However, having done very little on the fitness front I’ve been lacking inspiration for this week’s blog, so I’ve decided to recall my memories from those two occasions I ran in the Inter Counties cross country and also the Trafford 10k from 2010. If nothing else, writing about them will bring some fire back into my, now enlarged, belly for when I do return to running. Not very long this week as my memories from the two inter counties races are quite faded and I could only find one set of results.
Having won a Surrey County championship on the track, and being a better road runner than a cross country runner, it was somewhat surprising that I gained my first Surrey vest for cross country. It was 1994, the Inter-counties were being held at Luton. Each county selected 9 runners to represent them at these championships and despite only finishing in 14th position at the County Champs, I had made the team. I remember getting on the bus, excited to be representing my county, and being given a Surrey badge and vest by Mike Firth. The only other thing I can remember about the bus journey was chatting with Stuart Major and classy master, Bob Treadwell. I’d raced at Luton before, in the National cross country champs, so I knew it probably wasn’t the sort of course to suit me, but I was a more confident runner now, surely I’d run ok. I didn’t, finishing in 226th position. The race itself was won by Andrew Pearson in 36:48, with his Yorkshire team winning the team event. That, unfortunately, is all I can remember.
My next race in these championships came in 1998, Cardiff. I’d had a better County champs, finishing 10th, and was starting to run well again after breaking my foot in the summer of ‘97. Cardiff was a very good field and a tough course, but one that suited me better than Luton. There was a minor panic before the start, when I couldn’t find the team manager to get my numbers, but that all got resolved in time to feature on channel 4’s coverage. I didn’t have a spectacular run but it was a big improvement on my previous attempt, 112th. The race was won by Keith Cullen in 35:02, with Greater Manchester taking the team title. I couldn’t get hold of results for the 1994 event but I’ve just looked at the 1998 ones and it was absolutely loaded with talent, Richard Nerurkar could only manage 9th. So although I was a little disappointed at the time, in hindsight I had a pretty good run, for me.
That was the end of my Inter Counties career, though never say never, having made reserve this year what chance making next year’s team, there was an M55 in this year’s event.
My alternative race, this weekend, would have been the Trafford 10k. I’ve only done this race once, in 2010, but I thought it was a great course and would definitely do it again, if I wasn’t injured or on holiday. I only entered in 2010 because I was lacking race fitness and wanted something to sharpen me up for the British Masters cross country champs. I’d just finished 1st M45 in the Alsager 5 miles, so fancied trying a 10k, the last one I’d done was in Sandbach, in September, where I’d finished 2nd in 34:10. On the day the Trafford race was due to be held I had been suffering with a cold and hardly slept the night before. When I got out of bed, the road in front of me was covered in thick snow. That’s it, back to bed, forget the race. Luckily, for me, not the organisers, the snow caused Trafford to be postponed but it was now scheduled the week before the BMAF cross country champs. I’d only entered BMAF because I thought Herne Hill were taking a strong team, but they weren’t, so I figured I might as well do the 10k anyway, I wouldn’t have done it if I thought it might affect Herne Hill’s result. I’m so glad I did. I settled into the first 2k at a steady pace and then I metaphorically switched on my race brain, I settled into a pace that was solid but I knew I could keep going until the end and I was running with a racer’s focus. Because of my steady start this meant I was passing people for the next 8k. I went through the 5 mile marker faster than I had done at Alsager, I was ecstatic but had to quickly refocus my mind as the job wasn’t quite done yet. There was an old guy up ahead of me and I started to chase him down, I wanted to be first M45 and he looked older than me. With half a mile to go I passed him, as I did he gave me a ‘well done lad’ comment, which was quite amusing when I found out he was actually younger than me. I finished strongly for 20th position, just behind a couple of my new Salford team mates, with a time of 32:19. That was a huge confidence booster for the following week’s race, where I finished 5th, but 2nd M45.
As far as the injury is concerned, I don’t think it’s career threatening, I’ve seen a couple of people about it and they agree, I’m actually going to see someone else but I think it’s just a matter of being patient, stretch it out a bit and don’t do anything stupid. And when I do start running again, forget the past and start afresh. Until I start running again I’m not even contemplating races but hopefully I’ll be back racing before too long.
Written by Roger Alsop
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