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First Cross Country Race in the UK

January 12, 2020 (Morning)

Exercise Type: Run

Comments:
I was thrilled to learn that cross country season here in the winter, which temperature-wise is like our fall, and even more excited to discover that the British conception of cross country is even more rugged than ours. "We watered the course for you," the started announced to much laughter (it has been raining steadily the night before). "If you try to avoid the mud, you won't." And since this was a rather informal all-comers race and the starter didn't have a megaphone or gun, he simply said, "Ready? Go." And off we went.

I immediately latched onto a pack of 5 guys at the front, though it soon became clear they were faster than me so I let them go. There was one guy dueling with me for the first 2 miles breathing hard down my neck on the uphill, but I dropped him for good when we had swift half-mile descent. The course was essentially a lollypop, though we did the loop part of it twice. My GPS watch which Jon Ettinger gave me two weeks ago buzzed at every mile and I kept thinking it must be pessimistic and not picking up the signal properly, but sure enough, it buzzed for 5 just as I was about to enter the finish chute. The course was muddy, but also beautiful, and I relished every moment of it. I think I pushed myself past what one would regard as "tempoing it." I'm pleased with how I did and how I ran. Best of all, I learned that the host club which I'd joined when I signed up for this race was once home to Bannister, Brasher, and Chattaway, who anyone who's read The Perfect Mile or watch "4 Minutes" at camp last summer should know about. They have their pictures on the walls, along with other Olympians who've run for them. In fact, this is the oldest running club in the land, possibly anywhere for that matter. The sport of cross country was more or less invented right here in fact, in Wimbledon, sometime around the late 1860s. They have some delightful newspaper clippings and drawings from the time of that new sport of cross-country running that was taking the lads of London by storm. So thrilling to be running in their footsteps.

The club served tea and cakes after the race. Because British.

Afterward, I cooled down a mile on the course, and then jogged four miles across Richmond Park and Putney Common to the nearest train station and caught the National Rail back to downtown London (Wimbledon is on the outskirts). I can't wait for my next race here! I hear we're actually going to conquer the creek!