After months of cross country league fixtures and regional championships the biggest race of the season finally arrived yesterday. The English National Cross Country Championships the oldest and most famous of all xc races returned to its spiritual home, the testing mud bath that is Parliament Hill Fields on London's Hampstead Heath.
In glorious sunshine at 3pm the 122nd running of the senior men's race got under way. For me, as with many cross country runners this is one of the focus races of the year. For spectators the site of over 1400 runners aiming for the first corner of the course is a usually a sight not to be missed (and quite worrying for the ahletes as well!), however the difference on Parliament Hill is the start which starts on a slight rise & which keeps rising! This really sorts out the field, but whatever speed you start at you are still going into oxygen debt as you reach the top of the first climb and drop sharply down to race a very hilly, muddy two lap course. It was great to have the family there though to shout support although I never knew where they were going to pop up next so couldn't slack off at any stage!
As always I finished well down the field, tired but elated after being cheered in by my family and really enjoyed hearing how the rest of the team had faired, most in front of me but some behind!I have also made myself very popular again this evening washing off copious amounts of mud in the kitchen sink! The short video clip shows me in the final sprint to the finishing line. And yes I did beat the chasing athlete despite the lack of faith shown in me by my son who was commentating!
So that's the cross country over for another season and I can now start to focus on the summer with the aim of targeting some of the county track and field fixtures whilst also aiming to run in some of the summer fell races. To that end the first hill race for me will be the very tough nine mile "Bosley Cloud" race next weekend so I suppose I had better get some hill training done quick!
In glorious sunshine at 3pm the 122nd running of the senior men's race got under way. For me, as with many cross country runners this is one of the focus races of the year. For spectators the site of over 1400 runners aiming for the first corner of the course is a usually a sight not to be missed (and quite worrying for the ahletes as well!), however the difference on Parliament Hill is the start which starts on a slight rise & which keeps rising! This really sorts out the field, but whatever speed you start at you are still going into oxygen debt as you reach the top of the first climb and drop sharply down to race a very hilly, muddy two lap course. It was great to have the family there though to shout support although I never knew where they were going to pop up next so couldn't slack off at any stage!
As always I finished well down the field, tired but elated after being cheered in by my family and really enjoyed hearing how the rest of the team had faired, most in front of me but some behind!I have also made myself very popular again this evening washing off copious amounts of mud in the kitchen sink! The short video clip shows me in the final sprint to the finishing line. And yes I did beat the chasing athlete despite the lack of faith shown in me by my son who was commentating!
So that's the cross country over for another season and I can now start to focus on the summer with the aim of targeting some of the county track and field fixtures whilst also aiming to run in some of the summer fell races. To that end the first hill race for me will be the very tough nine mile "Bosley Cloud" race next weekend so I suppose I had better get some hill training done quick!
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