I have had no real cross country season at all, despite it being one of my favourite (and arguably strongest) events. I had hoped to catch the back end of the season and use the Northern's as a bit of a platform to build some base fitness and run myself into a bit of form ahead of next months National Championships race and an outside shot of the Intercounties team if I could impress enough to earn a late call up.
Unfortunately, no sooner did my season belatedly get underway, than I was forced to pull out of the race and concede that it just wasn't meant to be after what has been well described by one of my Facebook friends as very much like an "incident at turn 1 in formula one".
The Knowsley course was something of a bog and there was an unrelenting mud track - but that is just how I like my crosscountry usually, I am fairly comfortable churning it out in the thick stuff, but nevertheless if I am being honest I wasn't entirely confident of making it around the three laps with both shoes in tact, such was the cleggyness of the surface. I had tied them up as tight as possible and quadruple knotted them and basically hoped for the best that if I was careful I would get around in one piece.
I toed the line and in the early stages I did as much as I could to get settled in a decent position, and I felt that I had managed to do so, getting in and amongst the pack that I knew I wanted to be in. As we descended into the mud pit for the very first time just 0.45 miles in to the race however, disaster struck. Firstly I got spiked through the outside of my right foot by a member of the pack, these things happen and if that had been the only problem I could still undoubtably have continued. Unfortunately though, pretty much within the same stride, I felt my left heel clip and my shoe was gone.
I did try to get the shoe back, but by the time the herd of runners had subsided enough for me to make a grab for it, too much time had already passed for me to be able to get back into the race. It did cross my mind to just jump back in and continue to use it as a fitness exercise, but I had tied the boot that much and that tightly that I couldn't get the damn thing back on at all! Not only that, but having already felt the pain of having a spike through the foot, I wasn't about to try and run bare foot - not from that far out!
The frustration that I have felt since has been unbelievable. The difficulties that I have encountered throughout January have really made me realise just how much I love my running and how much I miss it when it is taken away from me. Not only that, but having only raced once in the last two months now (discounting yesterday's farce!) I have definitely got my hunger for racing back again. After a busy November, I definitely needed a break from the exertions of race day, but I can't wait to get back on a race day start line on the roads again now as soon as possible.
I just hope that after my luck seems to have run dry through the month of January, that the changing of the months might bring with it an upturn in fitness and fortunes.
This month has been disastrous from a racing perspective, but if I can take anything from it, at least I have been able to keep ticking over with at least some mileage and a few sessions to maintain a certain level of fitness.
This week I managed to string together a fairly decent training week up until Saturday. I did a strong hill session on Tuesday, with 8 x 2 minute reps off a minute recovery, which was tough but enjoyable and I was pleased with my form.
On Thursday I did a 4 mile tempo at a fairly relaxed 5:27 pace into a strong headwind. In spite of the puncture wound I picked up at cross country, I did get out for a half decent run on Sunday, although a full long run proved too much for me as I had to give in to the pain in my foot after 13 miles. I was pleasantly surprised by the pace as I felt I had taken it easy and had just wanted to get some miles in the tank, and I averaged a healthy 6:15 pace throughout.
Total mileage for the week: 62
Average pace for the week (m/pm): 6:30
Total mileage so far this month (January): 256.5
Average miles per day 2017: 8.84
