Great Edinburgh Cross Country

In my last race report I said the first Sunday of the new year was set aside for my County XC Champs, and since I moved to Edinburgh the 2nd weekend usually sees me competing in the BUPA Great Edinburgh CC race.

I ran the long race for the past 3 years, but this year as part of my plans for some indoor races I'm running I decided to run the short race (4.2km). I thought it would be a bit of a dust up between domestic athletes, but found out in December that the meet had changed format and the short course would include some of our friends from easy Africa. This didn't make much difference to me if I'm honest as I was still keen on running the shorter race.

My brother Michael was also entered in the same race, and so we traveled to the course with Niall Sheehan, a mate of mine who was competing in the long race, we got there in good time, picked up our envelopes, including numbers, pins and chips, and headed for a tent.

Once in the tent I seen a lot of guys I knew and a lot I didn't, because I was about to race I just went about my business, number and name on vest, chips on spikes, had a bit of a chat with Joe Sweeney, who was competing for the Europe team, and out for the warm up.

Some guys like to be left alone before a race, I'm pretty casual about my approach, I try not stress out and just prepare as best I can, I don't have a specific routine that I follow before each race so, maybe its a good thing maybe its a bad thing, its worked out OK so far.

I though it was mild enough so I just stretched outside, and headed for the tent to put my racing gear on, with 15-20 minutes before the race was to start they were already wanting us on the start line, I thought my watch was slow, but I was assured they just wanted everything to run smoothly so were calling everyone very early.

The race started and I had expected it to be a lot faster than it actually was, having said that I didn't take it out as I was more than happy to sit in the lead group. One short lap later and we started out on the first of two big laps, I was still feeling quite good at this point and was running along side Asbel Kiprop for a short while, before the pace increased and we were all running  in single file.

The large laps include Haggis Hill which I haven't ran up or down since this event last year, so much for making use of my local knowledge, it was quite hard and everyone in front of me was in single file again, my immediate thoughts was on the downhill section to follow, so as we neared the top of the hill, which is also the steepest, I decided it was the right place to attempt to pass the guys just in front of me.

I moved to the left and passed Mike Skinner and one other guy just before the top, success, but as I started the decent I lost my footing and went heels over head, twice, down the hill I went but not in the fashion I had imagined, I only lost the two places I had just made up, so regarding my position it wasn't a disaster. I picked myself up pretty quick and got down the remained of the hill as best I could. 

Past the bell and my heart was pumping, I've fell quite a few times in races, I wouldn't consider myself clumsy at all, but I do take a few chances, when perhaps I should slow down, and so I know the routine, the heart rate shoots up when you get a shock and adrenaline is released into the body, so you feel fine, half a mile later I was wrecked from both the fall and my overly enthusiastic effort to get back into a small group of athletes ahead of me.

Michael passed me half way into the last lap and gave me a shout to try go with him, but he was flying at this stage, and I wasn't. I got over the hill the second time without any dramatics and crossed the line. An OK result, but if I'm being completely honest I wasn't happy at all.

The fall didn't do too much either to my race, I can't blame that, but I'm not looking to blame anything, I just don't think it was a great result for me, but Michael did have a stormer, and that always makes it easier to accept the below par races.

Well done to everyone who competed over the weekend in any event, it's early door in 2011 and there will be many more highs and hopefully very little lows.