Being in a running club like Sandhurst Joggers has loads of benefits and I am sure a lot of running clubs are like this too. Not only do you get a load of organised club runs tailored for different abilities of runner from beginner to elite, your annual subscriptions go towards paying entry fees for club events like relay races and the winter cross country season. Initially I joined SJ for the chance to occasionally train with other people and to get England Athletics affiliation and get £2 off race entry fees. But to really get my money's worth I realised that joining in club events was the way to go.
There are a lot of events that SJ enter teams for each year and as they are open to all members the club pays the entry fees. These include the Green Belt Relay, Bounders Relay, Runnymead Relays and the Thames Valley Cross Country League. That's at least 10 races a year that you can enter for free and all you have to give up is a finisher's medal, which is not much of a disappointment when you consider that these events are absolutely the best fun you can have with your trail shoes on.
Thames Valley Cross Country
The Thames Valley Cross Country League is based around 7 or 8 races hosted by different teams within the league and held from October to February each year. Each course is usually a mixture of hilly and muddy woodland trails and parkland and is about 5 miles in length. Male and female teams compete in the same race with the first 6 men and first 3 women from each club scoring points. All abilities take part and even if you don't score points for your club you can affect the result by getting ahead of scorers from other clubs. To promote club spirit, club colours have to be worn by any runner to score.
I have done only a few cross country runs in my time as an SJ member, something I really need to correct next year. Over the last two seasons I have managed to do just the Handy Cross and Bracknell Forest events as I have had Sundays filled with either other events (Portsmouth marathon, Winter Tanners ultra, son's birthday) or taking the kids to their own cross country league races.
Bracknell Forest Runners hold their round of the TVXC at Lightwater Country Park near the Bagshot junction of the M3. The area is a mixture of pine, oak and birch woodland and open heathland. The open high ground is sandy and gravelly paths and tracks with woodland paths covered in mushy wet composty soil and low lying paths of thick or sloppy mud. It's a partly undulating and partly hilly course with some descents that you can really fly down, but where you have to be careful not to get caught out by technical sharp turns into very muddy sections at the bottom. So, a good variety of all the things that make a classic cross country course.
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| Sandhurst Joggers set up camp near the start |
This year there had been quite a lot of rain leading up to the race and in the morning it was spitting with rain and cold. I got to the venue around 10:20 having parked outside the park. After finding the start area, the SJ club flag and signing in with Claire Hobson, our XC Secretary, there was time to chat to a load of clubmates for a few minutes before stripping off to short shorts and club vest at the last moment before the off. I had seen a few people that I wanted to keep in sight all being well when we got going. However, I really wasn't sure about the "all being well" bit. Having done a 7 hour, 30 mile event the previous week I was feeling a bit sore in my left knee (patella tendonitis?), right calf/ankle (Achilles tendonitis?) and top of right foot (extensor tendonitis?) so I probably should be resting and doing more treatment/rehab. I thought I would see how I felt after a bit of a warm up and then start near the back and pick my way through the pack if I felt OK.
I wasn't wearing any special kit for this event, but went for my Salomon Fellraisers again as they have quickly become my favourite trail shoe in muddy conditions. I think my right foot pain at the Tanners was due to my shoes getting tighter as the day wore on and my feet swelled and I should have loosened them off a bit. So I started this race with slightly less tight shoes which immediately relieved the discomfort and I was feeling good at the start.
The Race
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| At the pointy end of the race - lots of sharp elbows in evidence |
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| Meanwhile at the other end, a lot more smiles. I'm at the extreme left of this shot, right at the back |
The course was a bit congested just after the start and we queued into the first corner, but I was quickly aware that I was feeling good and able to run up through some of the crowd on the first rise before turning left onto a grassy muddy trail and another narrow rise where we got held up again. Out on the wider track I got past a few more people and at 1 mile we turned on to a long steep descent. I have been practising descending fast in hill sprint sessions to improve leg speed, so I was able to fly down this hill before just managing to slow enough to make the sharp left at the bottom on to a very muddy track. After the muddy section another long descent through trees and then into open ground was followed by a short bit of slippy boardwalk and then a kicker of a sandy hill. After this the route follows a long, long gradual downlsope before getting into another wooded undulating section to bring us round for the end of the first lap.
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| Coming up the last major climb of the race, Sandhurst's Graham Robinson had pulled out a clear lead for 1st place |
I was feeling strong and was a bit surprised to see SJ runners Alan Kirby and John Tovell just ahead near Kelvin Gower (running for Windle Valley), as I thought they would be way ahead. This gave me a bit of a lift as I find it's always good to have some club mates and friends to pace yourself against. As I caught Kelvin at the end of the lap I thought I could hear him running along just behind me for the next uphill mile, so this spurred me on to keep the steady pace going. I managed to catch Alan Kirby on a long descent, but got passed back on the next uphill section and this happened again and again over several hills. I was saving myself on the uphills, especially the steeper sections, trying to get up the steepest parts by using a fast walking stride on a couple of the biggest hills. I found that as I got to the crest I might have lost 5 or 10 paces on other runners but I could hit the next flat or down-slope at a much faster pace and catch up to and pass several more people ahead of me.
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| Over 10 minutes later here I am in a battle for 167th position! |
I found myself thinking about race tactics as the last lap went on. If I put a bit of extra effort in I could get past a few people on a wider track just before turning onto narrower sections where I couldn't get overtaken. Knowing I was in the last mile I told myself the person in front of me was the next person to catch and pass, not just someone to pace myself against and I managed to pass a few more people on the twisty wooded descent round to the bottom of the course. The last few hundred metres to the finish were a lung busting effort but I cheered on the few tail runners I passed who were on their first lap before dragging myself over the finish line.
Results
I finished in position 167 in a time of 47:36 and there were scoring male runners from other clubs who finished behind me, so I could say that my efforts counted for something in the league. Compared to last year, when I had also done the Winter Tanners 30miles a week before, I felt much better and stronger at the finish and came away with another course PB by 4 minutes. Two races and two PBs and it's still only January. Maybe if I had started in mid-pack instead of at the back I could have avoided some snags and done even better. I should have a bit more confidence in myself next time.
As soon as I finished the race and logged my finish position with Claire, I got another race tactic spot on and joined the queue for sandwiches and cake straight away. Later on the queue was huge!
Bracknell Forest put on another great cross country event. Sandhurst's Graham Robinson finished in 1st place, 40secs ahead of the next runner (in my head I look just like Graham does when I'm running the cross country, but somehow I'm 14 minutes slower! He must have longer legs than me.) Keeping it in the family, so to speak, Jenny Robinson was first home for Sandhurst in 5th place. Sandhurst came 2nd mens, 3rd ladies and 2nd for the team overall to maintain our 2nd place in the league behind Reading Road Runners. Just below us there were some changes and Windle Valley managed to overtake Bracknell Forest Runners into 3rd place in the rankings with one more race to go.
Thanks to Jane Bradley for the taking the photos.
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