I have been eyeing up this event since I was handed an advertisement leaflet promoting the races after I ran our own club's race dressed as the 'Mad Monk' - the Kirkstall Abbey 7 Trail Race. I have been flirting with the idea of entering one of the races since, I just wasn't sure if it would be the 5 mile race or the 10 mile race.
Initially, I had it in my head that I would enter the 5 mile race as I have only really got back into my running and regular intense training the last two months, so I didn't fancy a muddy 10 mile race if I am honest. However, when I found out that the 10 mile race was a part of the Kirkstall Harriers Club Championship I decided I would enter the big one. My cousin decided to stick to the 5 mile race, as he hasn't ran anything since the Leeds Half Marathon in May this year.
On the morning of the race, the weather was a little chilly but nothing to warrant bringing out the gloves, I felt really good about it and I hoped it would be nice running conditions. However, that was short lived as the weather decided to take a turn for the worst and the heavens opened. It looked awful out side my cousins car (see picture at the top) and we were both joking 'why did we enter this?'...
But that's all part and parcel of autumn / winter running, so we got out of the car and braved it - ready to warm up to start our races. Before the race, as a mark of respect, we held a one minute silence for Remembrance Sunday.
THE RACE:
The race got under way, both the 5 mile race and the 10 mile race set off together but after a couple of miles, the race routes separated and were to join up again later on the route so both races finished in the same place.
The first mile was over the fields of the Harewood House Estate and it felt more like a cross-country race than a trail race to me, but having walked the Harewood Trail just a month earlier with some friends, I knew we would soon be entering the dense wooded areas. It felt very heavy running on the thick grass, but I did feel very comfortable at the pace I set off at. It was windy on the open fields and despite being comfortable at the early pace I set myself, if it was to continue on grass, I think I would have struggled to keep it up.
As I approached the 2 mile marker, we had entered the trail paths in the woods by this point and I was probably in the top 10-15 runners, but I knew I was running at a strong pace, I knew my endurance isn't my strong point right now, as since I started running again I've not ran further than 7 miles, so I decided to slow my pace down a little bit. I could also sense there would be some tough muddy terrain to tackle, and with my lack of current endurance - I wasn't 100% confident I would be able to keep this pace up without really struggling, so slightly dropping the pace was probably a good idea, drawing on my experience a bit.
Miles 3 and 4 markers came by pretty quick and I was feeling pretty comfortable and strong, still inside the top 20, but as the course was getting muddier and muddier, I began to really slip. I didn't see it as too much of a problem at first, but due to the poor grip on my road running trainers (I don't own a pair of trail / off-road trainers), I found myself working extra hard to try and stay on my feet, while keeping this pace up.
Due to the slipping and sliding, I was having to use my core strength to keep my balance, because of all this extra work, I began developing a stitch on my right side. I felt I could run it out, I usually do, but then I started developing pain on my left side too, which did begin to worry me a little, I was running so well and I really didn't want a stitch to ruin my race. I used my usual technique of taking deep breaths and it did shake off my stitches a little bit, but I kind of knew I had to just grit my teeth and ride it out till it eventually went, which thankfully after a mile or so the pain faded off.
The pack of runners ahead of me began to get quite a lead on me and the runners behind me were a good 100 metres back, so I was kind of running on my own now, it was like me against the mud.
Eventually the route got back on some trail paths which were less muddy and I began to get my race pace back. The pack of runners in front of me looked to break up a little and my target now was to try and gradually up my pace to catch the guy in front of me. Meanwhile, a runner in a red vest behind me was really pushing hard to mow me down. He was definitely getting closer as we got to 7 miles but I couldn't work out whether he was getting faster or I was slowing down.
I really didn't want him to catch me and I had to dig in for a mile or two, he got so close to me by mile 8 and a half, he was breathing right down my neck. I could sense him trying to over take me, he tried it on several occasions but I just put on a short burst of acceleration every time he tried, just to show him he didn't have the kick to do me. It's times like these that I get involved in proper tear ups and I was ready for a competitive battle.
On the last mile, mile 9 I began feeling really strong again, I was confident from fending off this guy behind me and there was a huge couple of hills coming up on the last mile. I thrive on hills and I know I have the power and explosiveness in my legs to really make some ground on the killer hills.
I kept looking back to see how close behind me this guy was and to be honest, it wasn't much of a surprise to me when I watched him drop further away from me. I could tell he put in so much effort to catch up to me in the last few miles and to be honest, the hills killed him off late on.
I then found myself getting closer and closer to the guy in front of me (also in red). I thought to myself, right, after this last major hill, do I really want to have a sprint finish? I love a sprint finish but I wasn't 100% confident I would have the energy left after this hill, so I actually held myself back a bit, but pushed close enough to him to give myself a chance of challenging him to a sprint finish if I felt I had it in me.
So, on this last killer hill, the guy behind me was falling way off my pace, I was catching the guy in front up, I was really digging in, pushing hard up this hill, I wanted even more daylight between me and the guy behind and wanted to secure my position. The guy in front overtook the guy in front of him (who was in a green t-shirt), who looked to be dramatically slowing down this hill, naturally due to the difference in pace I passed him too, I gave him a word of motivation on my way up and we had a quick light hearted word about this damn hill (love the running camaraderie).
By the time I got to the top of the hill and turned the last bend where the race marshal shouted '200 metres across the friend to the finish line', I felt a lot of relief. The finish area was narrowed between tapes either side, I was definitely feeling the after effects of the hills and now running on thick grass to the finish my legs felt very heavy.
Sprint to 20th Position...
I mentally decided I would finish in this position I was approaching the finish line. Then out of nowhere I got this buzz of adrenaline as the crowd of spectators were cheering us all in to finish and with 30 metres remaining and about 10 metres between me and the guy in the red in front I sprinted heavily straight past him on his left side and finished in 20th position - to do myself proud and myself justice. Just three miles earlier I never believed I would come close to catching him, so to sail past him I felt really good about myself and has definitely boosted my current running confidence that I still have the vital explosiveness when it matters at the end of a race, something I have always prided myself on.
My final position was 20th out of 319 runners in a time of 107:41. I am definitely happy with my performance. I was 2nd fastest out of my club Kirkstall Harriers, although I would have liked to have being the fastest, I was beaten by a great running performance by Hal Roberts who finished in a great time of 106:39 with Paul Miller not far behind me in a time of 108:48 (see Kirkstall Harriers results above).
Away from the result, the biggest learning curve for me is I definitely felt the slipping and sliding on the muddy areas cost me about 5 seconds a mile, maybe even more, which was frustrating. My conclusion to this that I definitely think it's time I invested in some specialist off-road / trail trainers, especially with the cross-country season just around the corner - it's probably going to get even muddier and wetter. The first cross-country race is on November 22nd, before my pay-day so I think I may have to put up with slipping for just one more race I'm afraid.
My PB (personal best) for the 10 Mile distance is 104:06, which I achieved at the Eccup 10 Race in 2012, my only other 10 mile race to date. I feel if I find a flattish course I can definitely run around the 1 hour mark. At Eccup 10, it was my first race back after three months out with a calf tear so I wasn't at my best in that race.
Another thing I learned from Harewood 10, there is definitely nothing wrong with my endurance or my heart and desire to dig deep when I have to - that has definitely boosted my confidence.
for 2015/2016 SEASON:
Peco XC League Race 1:
22/11/2015
Hosted at: Temple Newsam
Peco XC League Race 2:
13/12/2015
Hosted at: West Park
Peco XC League Race 3:
03/1/2016
Hosted at: Middleton Park
Peco XC League Race 4:
24/1/2016
Hosted at: Golden Acre Park (*TBC)
Peco XC League Race 5:
14/2/2016
Hosted at: *To be confirmed
Peco XC League Relay & Presentation:
28/2/2016
Hosted at: Barnbow (*TBC)
My cross-country season for 2015/16 isn't the most gruelling schedule I have ever had. The Peco XC races are I would say more trail with a bit of cross-country rather than just on fields, they are fun to run but are usually - VERY COLD. I always enjoy the Pecos', they are competitive but friendly too, always a great atmosphere and it's not just an individual event, it's a team event too, so you aim to win points for your running club. After each race, the club which is hosting the event (usually a primary club which is co-hosted by another local club) usually put food on afterwards at a local pub or their clubhouse which is nice.
Last year I didn't run any cross-country races, I was injured throughout most of the winter season with a right calf tear. To be honest, I was actually pleased I didn't run the cross-country season last year, after a tough one the year before and a really bad cross-country experience I fell out of love with that form of running.
I'm not the biggest fan of the cross-country races to be honest, not because I don't enjoy off-road running because I really do, it's just all the waiting around in the cold before hand, once you are off running the race you warm up and it's fun but then afterwards, when the cold hits you and you have wet muddy feet, it's not that fun to be honest, especially cold hands, I really hate cold hands.
I had a really bad experience at a Northern Athletics Cross-Country Championships race in winter season of 2012 / 2013, I had one of my worst races ever. It was hosted at Knowsley Safari Park in St Helens near Liverpool, it was thick of snow the night before, all over Yorkshire and Lancashire. I actually thought it would be cancelled, so I decided to drink a bottle of Jagermeifter with two of my friends the night before and boy was that a mistake.
In the morning the race turned out was still on, I had an extremely bad hangover, went to Knowsley Safari Park, it was freezing cold, full of think deep icy mud, I was wearing road trainers and in a nutshell it was a disaster. I slipped face first into the mud and came not far from the back, I just had a nightmare. I had previously ran a Northern Cross-Country Championship and a National Cross-Country Championship, and I finished in the top half in both, so I had performed pretty well in the past.
The quality of the competition in the Northerns, Southerns and National Championships is very high, the standards blow the local races out of the water, many of these runners are touching elite class level, I definitely disrespected the challenge ahead at Knowsley Safari Park and I paid the price. I decided after that, that I would retire myself from the Northern and Nationals and stick to the local races. It wasn't the fact I didn't have a good result, I know I have the quality to do quite well, as I had in the previous Northern and National I competed in, it's just I don't get that much enjoyment out of running laps of muddy fields, it's just not my thing. Can I really leave it like this though? I am not sure, I can sense that at some point I will make a comeback just to make up for my bad performance that day, but for now, I just don't have that desire to do so.
From this year's cross-country season, I hope I can run all five Peco races, if I do, I will receive a memento for running all of them. Each season I have not yet managed all five races but it would be nice to do that this time. It may be tricky, the second race is the morning after my family birthday party and the last race is the same weekend as my mates 30th birthday, so it depends what he has planned, but I will certainly try my best to run them all, even if it means running some of them with a hangover and not being as competitive. There was a time I could run really hard with a hangover a couple of years ago but at 30, soon to be 31, it is harder, I don't think my liver breaks down the alcohol as quickly as it used to. Ha.
You Tube footage on RJ SPORTS TV of me falling off my hired bike whilst trying to film myself riding at Centre Parcs last month for my mates stag do.
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