I'm so happy that I finished 8th (I still can't quite believe it) in the Midlands Cross Country today. It sounds silly, but after the usual comotion at the start and the first down hill when I did make up a lot of places, not much happened. Jon just had to smile when his shoe came off, most athletes would be depressed or mad, but it's been that sort of season for him - I got one place there, and I'll have a guilty conscience every time I see Simon  Bailey as I sneaked past him on the line - that got me another place, but that was that. It was just great being so far up the field that Josh L. and Martin Williams were only a little way ahead - and there were only three people ahead of Josh.

The course was three 4K laps, the first part of the lap was very heavy and muddy, almost boggy, but the later part is a long fast downhill, much more appealling to the road runners. Needless to say I had to fight through the mud with the gap behind closing, and then could open up down the hill. At the end of each lap it seemed unlikely that I would hold position for another lap, but as the race went on nothing much happened, and I could tell from the tone of Mike and Tom's encouragement that I had to keep going rather try any lactic risking surges. On the last lap I decided that whatever happened it would be a good result, and with only the downhill and run-in to go I found a little confidence.

In terms of  slippery 12K Cross Country races there is no doubt that the marathon training has paid off,  we'll  have  to see how much speed  I have had to trade for this result - after London that is - but for today, shout as the crowd did at the leading teams runners just behind, and try as they did, places were hard to come by, and although I still can't quite believe it, I hung on ahead of some very good athletes.

Next week's world trial meant that the race wasn't as hot at the front as in the past, and  with the Bristol team relying on us vets, we were a creditable fourth (although I can't see the team result). I guess we could have done better if Jon had better luck, and Phil Wylie had a little more Cross Country experience, I gather he spent half the race putting his shoes back on and the other half moving back up the field from 80th to 30th. Elsewhere Charley had a great race to finish 10th in the senior women, with Heidi struggling with injury in 13th. Craig was third in the Juniors, and Kirstie won in the Junior Women.

..needless to say I'm very tired now.