| I’ll be totally honest, I started this weekend with some pre-run anxiety. I dunno why I get it, it always works out fine, if I could switch it off I would but I can’t so there you go. The main cause of this was the impending cross country race as the first of the Manchester League, hosted by Stockport Harriers in Woodbank Park. There were three reasons I think, that I was a little nervous. First and foremost, I’d never done a cross country race before. Infact, I’d only done two cross country runs before (assuming you don’t count walking at the back in school two decades ago), last weekend in Heaton park, mostly to get used to running in the new spikes (you can read about that here if you like). A total of 15 miles. Secondly, this was the first race where I felt I was really joining in with the whole club running thing and competing as part of a team for Salford Harriers (as opposed to just turning up to a race and happening to mention I’m a member.) Thirdly, I didn’t really know where I was going as I’d never been to that park before. Not a huge cause of anxiety really but still, another unknown. I talked myself up before I went that of course it would be fine, nothing to worry about, blah, blah, blah but I didn’t really get settled into the idea until I managed to successfully navigate my way to the park (one down!) and spot some friendly Salford faces. As soon as I’d got into a warmup lap with a couple of the other ladies I totally relaxed and started to really enjoy it already. |  A few laps round Woodbank Park..  Still not very muddy! |
| | We had great weather for running; not wet (a little muddy underfoot but hey), not windy and not too hot or sunny either so another big tick in the ‘told you it’d be fine!’ box! There was some confusion regarding how many laps to do and I’d heard talk of ‘a hill’ but I tend to run quite strong on hills I think and my tactic is to just follow the guys in front so I wasn’t fazed by any of that. As soon as we set off I was incredibly glad I’d put the effort in to do the test runs last weekend as it really is such a different thing to be running on soft ground. I felt fairly strong though and was glad I’d switched a couple of my training plan days to give me Friday as rest (as well as deciding against the hill reps on Thursday!) After my concerns had melted away I genuinely loved the experience, very scenic and a real joy to be flying over the woodland paths and grassy stretches, though I was a little concerned when we encountered a very muddy, steep downhill section with a big sign at the bottom saying ‘ROOTS!’ I’ve been so accident prone lately; that really would be just my luck! |
Perhaps that made me take it more cautiously but I didn’t have any trouble and felt sure footed all the way. When we came to an uphill stretch I found myself mildly scoffing at the talk of the hill. ‘Oh come on!’ I mentally chided ‘This is more of a slope really…’ Until we got round the corner a bit. ‘Ah. THIS hill.’ Thankfully, what it proffered in gradient it lacked in length and so with a few quick little steps, concentrating on effort not pace, I got to the top with not too much bother, but yes, granted, I’ll give you that as a hilly course! I was interested to see later the correlation between the gradient and my pace (courtesy of Garmin!).
 Pace mapped against elevation! No surprise I go slower up hills! | On the third lap I was almost the only person still even giving a passing courtesy to the idea of running and many were slowing to a walk for that bit. I completed the course in… a time. I’ve been told that times aren’t important in cross country (though I’m not sure that can be totally true or there’d be no competition!) so I’m not even going to say what it was. So there. |
What I will say is that the whole thing was just over far too quickly! (and not because I ran particularly fast!) I do think I got off lightly with the weather and the boost of support from so many of the Salford men who were there ahead of time for their own race (in this event the ladies ran a separate course) did help me power over a few of the tougher bits but I am definitely looking forward to the next one I am planning to run; a home stint (hosted by Salford Harriers) round the infamous Boggart Hole Clough! December the 6th though… Not sure we’ll be so meteorologically blessed!
| It was owing to the commitment I’d made to run the cross country race on the Saturday that I had been reluctant to commit to the Oldham Half Marathon on Sunday as suggested by regular race buddy Simon at the Salford City 10k. Combined with my intention to register for Lancaster Half in a fortnight, I wasn’t too sure it’d be a good idea, especially as I’d been warned it was a ‘tough little course’. ‘I’ll see how I feel in the morning!’ I had vaguely non-committed. Still, having been told I’d be saved a place out of a reasonably small maximum field of 500 it was hard to turn down and I’d already pretty much decided in the afterglow of an enjoyable Saturday that I was good to go. It was in a completely different and far more buoyant mood that I hopped on the bus to Oldham and set off through the fog to trot out a few miles through Saddleworth. |  A different kind of running for Sunday morning! |
Knowing that I didn’t have to do it, and with no pressure on myself to try and get a ‘good’ time (after all, it’s a hilly course and I raced yesterday so no sneaky PB attempts here!) made my mood much brighter I think and I enjoyed it from the first step.
| It was a pleasant surprise to see a couple of other Salford faces there too, also who ran yesterday, though as far as I’m aware I’m the only Harrier that actually raced both. Not that it’s a particular accolade; I think going to support is really important and something I should do more of if I wasn’t so obsessed with running the races myself! Though I could feel it a little in my calves still from yesterday, I could tell I wasn’t risking injury, I felt fitter than that, a fact even the Garmin agreed with when it beeped after a mile and a bit to tell me that my recovery was ‘good’. Now, I’d never seen it say anything else until yesterday when it decided to let me know, as I tracked my route home, that my recovery for that bike ride was only ‘fair’. I think that’s reasonable enough and I’m glad to know it can say something else when it wants to! |  #UKRunChat-ters get everywhere! Me with RunChat buddy, Howard! |
The scenery I had been promised was only slightly marred by the fog but in fact I think in many ways (at least where you could see through it) it just made the landscape more interesting as it drifted in and out between the hills and slunk about the wooded areas like a naughty teenager who hasn’t quite finished the night out yet and doesn’t want to go home. A waning moon high up above the hills added to a very pleasant view. Yeah, you had to go up a hill to see it but hey, you got to come down the other side too ‘wheeeeee…’!
 I'm sadly getting bored of medals but I love the design of this one! | I chatted happily with Simon until about 7 miles I think when I had to use a bush (meh, whatever, a minute maybe on my time but a far more enjoyable run for the stop!). Annoyingly, I didn’t catch him again so either we missed each other or he kept up the same pace as me and pipped me to it! Whatever the reason, I had the next seven miles to slip into more of a personal reverie and it occurred to me that this time last year any running related angst hadn’t been related to a short cross country but to my impending first ever attempt at a half marathon. I ran the Bupa Birmingham Half Marathon last year as only my 3rd ever race and first at the distance (apart from managing 14.1 on a treadmill as I wanted to know I could ‘go the extra mile!) and it seemed like such a huge challenge, yet here I was now, deciding on the morning to just hop up and run one as if it was no bigger a deal than making a cuppa for breakfast. It really is amazing how much your perception of challenge can change once you have achieved a goal. To be fair, any angst I had for that race probably paid off. I ran it in 1:37, a full 13 minutes quicker than I did today! |
Interestingly, when I told a mate later about the race he said ‘Hmmm, did you do it in, what, an hour and 50?’ Spot on! A very well judged guess that he told me he’d been able to make knowing my recent times in combination with the fact that he’d run it himself a few years ago. Still a pretty impressive guess in my opinion!
So that about wraps it up for my weekend of running! What with slips, trips, bike crashes and a busy month at work, I’d been feeling a little ‘meh’ about the old running malarkey of late but I can officially say I have found my mojo. It was somewhere between the muddy hill of Woodbank Park, Stockport and the foggy slopes of Saddleworth Moors. Who’d have thought!?
So that about wraps it up for my weekend of running! What with slips, trips, bike crashes and a busy month at work, I’d been feeling a little ‘meh’ about the old running malarkey of late but I can officially say I have found my mojo. It was somewhere between the muddy hill of Woodbank Park, Stockport and the foggy slopes of Saddleworth Moors. Who’d have thought!?
