Well my first season road racing for the year ended with the Birmingham Half Marathon last week, so I have now thrown full effort into my first cross country season starting off with the Birmingham and District Invitation league and the first meet at Leamington Newbold Comyn today.

Lots of fun but boy was it hard, 3 laps with water splash ditch and a beacon hill to repeatedly run through/up, total of 6.65 miles.

Indications were there when the ladies race started before the mens and at the finish one or two of them were being dragged off the course in various states of distress, and they only had two laps to do!!!!

Anyway despite that I found it real fun and challenging and could see that these races can make or break you physically, after which the road races will be a doddle.

Finally the team captain gave me a nice surprise in that I came second in the Burton Summer League for 50 vets with an award of a nice little shield, what an incentive to carry on next year. 

Hi Guys,

It's true most cross country races are for club athletes because it tends to be as much about the team as the individual but it is worth noting that for the price of club membership most clubs will enter you free into as many cross country races as most of us can handle over the winter. For example my club Ranelagh Harriers costs £40 annually but for that you can do 5 handicaps, 4 league races, 4 mob matches, 2 south of the Thames races and 3 Championships, and most clubs are cheaper....A common or garden 10k costs what these days? £15?

Cross country is great: forget about times and race your mates...give it a try!

Andy

What Andy says makes sense, as with me I joined Tamworth AC primarily to use the track and get a discount off races. It doesn't oblige you to be part of the club scene and now it's come to the XC season all the races are free, for the princely sum of £40 per year (+ you might have to buy the club vest to run in the races).

For me I have my own routine and I decide when I go to the club whether or not to join the endurance group to train dependant on how it fits into my schedule.

To this end my focus is that the XC season will build my endurance and stamina to attack the road race season and break the majority of PB's set for the races.