Day 16 & 17 for FLM 2009 - Southern Cross Country Championships

After the 10+ miles of Thursday night I took it easy on Friday. Good job too cos come this afternoon I was up at the Southern Cross Country Championships in North West London. A warmish sunny day but with treacherous conditions underfoot made for a very muddy race which drew in competition from everywhere including Cornwall, Portsmouth, Winchester and many other parts of the South. The field was huge, for the hardest of my cross country races so far. 4 laps, at 9 miles complete distance were a tough call, but I got a good nights rest and felt up for this race in a way I hadn't for the other 2 so far this year.

Started off well, wasn't being as outpaced by everyone else as I had been in the previous 2 races. On higher ground where it wasn't boggy, I made a conscious decision to lap people from the second of my own laps. Where my legs had so far felt heavy in training, today they felt good and I swapped position with Simon (on the far left of the photo) a couple of times before I made a determined push on the 3rd lap to go for it. This was brought on by us being lapped by the speedy guys at the front of the field. They glided across puddles and the deeper mud, making a mockery of the uncertainty we displayed on our feet.

Believing that I wasn't going to be left for dead by them and not look like a chump I quickened the pace. From then on I didn't have anyone at my level in the field pass me and I was going past decent competition all the way round. The winter sun got lower in the sky and the temperature dropped quickly but I pushed on, enjoying myself but wanting to get to the line and a hot drink inside me.

The strategy worked and I was able to keep at the quicker pace for almost one and half laps before bursting through at the end to beat the one guy I'd had in my sights for the last couple of hundred metres. Given it was by far the worst conditions I've ever run in, I acquitted myself well and felt fantastic after the event. Official times still to come but about 1 hour 15 was my time. Legs feel good and I'm ready for more this week. Happy Stu.