Tuesday was the real acid test, as to whether I would be fit enough to make a return to racing this weekend though, and I came through what felt like a very tough track session unscathed. This gave me a massive confidence boost as my back held up running at race pace.
Having come through that - as well as a tempo session on the docks on Thursday - without any reactions, I made the decision that I was fit enough to participate in the Lancashire championships crosscountry race at Witton Park. My plan B had been to run the Garstang 10k as a tempo on the Sunday instead, but my first choice was always to run the championships, as I wanted to try for selection to the County team again ahead of the Intercounties.
The last two times out at these championships, I had placed 14th and 7th, so had initially hoped to try and continue to improve my position this year - as a top 6 placing would have sealed automatic selection.
As it was, the field was stacked with quality runners, and I knew before the race had even started that I would have to run out of my skin to be in with a shout of that sort of a finish.
Molly came to spectate at the crosscountry for the first time, and got her first experience of the mud, watching alongside Simon Monk who was a fantastic gentleman for keeping her company out in the cold!
We got to the park in plenty of time, and I had all my warm up done in plenty of time for the start, however I still managed to almost get caught out as the race official got us underway with the "bang" of the gun without so much as an "on your marks", never mind a "get set"!
The pace on the first lap felt extremely quick considering the hills and mud that are on the course to contend with. Looking at my splits on my garmin suggests that that was the case too, as I went through the first mile in 5:55, before dropping off to 6:15 and then 6:23 in the following miles.
The fast start had probably taken a bit of a toll on me as the race progressed, as I began to drop off from the two Isle of Man athletes that I had been in a good battle with up until the final lap. Instead I found myself consolidating the position I was already in and holding out for a tenth place finish. Considering the quality of the field I was up against, and having had two hugely disrupted weeks of training, I am very pleased with my position in the race and my first performance of 2016.
What's more, the race will have been beneficial as a bit of a recce for the northern championships in a few weeks time too, as they too will take place at Witton Park this year. I am still in contention to possibly go to the Intercounties again, so will be trying my best to improve my chances with a solid run at that one in a few weekends time.
For those of you that haven't experienced the crosscountry course at Blackburn before, it is a tough one, with one big steady climb which peaks with a killer kick at the top, before you plummet back down through thick, shin deep sludgy, cleggy mud. Towards the top of the hill, you feel as though you are getting nowhere - it is like trying to get up a steep hill in the car in too high a gear, that's the only way I can think of explaining it - it's a real lung-buster, never mind a tester for the legs!
This morning I completed the week with a nice gentle 18 miler, to round my mileage off for the week at 70. A solid start for the training year.
Weekly mileage: 70
Average weekly pace: 6:47 (m/pm)
Mileage for the month so far (January 10th): 96
Average daily mileage for the year: 9.6
