I haven't run a cross country race since Secondary school when we used to get kicked out into the freezing cold by Messrs Stainke & Dingwall.
This was my first team outing with Harpenden Arrows and what a good craic it turned out to be. I've really missed my football since having to give up in 2005 but this was almost reminiscent of travelling to an away game. The banter was good and generally everyone was fair game for a bit of abuse.
Running the race was a bit different. 5 miles, up and down and a bit boggy in places. Not one for the new yellow shoes.
Pre race the legs felt tired after a couple of faster sessions in the week and the body felt tired after a late night dinner party (thank you Lucy).
It was a three lap race and I was a bit conservative, which is a theme at the moment, holding back on the first 2. On the 3rd a I ramped it up a bit and managed a decent sprint finish over the last 500 yards, taking over a good number of runners. The closing pace was pretty impressive for me and the Garmin says I peaked at 4:55 min/mile. I'll have that.
Overall the last lap averaged 6:44min/miles ( the previous two were 7:11 and 7:14). I just need to sort my effort levels out and not be quite so cautious.
The week ahead is going to involve hill reps. The one embarrassing part of the race was my epic fail on every incline. Weak to say the least but redeemable if I do a bit of work.
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