Leisure Centre League – Hartridge

Another visit to Hartridge for the South Wales LCL cross country league, representing Chepstow Harriers. The weather was threatening but the rain held off until we were on our way home – result! The course was the same as I remember it from last year, but seemed more overgrown. The first thing I noticed was that overtaking would be difficult for much of the course. This proved to be tha case – with the start being a real problem. I took the radical off piste line that gained me lots of places but I think put me in a position ahead of my current fitness. Sue and Andy C both took tumbles at the start.

I struggled all through the race, gradually losing positions which was a bit of a downward spiral – affecting motivation and slowing me down further. Sue got past me on lap 2. so much for the recent XC events where I have managed to be a lot closer at the end of her 3 laps (4 for us men).
Link to my Google Map
I will edit this with more results once I have them, but my current understanding is that the Chepstow ladies won, and the men were joint second – not a bad result.

Better than pushing the supermarket trolley!

Cross Country Pontllanfraith

The cross country season has arrived – of course so did the weather. You can’t have a true XC race without there being mud and today was no exception.

The race was the first of the South Wales Leisure Centre League XC events. today not at a leisure centre but round and round the civic offices. I wonder what the staff will think when they arrive for work on Monday and see the muddy trenches formed by the runners crossing the wet grass and streams.

I had a good run today. I started steadily, considering the bad run of yesterday but found that it was the good me that had turned up today. The first lap had a relatively short stretch to a bottle-neck at a stream crossing. I fought my way through some vegetation at the side and gained a good few places. As happens so often I found myself just behind Sue and this is the way it stayed until she finished her 3 laps. We managed to overtake a few that we perhaps didn’t expect to – one sure way of guaging how one is running. I think that form the end of the first lap I wasn’t overtaken and managed to get past a few on each lap – another sign of a good run.

At the finish I found myself the 6th Chepstow Harrier therefore counting in the team results – the first time for ages – where were all the good people? Lets see how well we did when the results are published.

The stream was a good facility to clean the muddy shoes before heading home.

I felt a lot better than I did on Saturday – a good Sunday outing.