74th out of 83 teams. Sadly, not enough men for a team this year, but next year, who knows?

26 mile LDWA walk/run from the village of Picklescott. A rare dry day and amazing scenery for this my annual visit to South Shrops to see Jad (an associate member) and take part in this very popular but tough event. This year's undisclosed route in the Welsh Border Hill country with over 4,000ft of ascent took us over Stiperstones, Mucklewick Hill, Cefn Gunthly and Heath Mynd, before a scenic return over Linley Hill (with it's famous avenue of veteran beeches) Norbury Hill and Adstone Hill - then a few miles of the Shropshire Way to finish. It was reportedly nearer 28 miles according to those with GPS, but I had the very pleasant company of Kathy Tytler from Reading all the way round - so a very enjoyable 9 hours 45 mins was spent on the hills.

Wednesday morning went for a 15km hike in the bush then at night Race No 3 in the Harriers Starlight Cinema 5km series. Being a wee bit tired set off like a sleepwalker and did keep it under control and to my amazement did my best time of the season to date clocking a 27:44 but beaten to the line in the sprint by an 8 year old girl!!

On Saturday ran a leg of the Length-of-the-Lake relay race (Lake Taupo 67.5km) and, as usual, was awarded the local Hatepe Hill to run up – all of 6km with a 150m ascent – and to assist the sun came out as the ascent started. It was hot and hard but no one passed me and preferred to let me set the pace but they were left behind as I managed to get back up to speed at the top to finish in 39min 39 seconds. Our team from Taupo Harriers taking third place!!

Arrived at this event with some trepidation as I had just got over a cold and sore throat and wasn’t feeling my best. Also, I had a previous hamstring niggle that had not really been run on in anger since treatment and was unsure how it would react (excuses out of the way!). I met up with Dave Coker at the start and to our surprise we also met up with the elusive Jim ‘I am currently out of the office’ Dobbs!!. Good to see both Jim and Mark fit and well and still running.

The first 3-4 miles I ran with Dave at a steady pace but as any of you know that have run with Dave, he has a habit of starting slow and then scampering off!. This was no different on Sunday as I watched Dave disappear in the distance around mile 4, leaving me to battle on my own. I continued on at a good pace but the lack of fitness started to tell around mile 9 and I started to slow down dramatically. The last few miles I had to dig in and keep going as the wind was blowing against me, slowing me down even more!!. I wasn’t unhappy with my finishing time, however some way off where I should be, but glad to get the miles in and pleased the hamstring seemed fine. The course itself is very undulating, mostly on traffic free country roads and gravel paths with two short off road sections that are suitable for normal running shoes. Don’t be put off by the ‘multi-terrain’ or ‘beast’ title of this race as although undulating the hills are not that steep. It is a well-run and organised event with plenty of enthusiastic Marshalls, the organiser being a keen runner himself. Did I tame the beast??. Well, probably just poked it in the eye and ran away this time but hopefully next year I will be back to tame it!.

Well done to Dave Coker for being 3rd MV 50 with his fantastic time of 1:34, he is definitely flying at the moment.

Realistically this should have been called the Charnwood Hills and mud race. There being a strong emphasis on both aspects, this was a race with a strong uphill profile and an abundance of mud. Some of these hills were steep such as going up to Old John; others just seemed to be never-ending inclines. However being in essence an out and back, what goes up has to come down! And the down hills were certainly glorious even in the oozing mud.

The mud was completely unavoidable and caused a lot of problems for many runners, indeed everyone by the end of the race was plastered in multiple layers of mud. Others however, appeared to have had a bath in it. While many runners were slipping around in the mud I managed to not only keep upright but make headway thanks to shoes designed for such conditions. This ensured that I could benefit from the muddy and downhill sections in compensation for the progress lost in some of the enduring uphill slogs.

The 14.2 mile course was certainly an interesting one with plenty of good views and no doubt changes with the elements every year. Luckily, despite the numerous downpours which created such muddy and shoe sucking conditions, the weather on the day was more favourable. The finish line was certainly a welcome sight as I ran the final section across a waterlogged school field and the end to my first official ‘Fell’ race.

Charnwood Hills is one of my all time favourite races, and this Sunday was just about perfect running weather with bright sunshine and clear views across the hills ( though this did mean you could see the full horror of the climbs that were coming up). It may seem a long way to go but it's actually only just over an hour up the motorway. It was the 6th time I've run it and by far the muddiest underfoot, and yet my fastest time on this 14 plus mile course and much my best finishing position. It's proper fell race over some stunning scenery, and includes 100s of feet of climb plus mud, bogs, stream crossings and more mud. High praise for my new Salomon Fellraiser shoes which kept me upright when others ( Mark Rouse for instance) were slipping and sliding. And like all the best races, free tea and cakes are your reward for braving the slog through the mud. Oh and did I mention the mud - so much that the men's showers got blocked?

For the first time in a number of years, AFF fielded a men's and women's team at the Southerns. Most of us met at Flitwick station and travelled en masse courtesy of First Capital Connect, which was great company. As we neared the park in the sunshine, we began to notice the muddiness of the Juniors leaving, having already raced, and reality started to dawn. The man on the tannoy kept referring to runners who are or have been National or European champions or who have represented GB at XC and I started to realise that the quality of the field was the highest I'd ever competed in.

Mud? There was plenty of it, mostly ankle deep, however I reminded myself the conditions were the same for everyone. The course (8k for the women and 15k for the men) was demanding and hilly but it had some of the best support I've ever known in a XC race with people cheering pretty much all the way round and at one point I'm sure I saw Jane and Rob Cook. We all know how someone cheering your name really can give you a big lift, thanks guys. Sadly the weather deteriorated during the men's race and we all ended up getting a good soaking which lead to an interesting journey home!

Thanks also go to Phil Bierton, chief AFF photographer, to Dave Stanley who had all the admin under control on our behalves and to the other supporters who braved the elements on the day. The Men's team finished 52nd out of 74 teams and Women's team 41 out of 52.

Caroline Gilby and I both had birthdays last year which put us into new age groups. We had both looked at the 5K club records in our respective age groups and had decided they were in reach. I was lucky enough to get mine at the first attempt at MK park run a few weeks ago and Caroline had come close to hers. She was keen to have another crack at hers while she was running well and injury free. We decided to give it a go on Saturday, but where to race? MK was flooded, as was St Albans which we'd heard was a fast course. Bedford it was, even though it has a reputation for being a "long" 5K.

We followed our usual routine. We shared amusing anecdotes from our week. We warmed up sensibly. We got our excuses in: I race better in the evenings (Caroline), my foot still hurts from the tin of soup that fell on it last week (me), I did Dave Sedgeley's hill session yesterday (Caroline), I didn't shave my legs, I won't be as streamlined (me).

We set off to the start and lined up in the second row behind the 10 year olds, I hoped they wouldn't hold us up. I've been running without a watch recently so I set off at what felt like a strong pace and I could hear Caroline's breathing right on my shoulder. We stayed like that until about 3.5k when she edged into my peripheral vision. I stepped up a little bit and I could hear she was still there. By 4K my legs started to feel heavy. As she drew level with me this time I told her to go for it. And go for it she did. She edged closer to the lead woman a few metres in front of us and crossed the finish line in 21.26, smashing the FV50 club record by about 45 seconds! I finished in a new PB of 21.36 breaking my own FV45 club record.

Now Caroline and I have what I like to think of as a healthily competitive relationship, in that we encourage each other but neither of us really likes being beaten by the other. However I can honestly say I couldn't be happier for her, she ran a fantastic race and I can't think of anyone who deserves this record more. The only thing is, the FV50 record is now 10 seconds quicker than the FV45 record ...

I’m going out now – I may be some time. Only as I stepped out into the driving snow, I wasn’t leaving the proverbial tent, but rather taking it with me. On this particular race you have to take the kit and food for a winter mountain marathon. It was 8am and I was starting the Spine Challenge – a 108 mile foot race up the Pennine Way from Edale to Hawes. The race is in its third year and with a course record of 32 hours I felt I ought to have a good crack at this time. After all that is only 3 ½ miles an hour – it couldn’t be that difficult. Well apart from the rough and sodden terrain, the difficulty of night time navigation, the sub-zero temperatures, the 7kg race pack and sleep deprivation it was a doddle. The fifty miles to the first checkpoint went pretty well - I was able to rest my feet for 30 minutes, get some hot food, and restock my pack with gels, flapjack etc, but I was about an hour behind schedule and with a couple of subsequent navigation errors overnight things were not looking too good. Nevertheless, as I ascended Malham Cove at sunrise, my mood lifted and I was still managing to walk up/jog downhill throughout the second day. Later as darkness and the cloud base fell, the path petered out into a heathery bog and visibility dropped to 2 metres. It took a while to get off the last mountain down to Hawes, although at close to 33 hours, it was a fast time with over half the field DNF's and most some way behind me. The resulting swollen limbs and aching muscles suggests that this was a tough physical event although in reality the mental focus required to get around without injury, hypothermia, nutrition problems or serious navigation issues is probably of equal importance. One of the better aspects of the race was that we all had GPS trackers attached to our packs. This meant a) no cheating, b) more safety and most importantly c) friends/family can track your progress from the comfort of their home via a web page. The result is that they know you are probably still alive and later can quiz you as to why you spent ½ hour stuck in the same spot (normally the words dark, cold, mountain, wet, hungry and tired crop up). I would not recommend this for your first ultra marathon but if you enjoy tough UK based winter races you will struggle to better this – although there is one: the 278 mile version which continues to Kirk Yetholm in Scotland. It starts at the same time and the course record is about to be set at less than 5 days……maybe another year.

The conditions could not have been more perfect for a morning of XC racing; bright clear skies and fresh but rising temperatures. The course posed a variety of challenges with lots of undulation, muddy bits, frozen puddles, grassy bits, stony sections and, of course, a beast of a hill near the end (you knew it was coming, you could see those ahead toiling up it) and finally the longish, straightish, downhillish section to the finish.

For the Flyers, it was a race of season records. A record number of Flyers raced: 52, with a record number of people registering for their first XC of the 3CXC of the season: 6. The men's team finished first (again, some habits are hard to break) and recorded their best score of the season, a mere 64 points. The women recorded their best score of the season too, 33 points, and had their highest place finish of the season in joint third with Wootton Road Runners (only beaten by Beds Harriers and Biggleswade). This made our final combined team score a whopping 97 points. This ensured a team win for AFF and is the best score for the club for some time.

Whilst it was frustrating not to get the full results after the event, there have clearly been some corrections and amendments that have gone in our favour, compared to the provisional results announced at the time. Full results for the race and the season can be found on the 3 Counties website. Your score may differ from the ticket you were given at the finish due to a variety of adjustments made post race finish.

What this means is that at close of 3CXC business for the 2013/2014 season, AFF men take the league title having won all 5 races, the AFF women finish a very respectable 6th out of 13 and AFF successfully defend the team title. Proud doesn't quite cover it.

Grand Prix points have been scored for this event and are the updated leagues are displayed below. This has involved a certain amount of early season adjustment of the leagues in order to keep the numbers in each active league even.

The individual awards saw Tim Harris taking the 2nd Senior Men's award, having tied with the winner in terms of points, but losing out on count back, while Craig Palmer did not rely on count back to take the 3rd place. 6 more of our men were placed in the top 40 for the series. Modesty probably prevents Jo from mentioning that she took 3rd place in the FV45 category and along with 3 more women finished in the overall top 40.

Needless to say, some celebrations were called for and a large number of Flyers and their spouses and children celebrated in style with a curry in the evening and from the number of trips made to the "eat as much as you like" buffet, I think we had all earned our supper!

Many thanks to Phil Bierton for his support throughout the 3CXC season. Phil does a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes, as well as standing around for us all to finish to record our scores, to ensure that we can all simply get on with our running.

Not only was the race the last event of the 3 Counties League but also the conclusion of our own Club XC Championship. This consist of the 5 League events plus the County Champs. Full details of the scores can be found on the XCountry page on the website.

On behalf of Ste and myself a huge thank you to everyone who raced in any of the 3CXC races this season. Without your willing enthusiasm and commitment to the XC training as well as the races, we could not have retained our men's and team titles. And what an end to the season it was!

The route was the one we should have done last year - when event was cancelled due to deep snow.

It was a lovely route with only 3 major climbs - 2 in the first 10 miles, then the one up the North Downs to the last checkpoint at Steer's Field (LDWA founder), before the obligatory return via Tanners Hatch youth hostel.

The early frost meant going was firm - but later for the second 15 miles there many very muddy tracks - which slowed progress somewhat. Still I was quite pleased with my time of 8 hrs 47 mins - which meant I finished before dark.

The County XC Champs tend to be memorable. Last year's trip to Campbell Park is remembered for the hills; brutal hills. Thankfully Stockwood Park is a completely different beast. The XC course hugs the boundary of the Stockwood Park, skirts the golf course and is predominantly flat. Flat tends to mean fast but it can also mean wet. 2014 will be remembered as a mudfest, sheets of water to splash through and long spikes. Oh and a carpet of tramped mud in the Flyers tent which steamed like a sauna after the Men's race.

Two of our juniors entered the fray (Katie Lansbury U13G and Toby Bartram U13B) and both acquitted themselves well.

The Men's race was a torrid affair with most half drowned by splashing in the first half mile. A strong Flyers team settled into their race with some excellent packing towards the front. Phil Holland led the Flyers home with 4th in the Bucks AAA race and Phil Wolstencroft bagged a well-deserved MV50 Gold Medal in the Beds AAA race. Who would win the Bedfordshire AAA men's team trophies? It was a close call - Luton AC (59pts) won the Senior Team Trophy with the Flyers (77pts) in a strong 2nd. The Vet Men's Trophy was fiercely contested with Leighton Buzzard AC (77pts) just pipping the six Flyers (79pts) who scored.

Sadly, in the MV60 race some athletes took a wrong turn which led to the Referee declaring the race null and void.

The women's race was also a muddy, squelchy, splashy affair over 8k, with AFF fielding sufficient runners to have 3 Senior Teams in the top ten; 4th, 8th and 10th, a great achievement and more than any other club. We also had the 4th and 7th placed Vet Teams. Interesting to note that if results went off time, rather than finish place, we would have been placed as third Senior Team and third Vet Team. Ho hum. Special mention must go to Caroline Gilby who is the FV50 County XC Champion. (And some old Hartley bloke came third in his MV40 age group too - congrats on that Ste.)

A big thank you to everyone who raced, to Jeremy Bell who provided us with shelter, and to all of the enthusiastic spectators who cheered and braved a grim wet day.

This one is also difficult to get out of bed for but a 11.30 start makes it somewhat easier. Staying with my mum makes this easier still and we have run this a few times now. For the first time is was sold out. My cousin (an international hammer thrower) also joined us for the fun.

It was a wet morning and it got progressively wet and windy - not the best of conditions. The poor marshals did look extremely cold. I did the decent thing though and ran with Mrs H and tried to keep the banter going to take her mind of the running. It¹s a great route similar to Ely - a nice rural run but can be demoralising in a couple of spots when you can see the next mile or so!

Friendly event run by a friendly club. Karen again ran the whole way (much to her surprise) and happy to finally get out of the wind and rain. We came back to my mum¹s to another mountain of food and another family get together - what better way to spend an afternoon!

So another New Year and one full of potential promise - so to help it along Charnwood Hills, Grizzly and the Lisbon Marathon are already entered. Happy New Year to you all and hopefully catch up with you on Tuesday nights (another New Years resolution....)