Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud
Today was something different - cross country!
My only associations with those two words come from school, but that was nothing like what went on today. At school although there was a spell through the woods, I seem to remember most of the run being on the road, and there not being much mud.
Not proper cross country then! Today was the real thing.
I only decided I was definitely doing it this morning when it looked clear and sunny. I foolishly thought that meant that it might not be too muddy. Yes, I knew that it had rained on Friday, but I hoped there had been some time for it to dry up a bit, and at least it wasn't actually raining.
I met up with the others at LPSA, then headed over to Dewsbury. I'd never done a club cross country before, and it was a different system to normal races, with registration on the day, no numbers, and club runners only. That meant fewer newbies behind me, everyone turning up was clearly fairly mad and hardcore.
I started worrying when I got there and saw the mud just in the registration area. I don't have any proper studs or spikes, and didn't think it was worth buying any until I saw whether I enjoyed it. I didn't think that my family would appreciate me spending their christmas present money on cross country shoes somehow. I was slipping around in my road shoes, and that was before I got onto the three lap course which I imagined would be pretty churned up by the third time round. (I was right).
Still, I was there, and they needed four women to finish to count. There were four of us, so not get outs. At the last minute another person arrived, but by this stage I'd paid my £2.50, so I may as well run. Great excuse...
The first part was round a rugby field which wasn't too bad, then up a muddy bank, then downhill on grass. I stayed off the track and ran through long grass for that bit, which was easier in my road shoes. Then up a track, back round the field for a short first lap, and then the fun started. After going downhill again, it started getting much much muddier. The first time round the long lap I tried without success to stay out of the worst of the puddles and mud, but by the second time I realised that the quickest way was probably going straight through the ankle deep sludge. At least it would be a soft landing if I slipped.
The running wasn't too bad, I ran pretty much all of it, even on the sludge. The only bits I walked were for footing reasons, rather than tiredness or hill reasons. I saw other people walking the hilly bits, but I didn't resort to that. I wasn't as fast as I would be on the road, but I'm sure I got a better work out from trying to keep my balance on the mud! There were a couple of times I had to hold onto gateposts as I slid round corners, but I did stay upright at least.
In the end I got the fourth female place for the club. Given that the three ahead of me all had proper shoes and had done cross country before I was OK with that. I was more interested in beating the other road shoe-d newbie, which I did quite comfortably in the end. At least I wasn't last! I actually nearly caught one of the other women from my club, she finished 40th and I finished 42nd, but I just didn't have enough at the end to catch her (finishing uphill on mud isn't conducive to a sprint finish). It wasn't a measured course. The info said it was about 4.5 miles, but I've measured it on the internet (or what I think the route was), and make it just over 5. It took me just under 50 minutes, so given the terrain, that wouldn't be too bad.
At the end I realised I've not been quite so muddy for a long time! My feet and midway up my calves were basically caked in solid mud, with splashes all the way up my back. that got a few stares when I headed into the supermarket to pick up some bread on the way home... I got back and peeled my shoes and socks off to realise that my feet were also black, caked in mud that had soaked all the way through. It took two washes to get it all out, although everything's now clean and drying ready for the club run tomorrow. Except my shoes that is, I'd decided to wear my old ones just in case they got ruined. I'll have a look to see how bad they look once they're a bit drier, but that may have been a good idea.
I can't do the next race because it's the day I come back from GC and I'm not going straight from the airport to run (even if the train would get me back in time), but I might do another before the end of the season. If I get some proper shoes, that is.
My only associations with those two words come from school, but that was nothing like what went on today. At school although there was a spell through the woods, I seem to remember most of the run being on the road, and there not being much mud.
Not proper cross country then! Today was the real thing.
I only decided I was definitely doing it this morning when it looked clear and sunny. I foolishly thought that meant that it might not be too muddy. Yes, I knew that it had rained on Friday, but I hoped there had been some time for it to dry up a bit, and at least it wasn't actually raining.
I met up with the others at LPSA, then headed over to Dewsbury. I'd never done a club cross country before, and it was a different system to normal races, with registration on the day, no numbers, and club runners only. That meant fewer newbies behind me, everyone turning up was clearly fairly mad and hardcore.
I started worrying when I got there and saw the mud just in the registration area. I don't have any proper studs or spikes, and didn't think it was worth buying any until I saw whether I enjoyed it. I didn't think that my family would appreciate me spending their christmas present money on cross country shoes somehow. I was slipping around in my road shoes, and that was before I got onto the three lap course which I imagined would be pretty churned up by the third time round. (I was right).
Still, I was there, and they needed four women to finish to count. There were four of us, so not get outs. At the last minute another person arrived, but by this stage I'd paid my £2.50, so I may as well run. Great excuse...
The first part was round a rugby field which wasn't too bad, then up a muddy bank, then downhill on grass. I stayed off the track and ran through long grass for that bit, which was easier in my road shoes. Then up a track, back round the field for a short first lap, and then the fun started. After going downhill again, it started getting much much muddier. The first time round the long lap I tried without success to stay out of the worst of the puddles and mud, but by the second time I realised that the quickest way was probably going straight through the ankle deep sludge. At least it would be a soft landing if I slipped.
The running wasn't too bad, I ran pretty much all of it, even on the sludge. The only bits I walked were for footing reasons, rather than tiredness or hill reasons. I saw other people walking the hilly bits, but I didn't resort to that. I wasn't as fast as I would be on the road, but I'm sure I got a better work out from trying to keep my balance on the mud! There were a couple of times I had to hold onto gateposts as I slid round corners, but I did stay upright at least.
In the end I got the fourth female place for the club. Given that the three ahead of me all had proper shoes and had done cross country before I was OK with that. I was more interested in beating the other road shoe-d newbie, which I did quite comfortably in the end. At least I wasn't last! I actually nearly caught one of the other women from my club, she finished 40th and I finished 42nd, but I just didn't have enough at the end to catch her (finishing uphill on mud isn't conducive to a sprint finish). It wasn't a measured course. The info said it was about 4.5 miles, but I've measured it on the internet (or what I think the route was), and make it just over 5. It took me just under 50 minutes, so given the terrain, that wouldn't be too bad.
At the end I realised I've not been quite so muddy for a long time! My feet and midway up my calves were basically caked in solid mud, with splashes all the way up my back. that got a few stares when I headed into the supermarket to pick up some bread on the way home... I got back and peeled my shoes and socks off to realise that my feet were also black, caked in mud that had soaked all the way through. It took two washes to get it all out, although everything's now clean and drying ready for the club run tomorrow. Except my shoes that is, I'd decided to wear my old ones just in case they got ruined. I'll have a look to see how bad they look once they're a bit drier, but that may have been a good idea.
I can't do the next race because it's the day I come back from GC and I'm not going straight from the airport to run (even if the train would get me back in time), but I might do another before the end of the season. If I get some proper shoes, that is.
posted by YP at 6:06 PM
2 Comments:
If those shoes emerge out of the experience smelly but otherwise usable, don't throw them out!
1. Get baking soda, and pour it into the shoes, as high as it will go.
2. Leave for 2-3 days
3. Empty the baking soda (good toilet cleaner if you add a tad of vinegar as well...)
4. Bang the shoes around to get as much as possible out
5. repeat steps 1-4
6. give the shoes a very through hoovering or vaccuming (however it gets called there, lol!)
They'll be fine for more cross-country, other applications will be up to you. :)
I take my hat off to you, as I'd have been scared (pathetic but true) to run through mud wearing road shoes.
I used to play football, and didn't get proper boots right away from the same considerations as you had - studs made it much, much easier to run and not to fall over, so spikes should help you out a good deal.
There's something quite satisfying about washing the mud off when you've got really seriously caked!
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