Air intake system lagging.

On my pre-race jog yesterday my legs still felt stiff from the race the weekend before. So today i was a bit nervous before the latest round of the North Yorkshire South Durham Cross Country League fixture at Stockton. I feel that this is a good cross country course, on grass with just the right size hills and plenty of turns but unfortunately i don't go to well on this type of course, i think it's to do with all the sharp turns and getting back up to speed, but in the end it all makes for a bloody hard workout.
Today's race was won by Ricky Stevenson running for New Marske Harriers and his class was unbelievable today with a massive lead by the end of the first lap never mind the finish. He also passed on some inspiration to the rest of his team mates as there was another two in front of me and a load of them just behind me as well. My pre-race nerves of my legs not being up to the job was wrong as my legs felt good all the way to the finish but my heart and lungs were stretched way beyond their limits. Perfect ! Now both legs and cardiovascular systems should be on their way to getting race fit.
I still believe that a good season comes off the back of a good cross country season. With each race being totally different you get to push a different part of your body way past its normal racing parameters and therefore when returning to your usual race scene you should be returning that bit tougher in all areas.
This week i should get straight back into full training seeing as my legs feel ok, as i can't see it taking more than a day for my stretched lungs to repair, unless i had a lung puncture. Yes ! That sounds like a good excuse, i had a slow puncture causing valuable oxygen not to be able to get into the blood stream. With excuses like this i should be on the British team.
Another race or two and then i will have to return to the long slow run weekends for a while. But at least i'm enjoying the racing which is the most important part. No good winning if your not enjoying it i say.