The second week of 2024 was a quiet one for Croft runners with not many races on the cards.
Our Tuesday and Thursday training sessions went as planned this week, with no floods or hectic weather conditions putting an end to things. Sam was in charge of Tuesday’s session which returned to Croft Castle, our usual stomping ground. The session took runners into the woods where they spent some time focusing on their longer intervals. Thursday moved over to High Vinnalls for another block of training in the “deep, dark” woods. This session was led by Tim and was all about hill sprints – followed by cake, or so I have heard.
Saturday morning brought many Crofties out of the woodwork – taking part in a range of Parkruns in the local vicinity and beyond. First up was Ludlow where Toby (and Sonny the Dog) finished in 3rd place with yet another PB of 21:15. Joe, Naomi, Oliver T and Owen M also came away with new personal bests. In Hereford, Sam J was first runner home. However, it was Lou P bringing home another PB for the second week in a row. Eric tried out Hay-on-Wye’s new parkrun for the first time this weekend, setting a new course record in the progress. He finished 1st in 18:18. Theresa was over in Cambridge visiting Scott for the weekend, with both taking part in the Storey’s Field Parkrun. Scott finished in 17:20 and Theresa in 29:22. Stuart and Liza took part in Keswick parkrun, finishing in 24.47 – a parkrun PB for Liza! Also taking part at Keswick were past Croft members Ali and Ashley Cooke.
Also this weekend, Greg was taking on the Montane Spine Race, after having to dip out at 125km during his last attempt in the Summer. Billed as “Britain’s Most Brutal Ultra,” Greg took the start line at 8am on Saturday morning with 108 miles to go until he reached the finish line. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, just under 21 hours in, Greg had to pull out. Regardless, Greg put in a valiant effort and all of us at CARC wish him all the best!
Sunday saw another Sunday social, but this time joining up with the hash running group from the Wyre Forest for a hash run around the Clun countryside. But, what is hash running, I hear you ask?
“At a hash, one or more members (“hares”) lay a trail, which is then followed by the remainder of the group (the “pack” or “hounds”). Paper, flour, or chalk are usually used to mark the trail. The trail periodically ends at a “check”. The pack must find where it begins again; often, the trail includes false trails, short cuts, dead ends, check backs, and splits. These features are designed to keep the pack together despite differences in fitness level or running speed, as front-runners are forced to slow down to find the “true” trail, allowing stragglers to catch up.” – Wikipedia
Two groups, one walking and one running, set off from Clun mid-morning following the flour trail up hills, across muddy fields (yup, I lost my shoe), and through very “undulating” woodland trails. But 6 miles later, everyone (including the dogs) had made it back to the start and finished the morning by heading to the local pub for a roast and a pint. Take a look on our Facebook page for pictures!
One of our younger runners, Jamie, has been busy this weekend, running at the Dudmaston Dirt Run 10k in Shropshire. An amazing effort by Jamie saw him improve on last year’s time by over 3 minutes!
And, that’s it for this week. Please remember that our upcoming training sessions will be available to view on our Facebook page every Sunday evening. In the meantime, don’t forget, we’re always on the look out for your race reports for the website, so get posting them on Facebook or send them to either Sam H, Huw or myself (Bronwyn).