2010 Progress Entrant - Jayne Hall

Contents:- -Intro- Report -1- -2- -3- -4- -5- -6- -7- -8- -9- -10- -11- -12- -13- -14-

Report 4 - Week beginning 25/01/10

Monday started badly and got worse this week! It's really busy at work and everyone is stressed by seemingly impossible deadlines which make everyone including me pretty short tempered! I was late home so didn't have time to get to the usual torture class at the gym but I did do some sit ups, press ups and stretching at home for about 45 minutes. I must have done it right because Tuesday morning my arms and stomach muscles were aching!

On Tuesday evening I went out for a 4.5 mile run with Portia. We took it easy and ran at about 8.5 minute mile pace chatting and gossiping all the way.

Wednesday evening I went to the running club. I wasn't feeling too bright and intended just to do 6 miles at an easy pace but ended up running with some of the boys which means a faster paced run. I kept with them for about about 5.5 miles at just under 8 min mile pace but there is a short cut to the run we were doing which cuts off the last half mile and so I ducked out at the last minute and beat them home by default. The rest of the evening was spent in the club eating cake and chips as it was one of the runners birthday.

I rested on Thursday and Friday as on Saturday I was doing the Derbyshire Cross Country Championships at Markeaton Park in Derby. I woke up on Saturday and I really didn't feel like competing. I don't know why as these days I generally don't get keyed up about competing like I used to do but I was really nervous. Still, I felt I couldn't let the team down so turned up. I used to compete in Cross Country events a lot when I lived in Lancashire but haven't done any for years. I'm no longer fast enough as these days it takes me two miles to 'warm up' and the events are only between 3 and 5 miles long so I've really got no chance.... And they hurt... a lot! The other thing was that when I used to compete in Lancashire you'd line up with about 150 women but there were only 30 women in my race which was horrible as when there are loads of entrants you can hide in the pack! Here there was no where to hide. It was an 8k course which had two hard hills in each lap and there were three laps - so 6 hills...... by the fifth hill I was really questioning my sanity! I felt awful... because the race is short you have to run at 80 - 85% all the way or else you are in danger of being lapped (totally humiliating!)..... why did I do it?!! Anyway, I did complete to race and fell over the line in under 40 minutes, didn't get lapped thank goodness and wasn't last which was a bonus. After getting changed and watching the men's race (shouting abuse at our club runners on the hills!) it was announced that our senior ladies team were County Championship Gold medal winners! Result! It made the pain worthwhile (almost!).