Dead Runners society race report
Icknield XC league, Peterborough - sunday
9th December 2001.
A week later back up to
Peterborough to run in the last XC league race of the season.
Evenin all
Tony here with news of the last Icknield XC league race of the season here in
chilly Cambridgeshire.
Last sunday I raced on the road in Peterborough, back up there today for an XC
race. It was rather cold when we left, I had to scrape a bit of ice from the
windscreen before we drove off, brrr :-( Today's XC race started and finished
next to the rowing lake at Peterborough rowing club, a new venue for XC races
for us but running along next to boaties is not a new thing for anyone who runs
in Cambridge along the river Cam.
I was feeling a bit under the weather with a cold but I wanted to run this as
it would be my last chance to run for Cambridge and Coleridge AC for a while.
In the new year I start my new job at Manchester University and I intend to
rejoin my old hometown club Spectrum Striders.
We arrived about 45 minutes before my race was due to start, I did an easy mile
jog to warm up. Then I reluctantly peeled off some of my layers, I like to race
in vest and shorts but I decided to be a wimp today and wear a helly-hansen
long sleeved top under my vest, it was still pretty cold. I did a bit more
jogging just before the start, my left leg felt sore, I gave Shelley my running
jacket and lined up for the senior/vet men’s 10km race.
We started on the grass next to the rowing lake, almost immediately we
turned right and up a very gentle hill, I was with some clubmates at the
back of the pack but they soon got away. Onto a stony path, not comfortable in
spikes, had to try and run on the grass verge. Sharp left and down a gentle
hill, jump over a ditch and back towards the start to complete the first little
lap (1km). Up a little hill to the stony path to carry on for 3 big (3km) laps,
I got going properly on the grass in my spikes. Moving reasonably well by now
but not pushing too hard, I could see 3 clubmates about 100m ahead in a bunch.
As I came towards the end of the lap I was catching up clubmate Marcus. Up a
nasty little hill and I passed him, down the other side and over the ditch and
then back to the lake side to finish the first big lap, no sign of Marcus
behind, I later found out he didn't finish due to injury :-(. Fairly tired by
now but moving well, some encouragement from Shelley as she was warming up for
her race along side the lake.
Stony path again and then back to the grass, still 2 clubmates 100m ahead.
Suddenly clubmate Glyn is only 50m ahead and he is walking, not good. I usually
train with Glyn and wanted to beat him today but I wanted to beat him fair and
square. He is just coming back from a knee injury and it looked like he had
come back to racing too soon. I overtook him and gave him some encouragement. On
towards the end of lap 2, pushing on harder now to catch the third clubmate in
the bunch and not get lapped. Round the corner to start the last lap as I heard
a marshal say that the race leader was coming, success I didn't get lapped. At
one stage I could see fast runners fairly close to me but as it was a twisty
course they weren't as close as I feared.
One last time along the stony path and I overtook clubmate Gerald, pushed on a
little harder to get clear and then relaxed. The next runner was a long way
ahead and wasn't going to come back. I just cruised round this lap in glorious
isolation and over the line in 46.12 for 10km XC. 26th place out of 31 in my
race, 10th Cambridge and Coleridge finisher out of 12, also 2 others dnf.
Pretty tired on finishing but not too bad, I didn't go flat out with my
cold. Shelley was just getting ready for her junior/senior/vets 5km
race. Off went the ladies and I jogged and walked back to the car to get my
spikes off and some more clothes on. By the time I had got all of my layers
back on and got back to the finish the leaders in Shelley's race were coming
in.
Shelley had a good run, 4 C and C ladies came in almost all together.
Birthday girl Julie (35 today, her first vets race!) had got away from
Shelley on the nasty hill and finished 16th. Shelley came towards the finish
just behind Sue, another one of our vet ladies. Sue found out what I know very
well from training that Shelley can sprint and she got ahead and maintained her
lead to the end. Just behind Sue was young whippersnapper Emma.
After the race I did 1/2 mile cooldown jog with Shelley, Emma and Julie. As
this was the last race of the season for this league there was a
presentation and Shelley got hardware :-) C and C won the ladies veteran team
and Shelley was third lady veteran. A productive day for Shelley.
A good day out in spite of the cold weather, a nice way to end my racing for
the year in this country.
bye
tony....
Dr Tony Bell
Milton, Cambridge, England.
Tony@shells.demon.co.uk
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/shelley.walsh9/tonyhome.html
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