Cross Country 2018/19

[Travs]

Regional champs this weekend.... Midlands for me at Leamington Spa.

590 on the start list for the mens, so 400-450 on the start line? We have around 25 entered but i understand we are missing some 'big guns'..... i think the feeling was that we would be competing for honours here with a full team, but not quite at full-strength we may fall short.

Understand it's a venue that has been used before, but they now have access to the golf course so it will be new course at an established venue.

12km..... none of this nancy-boy 10km we have to deal with in the league!

I've seen off my clubmate/close rival 4-0 this season, and he's retired from xc for the season to concentrate on marathon training (and no doubt give me an absolute panning in the road relays in the spring!)

Good luck GazB and any other forumites racing this weekend.

[Corniceman]

Regional champs this weekend.... Midlands for me at Leamington Spa.

Its a great race that Travs. one hell of a muddy stream crossing and a little hill. Plus a section of concrete!!, so fell shoes are pretty good for this. Enjoy. I wish I could run it.

[gazb]

Cheers mate. Will see you there. Noticed the course map showed us running on the golf course. Still over Beacon Hill though? I've run there quite a few times in the last 21 years, but never run on the golf course before. Have a good un!

[ba-ba]

Tell me they haven't done away with The Ditch???!!!
Good memories of Midlands 2014(?) when a crisp clear day for all races was ended with rolling thunder and dark clouds as the men lined up, the hail started as we got to the far end of the 1st lap. The 7 men of Stoke managed to come 4th overall, but 1st team who hadn't been in the top 10 for X years. After hanging around for prize giving and warming down ours was the only tent left standing, it was not an easy task to strike it given none of us could feel our hands.

Northerns are at Pontefract racecourse. Fast and flat but with quagmire potential if wet apparently.

[Travs]

I've heard about the ditch, it's talked about in hushed tones by some of our group.... one guy lost a shoe in one of the recent Champs races.

I'm hoping for a much better performance than last year, when I had to pull out after less than a mile at Wollaton, when my calf went bang. More frustrating at the time was a member of the crowd suggesting to me that I just didn't fancy the hills and mud so I was faking it... I was quickly ushered away before I could unleash my fury...!

[Corniceman]

Tell me they haven't done away with The Ditch???!!!
Good memories of Midlands 2014(?) when a crisp clear day for all races was ended with rolling thunder and dark clouds as the men lined up, the hail started as we got to the far end of the 1st lap. The 7 men of Stoke managed to come 4th overall, but 1st team who hadn't been in the top 10 for X years. After hanging around for prize giving and warming down ours was the only tent left standing, it was not an easy task to strike it given none of us could feel our hands.

Northerns are at Pontefract racecourse. Fast and flat but with quagmire potential if wet apparently.

I ran that race Ba Ba and remember the thunderstorm well as they held us on the start line. The ditch was like thick Guinness that day but with a different smell. That was my last ever XC race as soon after my meniscus really showed itself. Would love to run it again but like Wollaton will leave it now for slow pleasure runs.

[fellgazelle]

The ditch struck fear into the hearts of some but personally I really liked the Newbold comyn course. Good luck Travs

[Travs]

A great day's racing at Newbold Comyn for the Midlands Champs. A new venue and course for me and I was very impressed. 'The Ditch' turned out to be no worse than your average bit of Pennine bog, but otherwise there was some great running, and couple of short, testing hills (and descents), and plenty of variation.

As to my own run, I have been feeling under the weather for a couple of days, and definitely ran a bit within myself today. Having no clubmate within reach either in front or behind probably helped, and I didn't get panicked into anything stupid. However I did see off a few people who normally beat me. 51:14 for a hard 12km.

I noticed that it wasn't necessarily the climbs or the descents which gained me places today, but the following couple of minutes afterwards when people just couldn't get back into their rhythm... unfortunately my rhythm was disrupted on perhaps the easiest part of the course when I went flying at the start of the final lap. Didn't cost me more than a few seconds, but the stop did let me know how much my legs were feeling the effort!

Team-wise we were well depleted today (borne out by the fact that I was 5th scorer, 6 to score). Our Somalian speedster was 3rd overall, and I believe Jack Gray won it, and a Birchfield Harrier 2nd. For us we had a couple of front runners injured, and a couple more saving themselves for the big university Champs next weekend.

Would love to race there again. Would be good to go back for a league fixture, if Leamington can steer clear of relegation this year.

Hello Gaz B... didn't see you at all in the race so I expect you gave me my usual pasting!

[gazb]

Hi Travs. I did 47.58 and was 2nd Wolves counter. Agree with your comments. Good testing course. Definitely an improvement on the old course there. Only downsides were the bottleneck after the 1st turn and I struggled with the descent off Beacon Hill on the camber in fell shoes.

[Llani Boy]

Team-wise we were well depleted today (borne out by the fact that I was 5th scorer, 6 to score). Our Somalian speedster was 3rd overall, and I believe Jack Gray won it, and a Birchfield Harrier 2nd. For us we had a couple of front runners injured, and a couple more saving themselves for the big university Champs next weekend.

Sounds like a good course Travs.
One of your lot, Thomas Burgess, was taking the flatter and no doubt easier option of the Bakewell Parkrun this morning, comimg home first in 16.59!