The Northerns

I don't know whether I hate cross country because it reminds me of running at school, or whether I hated running at school because it was cross country, but give me a road race any day. Oh yes, running off road can be better for the knees, more scenic, more interesting, and all that. But I just have a mental block. I don't like it, I don't like the prospect of getting muddy, of having to run up near vertical slopes, of slipping in the mud.

So, the suggestion that I run in the Northern Cross Country Championships filled me with dread. I should emphasise that they didn't pick me because I'm actually good at cross country, more that they wanted to get a team together, they needed six or seven runners, and I live a mile away from where it was taking place this year. OK, so I probably am one of the best six or seven women, even on cross country, but I'm certainly not one of the nutters who actually enjoys it.

I then spent about two months trying to think of an excuse to get out of it. At one point it was going to be my sister's hen do, which was perfect, but that got postponed until next weekend, so I was back on. I found someone to take my place, then someone else dropped out and she had theirs instead. In the end, I tried to persuade myself to stop whining and get on with it.

With it being close, it was the turn of the Leeds clubs to set up and marshall it. So I walked down to the park for the first time at about 9.30 and did an hour or so setting up tapes to mark our section of the course. That was a seemingly never-ending job because it was so windy that they kept coming untied and breaking. When we were done I decided that instead of hanging around, I'd pop home for a non-chemical toilet and a warm drink. I then walked back down to the park to meet everyone at about 11.45, with the senior womens race due to go off at 12.25.

I hadn't realised what a big event it was, with junior races in all sorts of agegroups, and people coming on coaches from all over the north. They were obviously all rather more committed to the thought of doing cross country than me!

Six women turned up for us, so as we had eight numbers there was no chance of finding a stand in. I could have just not run, I suppose, but I tried to persuade myself it would be fun.

The start was a bit disorganised, there was meant to be a pen for each club, but they weren't numbered and we were still wandering round trying to work out which was ours when the gun went off, so we just got behind some other people and followed them through their pens...

The race itself wasn't as bad as I'd been expecting. It was mainly on grass, so one of my main cross country fears - tree roots - wasn't a problem. My main worry is essentially a lack of confidence, I worry that without off road shoes (which I can't justify buying for one or two races a year) I'll fall, injure myself and mess up my FLM training. I have no confidence that I'll be able to stay upright. But it was grassy, and there weren't too many muddy spots, so my road shoes felt fine.

I won't claim I was ever challenging the leaders, it was a quality field which I was relatively well back in, but at least I felt like I was pushing myself to do as well as I could. Then on the second main lap (there was one small one then two big ones) I hit a spot of mud, went flat on my face and skidded on my stomach across the grass. That's why I don't like cross country...

Luckily it was a soft landing, so I didn't do any damage. I got up, started to carry on then realised I'd lost my number so had to go back for it. But my confidence was utterly shot. Although I was physically OK, I only felt like I could run the very easiest sections of the course, and anything remotely challenging reduced me to walking pace.

Luckily I was only a mile or so from the end, but it was still disappointing when I'd finally felt like I was getting into the swing of things.

I still finished 3rd of my clubs 6 runners, so it wasn't a disaster, and we were never exactly challenging for a prize so it didn't really matter and gave me a story to tell at the end, but it would be nice to finally conquer a cross country course as I think that's the only thing that's going to get me to like it in the future - if I can persuade myself that I can do it.

Ah well, maybe another time.

YP's compendium of bizarre running injuries

I'm lucky, I've never had a proper running injury. My knees remain intact, my ankles have been fairly strong since I started running, and my shoes don't give me blisters.

But as for the rest of my kit, it seems intent to injure me. Not in the normal places, my nipples are fine. But that doesn't excuse

Chaffed Arse. Well, the small of my back, but arse sounds more dramatic. Develops on long runs when I put something in the back pocket of my tights or shorts.

Chaffed stomach. No apparent reason for this one. I mean, I know I put on a bit of weight over Christmas, but I thought that lycra stretched...

Zip related ankle injury. Yup, the zip on my running tights rubbed my ankle and broke the skin. Which means that in the dead of winter I'm running in capris so I don't aggravate it while it heals.

Garmin wrist. Apparently I'm not the only sufferer of this one, but my new Garmin has given me a huge and painful bruise on my wrist. Advice seems to be that wearing a sweatband under it should resolve the problem. But no doubt the sweatband will then gang up with the rest of my kit and decide to chafe.

Pass the vaseline.

Distance

So, after a bit of recovery, a bit of fun racing the HPTT and a bit of rest, it's time to start building up for FLM, and taking things seriously. This time round I'm adding a bit more speedwork into the schedule (assisted by the Garmin and its ability to put me through my paces on interval workouts), and trying to do something more than lots of miles all at a similar pace. Hopefully that will be the breakthrough I need for sub 3:45.

Today was my first real attempt at a long run since Amsterdam. I don't really count New York as a run, and since then I've not done more than 10 miles at once. I've done days when I've done more, 5 miles to HPTT, 5k race, 5 miles back, but not all in one go.

Today's aim was 12 - 14, and I surprised myself by going 15.5, with the last few miles being the fastest as evidence that I still had plenty in the tank to keep on going to somewhere which was more convenient for a bus home. Average pace was 8:52 which isn't too shabby at all (PB marathon pace is 8:49), and I didn't feel like I was pushing it too much. I know it's much faster than the schedules say I should go, but if I feel comfortable on the run I don't like running slower than I have to, particularly when it starts to rain and I start to get hungry!