When you’ve been feeling ill for a couple of days, but you wake up Sunday morning feeling a bit better should you; a) stay in bed or b) get up and do a XC race? I may not be a big XC-fan, but I do enjoy team races, so I took option b. With the benefit of hindsight, I’m not entirely happy with my selection!I imagine this is what much of the course would look like without deep pools of standing water and cloying mud porridge >>>
Having already had to find a suitable hedgerow to perform a final ‘loose movement’, I set of very conservatively, with the intention of working harder from about half-way. Alas, after a mile or so it was evident that my legs had stayed at home after all and just completing the course without stopping would be the main objective. Needless to say, I failed to score for the team and just reaching the finish-line was quite an ordeal. I’d have been better off with an extra day’s recovery and a few less bruises to the ego.
On the bright side, the weather (if not the underfoot conditions) was ideal. Also, even without my direct input to the scoring this time, the NHRR men once again won their race. The women were 3rd and we were 1st overall. We now head both the men’s and overall league tables after two races. My major contribution was to engender team spirit with my wit and sunny charm. Hopefully, my running will speak more eloquently for me come our home race in December.
Epilogue
I've been very ill nearly all week, so clearly I was on the verge of coming down with something at the week-end, which hopefully explains the large discrepancy between my performance in this race and recent training sessions.
