Harlow Running Club

Saffron Walden Cross Country - 28th February 2010

Race Length: ~4.41 miles (cross country)

Course Best: 34.09 (7.45 min/mile) in January 2008

Outcome: 32.46 (7.32 min/mile)

7:03 8:01 7:15 7:32 2:32 - for 0.41 miles)

Nemesis Score: 1 - 1

I was not really up for this one, and who can blame me considering the weather! Raining heavily all week with only a small respite on Friday/Saturday afternoon. Conditions on the day were rain, windy and cold.  The previous day I should have run a simulated half marathon, but the excesses and lateness of the Awards dinner had taken its toll. Couple this with a lot of running around and house buying worries, I was not in the mood for my Saturday run. At least this meant I was rested.  Fortunately the terrain of the Saffron course contains more road than the others, plus a large strech of flinty track. The soil is less clay that an at Ware/Harlow/Stortford so even though it was wet it did not clag all round my shoes.  Infact they were almost clean at the end!

So on to the race...

Well I set off comfortably as the last time I ran this course in 2008 I went off hell for leather and died on the long climb (~1 mile) after the first short loop. I tucked in behind nemesis #1 tracking them down the lane, dodging the large puddles (pointless apart from the risk of turning an ankle in a hole) to the first ford. Now we had been warned that the 2 fords were 'ankle deep' and 'knee deep' We were not told that they were infact 'knee deep' then 'waist' deep, more raging torrents and bliddy freezing!  I kept my feet but others did not.

Now slightly ahead of nemesis #1, the climb up the flinty track started, under the motorway then further uphill on a track that was 4x4 rutted with water pouring down the hill.  Given we were heading in to the wind/ran up hill and I burnt out last time, I tucked in behind a group of Saffron Striders who provided a nice wind break.  They were slightly slower than I would have been up hill even with some holding back so nemesis #1 caught me and over took just before the top. No worries I thought, I would stretch out on the long downhill section. The trouble was, they were pulling away.

Having recovered from the hill I did now set off in pursuit and was holding the gap, back under the motorway then in to the village saw the steep steps/climb before the final run in.  I did close the gap on the climbs, but was unable to put the hammer down for the final stretch accross the field - I was holding distance rather than gaining. I turned around to check who was near me and the next runner was a comfortable distance behind and no threat. I treid one last time to get some speed, but the gap was remaining constant.  They finished a place ahead ~10-20 seconds infront.  The good news was that I comfortably did beat nemises #2 who I out sprinted to the line at Ware.

A good close to the season for me, but I have been lacking all out speed.  The next focus is the completion of marathon training and the Reading Half Marathon at the end of March.