Cheshire XC Champs

It was the Cheshire Cross Country Champs on Saturday and held at Bolesworth Estate.  A beautiful place for a race and held in a part of it that I hadn't been in before.  It was so muddy and water logged that I should have brought my wellies to walk the course!  We had 2 large laps to do and the back part of each lap had a few short sharp hills.  I did actually expect the course to be a lot hillier that it was though.

Our race went off with the Under 20 men which when I first saw this on the timetable I was a bit disappointed as I felt it might change the way the race was run (possibility of there being men in front blocking the view of any girls that may be ahead).  In the end I was completely wrong as there weren't that many men and most of them went off quite quick!  

So the race started and after 400m I was hating it!  I really wanted to stop.  I just don't run well in calf deep water logged muddy ground!  I just had to keep telling myself that it doesn't matter what happens here, just finish it as its all part of making me stronger for my road races.  After about 1km I was in 4th place but could see a girl ahead who I definitely thought had started off too quick.  I caught her up by around 2km and by now we were on some firmer ground which was more enjoyable!  

I moved into 3rd place and once into the 2nd lap and coming up to the the short hills I felt I was making up ground on 2nd place.  With about 1km to go I had got closer but then she turned a corner and must have accelerated as by the time I got to the corner suddenly the gap had grown again.  It then just wasn't enough to make up to the finish.  I was happy to finish in 3rd and so glad it was over!