Cross Country

Is there anything more defined by love and hate than Cross Country running?  Yesterday was the first Midlands League Cross Country fixture at Leamington Spa.  It had rained pretty much continuously all week, so even walking from the car park to registration found us covered in mud!  However, as soon as we lined up at the start line the sun came out and the next four miles of mud, hills, ditches and pain included sweat.  The first mile is always tough, especially when it includes a hill, so you just have to dig in and try not to walk, although it is tempting when you feel like you're running at a snail's pace.  By the second mile, everything was hurting, especially my back but I'm getting towards halfway so I just have to push on and before I know it I'm running through a ditch, which is both fun and scary as I have no idea how deep it is when I jump in.  Once I get past 2 miles, it's a case of trying to stick to the same pace, whilst hopefully other runners fade and I can overtake them, with Cross Country it's all about the position rather than the time, even if you've ran the same course the year before as the conditions will never be the same.  Once I was ascending the hill a second time, I knew it literally was downhill from that point as I was over halfway, so whilst my legs were hurting and every step seemed to attract more mud to my spikes I pushed on until I was attempting to sprint down the finishing straight  I'm not sure how people do manage to sprint in spikes as I managed to pick the pace up only slightly, I'd obviously used up all spare energy in the previous 3.9 miles. Once crossing the finish line and meeting up with my club mates I felt so relieved and happy to go through such a tough run that challenged every muscle in my body.  Once we'd had a cup of sweet tea it was then time to watch the mens race, watching their faces made me realise just how tough but satisfying the race was.

It's all about Cross Country

Well I haven't blogged for a while probably because I've been busy racing :).  The 24 hour race went really well, hardly any issues with my ankle and I've also bought some new trainers, which seem to have done the world of good.  The running highlight of September was Worcester 10K, which was an absolutely fantastic race, everything about it was spot on - the weather, the course, the crowds, the fellow runners, Jo Pavey and a brilliant PB in a distance that is not normally one of my favourites.  Cardiff Half Marathon and Great Birmingham Run followed in October, which were both good experiences but I wasn't feeling too well for either of them due to viruses going around.  Its a funny thing running when you're ill, you're putting in 110% effort but your body just feels out of sorts and you realise you just can't push anymore and you have to take a break. Taking a bit of a break wasn't too bad an experience as there's nothing like not being able to do something to make you realise how much you miss it! After the much needed break, I built up the training again and its now full on with plenty of Cross Country races to keep me motivated up until Marathon training starts in January. The only issue I'm finding at the moment is dragging myself out into the dark to run ever since the clocks changed. Its not even cold but the darkness just makes me want to curl up on the sofa.Thankfully the desire to do well at Cross Country is over-riding the desire to stay inside, which shows how important it is to have a target to keep you motivated.  Also the social aspect of group efforts means that I don't want to miss seeing my running club friends, so on goes the trainers and jacket and out I go, after all its only a few months of darkness before we all start looking forward to Spring :)