....One of those was our club's outing to the local Cross Country league.
It's been a while since cross-country runners were required to run semi-naked and vault stone walls (...it seemed like a nice picture though..) but that doesn't mean it's not tough, just, er, a wee bit 'safer'.
So, the Cross Country was at that hot-bed of athletics...Stafford. You mock, I hear you mocking. But to anyone who knows anything about cross country, Stafford Common is the stuff of legends.
Two facts I know about these hallowed acres. One, it's so damp, no-one has ever expressed any desire to build on it. Two, its near the Evo-Stik factory. These facts may be related in some way, draw your own conclusions. Actually, it's not far from the prison either. I'm sure it's lovely in the Summer, unfortunately we never go there in the Summer. The weather is always suspect here when we arrive to run.
We pitched the Club tents on the only piece of ground not waterlogged, but first we had to clear a space between the pedigree cow pats (the common also seems to be 'home' to a herd of rare breed cattle).
Cross Country in this league is inclusive; that is, there are girls and boys races, there are women's and then the men's race rounds the afternoon off nicely.
The kids are funny; there is a mix of dead serious, can't be bothered, and slightly embarrassed at being there in the first place. The keen team managers are there to show us that pushy surrogate parents aren't exclusive to football. It's quality effort by everyone though, the poor kids are often bent double in the finishing tunnel. I don't think flapjacks make ideal warm-up food.
All the facilities you ever need are at Stafford. A single portaloo AND a tent where you can get a cup of tea. Just like home (...if you live in a field with a portaloo, that is.).
The 2012 vintage mud was truly ikky. One of our boys lost both shoes shortly after the start and ran the whole race bare, well, sock-footed. I wouldn't fancy rinsing those off in the sink, probably a bit of a lost cause :)
He wasn't alone - several shoes were lost during the afternoon. One imagines 'Time Team' visiting in the 22nd Century and trying to make head or tail of what they might find at the bottom of the mud pit.
Everyone, without fail, was muddy. Even the spectators. Some were muddier than others. Some went A over T into the mud, others just settled for the basic Face-Plant. I was surprised to see one chap wearing jogging bottoms which, after 3 laps were pretty damp and grimy, but if you haven't got any shorts what are you going to do?
Even the winner in the men's race fell over on the last lap. But he was so good, so quick that he could have stopped, washed it all off and popped over to use the roller towel in the portaloo while he was waiting for the others to catch up. That's the thing about Cross Country though, it brings you all down to the same basic level, and if you do well, you've earned it. There's no such thing as a 'lucky' race.
It was a fun day in Stafford. Cold, mucky stuff. As nice as my new friends were on the finish line, I still wished I was running. I realised today though it's going to be a really long, hard road back.
