Muddy Good Fun!

A return to 'good old' Cross Country

One December, not long after starting secondary school (I must have been about 12 years old) I somehow found myself roped into competing in a very cold, muddy Cross Country competition in Swanley, Kent. I remember placing 13th (my sporty classmate came 2nd) despite absolutely no training, but have no idea how far it was or how long I took. I do however remember feeling sick from the exertion of it! That, dear reader, is my entire Cross Country history in a nutshell!

Fast forward approximately 17 years and I was recently called upon to help my club (Dacorum and Tring AC) earn vital points in this year's Chiltern League, with the first race being held in Watford on October 19th. After the Thunder Run experience earlier this year I decided I'd need to invest in some serious 'mud shoes', as my ordinary 'door to trail' shoes just weren't going to cut it if I wanted to run the whole way and stay upright. I'd read about 'Fell Shoes' (trail shoes with an aggressive, knobbly tread, generally best suited to sloppy, loose ground) in Women's Running magazine and decided to invest in a pair made by Inov-8 (http://www.inov-8.com). I was torn between two models from Inov-8's Mudclaw range, so I ordered both and trotted around our front room in them to decide which I would keep and which to return. In the end I picked the 265, as the 300 had a very unstable, rounded sole that I really didn't feel safe with. The 265 has a much lower heel to toe offset than I'm used to, but Inov-8 make 3mm and 6mm footbeds to customise the cushioning, so I've ordered a set of 6mms to perfect the ride.

Image courtesy of Gary Mitchell http://garymitchellphoto.com 

The race was actually great fun (the picture may not be too convincing of that fact, but it was taken very near the end!) and conditions were perfect - overcast but mild with some cool drizzle. I felt so confident in my new, grippy shoes that I charged up and down the muddy slopes and was reassured to find myself still standing and moving at a decent speed - absolutely unthinkable in 'normal' trainers as I'm somewhat of a clumsy oaf on slippery surfaces! The next fixture is this Saturday in Oxford, but unfortunately I won't be there because I'll be chasing after last year's PB at the Grand Union Canal Half Marathon on Sunday (sorry team :-( )

The only thing I disliked about the cross country experience was that there were separate races for the genders. The ladies course was considerably shorter than the men's (just over 4 miles, according to my Garmin), I'm not sure what the logic is there (maybe it's just tradition?), but I did find that a bit sexist and would have enjoyed the challenge of going further. I also found I missed running in a mixed crowd - having run in quite a few races it felt very strange indeed only to be racing with other ladies!

I'd thoroughly recommend having a crack at cross country, it's really not as daunting as it seems and its safe to put fears of coming last aside. I'll admit there were lots of scarily fast runners there, but just as many of us mere mortals ran too, just like a 'normal' road race!