Title sounds good doesn't it?! :-) I always fancied doing a cross country and knew that the only way I would be able to run one was if I was a member of a club. So having been a member of Giffnock North I was now eligible. I only found out about this race a couple of weeks before at training when one of the guys mentioned it. So I went home to investigate and entries were closed. Fast forward a week and just before training started in the get together. Bruce said that they had a drop out, so there was a place free if anyone wanted to run on the Saturday. I waited a bit to see if anyone stepped forward and didn’t so I put my hand up.
So Alan Stewart the Men’s team captain kindly sorted me out with a vest and said to turn up at Irvine by 1pm. I arrived about 12.45pm in time for the Senior Women’s race with an impressive turnout from Giffnock of 8 runners. It was a good team spirit as we cheered them on. The way the course is laid out meant the Senior women run 2 laps which add up to 6,400 metres. Each lap consists of first of an out and back section, so we were cheering them about half way through the lap and then they go on a big loop round the out and back section back to the start. Generally the course is pretty flat with 3 very short sharp hills which slow you down but you can make up for it with the short sharp downhill. I would say about half the course was muddy which was fun.
Next up was the Under 17 men where Giffnock literally ran away with the team prize, setting the scene for the Mens race. There were 4 of us from Giffnock running – David, Derrin, James and myself. As expected as soon as the gun went off, people took off very fast. Unlike other races I have run this year where people go out to fast and I catch up with a lot later in the race. I knew that the people in this race are more than capable of maintaining the pace the set out at, such is the standard at these things. So I got into a nice rhythm and completed the first lap in 15.30 which I was pleased with as it had shown I hadn’t gone out too fast. Just at the start of the second lap James passed me and was running strong. Throughout the first 2 laps David was always in view and my aim was to try and stay with him as long as possible. To my surprise as we were running back towards the finish on the third lap before completing the last big loop I was quickly gaining on him and caught him. I shouted some encouragement and he shouted some back and I edged away and started focusing on the next person in front. I over took a few more people and ended up finishing in 46.44 which I was delighted with as although it was 9,600 metres, it was a cross country so it is meant to be slower. My 10k PB is 46.50 so I sense a 10k PB may not be far away.
90th Derrin 39.45
149th James 45.20
156th Stuart 46.44
159th David 47.22
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