The Hard week Just Got Harder.

The last couple of weeks have been real hard personally but i turned up for the first cross country race in a healthy shape really, with no physical problems what so ever only the back end of a cold. So i was looking forward to a good hard race. The cross country race was at Croft Autodrome near Darlington so it looked like it was going to be a fast flat race. If there's one thing i don't like it is steep sharp short hills and this course had plenty of them. For me this was the hardest cross country race I've ever done. I was really struggling with breathing for some reason and the only thing i can put it down to was those short steep hill sprints in a row on each lap. I was suffering really bad with 2 laps to go and the last lap i was passed and well beaten. I managed to finish second in a right old state and i then had to rush off to the Blacksheep Race Series Presentations at Masham. For some feed back on this new course organised by Darlington Harriers - It was spot on. It was a good fast tough course , good parking, good for spectators and well organised, only fault i could find was that it wasn't a course that liked me. But what the hell, the next race will seem like a walk in the park on my favoured terrain.
Due to the cross country race starting late i only just manged to make it to the presentations in time to collect my award. But i would of been alot happier to of made it early and had the chance to speak to some of the Blacksheep runners, it feels like being part of a great big club rather than being runners from all different clubs. I have now won the mens overall Championship 4 times and i just hope i get the chance next year to have another go but as Tony Mawson the series Organiser points out due to health and safety the series my be in doubt. Well done to Tony Hazel that was runner up, i hope he doesn't get too much quicker, and also congratulations to Erika Johnson on winning the Women's Overall Championship again.
I was hoping to get back into some sort of training routine over the next month but with me going on holiday in two weeks time November is now looking good for a new starting point.
Oh ! I did receive an email from the Gladiators thanking me for Auditioning and to get some training in ready for the next series Auditions, which was good of them.